Public satisfaction grows for NOPD, but drops for Cantrell
The big picture: NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick has the highest approval rating for an elected officials in the city, according to the survey from the New Orleans Crime Coalition.
The police department's satisfaction rate (31%) was the lowest it had been in more than a decade when Kirkpatrick started in 2023, according to the group's surveys.
It's now up to 47%, with a majority of surveyed residents (54%) saying they feel the city is safe.
Zoom in: 65% of respondents said they think the city is on the wrong track.
Approval ratings for Cantrell (27%, down from 31%) and Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson (18%, down from 32%) dropped this year.
City Council's stayed pretty much the same (47% this year and 48% last year).
The poll was taken after 10 inmates escaped from the Orleans Justice Center, which Hutson manages.
This is how public officials and agencies fared in the job approval survey:
Winners
Kirkpatrick (53% approval)
DA Jason Williams (51%)
NOPD (47%)
City Council (47%)
Losers
Sewerage & Water Board (79% disapproval)
Cantrell (62%)
Hutson (62%)
Meanwhile, New Orleans voters will elect a new mayor and sheriff this fall.
This poll has Michelle Woodfork in the lead for the sheriff's job and Helena Moreno leading in the mayor's race.
See our running list of mayoral candidates.
Zoom in: This is the 16th annual NOPD Citizen Satisfaction Survey from the New Orleans Crime Coalition.
The group says it started it in 2009 to highlight areas needing improvement and to encourage reforms within the department.
The Greater New Orleans Foundation, GNO Inc. and the Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region paid for this year's survey.
How it works: Faucheux Strategies conducted the phone survey from May 27 to June 4 to track key metrics related to residents' perceptions.
The poll surveyed a representative sample of 800 New Orleans adults and has a margin of error of 3.46%.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Ocean City, Maryland, votes against restrictions on short-term rentals
Voters in Ocean City, Maryland, rejected an ordinance that would have put restrictions on short-term rental properties. The ordinance failed during a special election Tuesday, with 800 votes for and 834 votes against the measure, according to the city government. The ordinance, passed by the mayor and city council in March, would have initially imposed a minimum five-night stay for homes rented in certain single-family neighborhoods or mobile home communities. These changes would have gone into effect for 2025 and 2026. By January 2027, the measure would have required a minimum 31-night stay for homes rented in those designated communities. The ordinance would have impacted Ocean City's R-1 single-family districts and MH mobile home district. Currently, there are five R-1 districts in the city, and one mobile home district. More than 4,000 homes would have been affected by the ordinance. After it was passed by city leaders last year, the rental ordinance received sharp criticism, especially from the Ocean City Maryland Property Rights group. The group launched a petition that led to the special election. In it, advocates claimed the changes to short-term rentals would threaten property rights and lessen Ocean City's appeal as a vacation destination. "A ban on short-term rentals in Ocean City won't just hurt hosts," the group said in their petition. "It will hurt Ocean City's economy, its appeal to family vacationers, and its community spirit." The petition encouraged residents to vote against the ordinance. WJZ has reached out to the mayor's office for comment.
