Hickenlooper still popular, poll finds

Despite much chattering to the contrary, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper seems to be as popular as ever. The Denver Post finds:

Denver residents overwhelmingly approve of Mayor John Hickenlooper's job performance, and most don't hold him responsible for the snowpacked condition of city streets, a poll conducted for The Denver Post shows...

The poll backs up what I wrote last week, comparing the Mayor's handling of the storm to George W. Bush's handling of Hurricaine Katrina. Citizens don't blame politicians for the weather, but they do expect a high level of empathy and effort:

Hickenlooper said the poll results indicated that Denver residents appreciated how hard city employees had been working in the past week. "The public may not expect us to be perfect, but they do require that we never give up," he said in a statement.

The poll also contains a tidbit that neatly sums up the state of mind of the American taxpayer:

A majority of Denver residents said that the city should "significantly increase" its number of snowplows, but a majority also opposed raising taxes to buy them or pay for other snow preparation methods.