Chicago Tribune
3 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Mayor Brandon Johnson's CFO says property tax hike ‘likely' in 2026 budget
Mayor Brandon Johnson's team teased plans this week to take another swing at raising property taxes to close the city's more than $1 billion budget gap, despite an aldermanic revolt last year and continued resistance to such a hike. Asked in an interview with Bloomberg's Romaine Bostick whether a property tax increase would again be proposed for the city's 2026 budget, Chief Financial Officer Jill Jaworski said 'it is likely that that will be part of the package,' without addressing how to garner support from the City Council to pass it. One of Johnson's 'budgeteers' last year, Ald. Matt O'Shea, 19th, said he would need to see major cuts and efficiencies to be won over. 'And if it doesn't happen, I'm a no vote, and so are the majority of my colleagues,' he said. 'We need to start talking about stuff we never talked about before.' Jaworksi affirmed cuts will also be part of the mayor's budget package, but said the administration is 'hoping to avoid' reducing services. She suggested the city would be addressing a chief complaint from the business community about the unpredictability of property taxes. 'You're thinking about investment, uncertainty is the enemy, right?' It's a similar line to the one Mayor Lori Lightfoot used when she successfully proposed tying annual property tax hikes to 5% or the rate of inflation, whichever was lower. Johnson, who campaigned against raising property taxes and instead pitched other progressive revenues, backed off of Lightfoot's policy in his first budget, only to renege last year amid a nearly $1 billion deficit. Aldermen preemptively voted against that hike. The final budget instead included a bigger share of one-time fixes — including using federal pandemic dollars and prior-year surplus — to close the gap. Ratings agencies that help determine how much the city will owe on debt have cited a lack of progress finding 'permanent and high impact solutions' to close its budget gap as black marks. Property taxes are among the most stable and predictable revenues the city can raise on its own. Fitch also dinged the city earlier this year for its pursuit of other revenues 'that require state or voter support, which do not appear to be forthcoming in the near term.' Jaworski has argued the state should legalize taxing services. Johnson has called for taxing the rich, but since the failure of the 'Bring Chicago Home' referendum, has not proposed how the city would do it. Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd, said he appreciated Jaworski's commitment to a balanced budget, but cautioned Johnson's administration to not start discussions by saying a property tax hike is necessary. It is the mayor's job — not Jaworski's — to sell the public on such a tax hike, and a critical part of doing that is showing the math that would make it necessary, Hopkins said. 'People don't want to be told it's inevitable and unavoidable, because they don't believe that,' he said. 'It'll spark a rebellion. People will feel manipulated and like something is being forced down their throats.' While currently opposed to a property tax hike, Hopkins said 'I don't think we can rule out anything.'
Axios
8 hours ago
- Axios
New Orleanians want less flash, more function from City Hall
Many New Orleanians are scaling back their hopes for City Hall after years of big promises and slow progress. Why it matters: Instead of dreaming of transformation, residents just want a city that works. The big picture: In a recent citywide poll, 37% of residents said street repair and maintenance were their top concerns, and 30% pointed to drainage and flooding. While crime remains the top concern overall, its importance has fallen since last year, as frustration has grown with street conditions, according to the New Orleans Crime Coalition survey. 65% of respondents said the city is on the wrong track. "People have not been trusting City Hall for some time now," says Robert Collins, a professor of urban studies and public policy at Dillard. Zoom in: City priorities are a focus of this fall's election, when voters have the potential to overhaul the leadership at City Hall. LaToya Cantrell is term-limited and her mayoral seat is hotly contested. So are the City Council spots. Inside the room: New Orleanians care about their city, and there's been intense interest in how things can be fixed. In about a dozen community meetings over the past year, residents have shared their ideas for how to improve safety on Bourbon Street, make City Park more user-friendly and spur development in New Orleans East. But there's been a thread of skepticism from attendees about their voices being heard and projects actually finishing. So they've scaled back their expectations and focused on the basics. What they're saying:"The city always overpromises and under-delivers," Collins tells Axios New Orleans. "People have been promised large-scale infrastructure improvements before, but it never happens," he said. So now, people are looking for baby steps that can be delivered in a year or so. Case in point: Bourbon Street: Proposals for sweeping safety changes lost out to more immediate fixes this year, after vocal objections from residents and business owners. Now leaders are focusing on making the current barricades work while they investigate other options. City Park's planned overhaul was scaled back after community pushback. Residents wanted upgrades, but not at the expense of existing programs like Grow Dat Youth Farm. The new plan, unveiled last month, is " somewhat transformational without changing the backbone" of the park, City Park Conservancy president and CEO Rebecca Dietz told Axios New Orleans. (See renderings) Lincoln Beach: An ambitious plan for the historic Black beach — including an expensive rooftop pool — was shelved in favor of a simpler one that focuses on the sandy beach and basic amenities. Other lingering projects include Plaza Tower and the Market Street Power Plant. Progress is happening at the former Six Flags and the new River District, but much slower than initially promised. What we're watching: The new administration will have to focus on rebuilding public trust, Collins said. Improving customer service and responsiveness for city services, especially with the Sewerage & Water Board, would go a long way with residents, he says.
