Omahans were far from satisfied with Mayor Jim Suttle but didn't necessarily think he should be recalled from office, according to The World-Herald Poll.
A majority of Omahans surveyed disapproved of his job performance. But far fewer were willing to sign a recall petition or vote to remove Suttle if an election were held.
Even so, the pool of pro-recall Omahans was large enough to force an election if recall organizers can find them. Based on the poll's findings, more than 76,000 registered voters in Omaha might be willing to sign a recall petition. That's nearly three times the 26,643 signatures needed to trigger a recall election.
Recall sentiment was strongest among Republicans, west Omaha residents, men and those who said they were likely to vote in the November general election. The poll found less support for the recall among those who had household incomes of at least $75,000 or held college degrees.
If a recall election were held, Suttle might benefit from uncertainty over his potential replacement. The poll found that a large majority was concerned “somewhat” or “a lot” about voting in a recall election without knowing who the next mayor would be.
That concern was expressed even by about half of those who said they would sign a recall petition or vote to remove Suttle.
Meanwhile, the poll found that only about 37 percent of Omahans gave failing marks to the City Council, compared with 53 percent disapproval for Suttle.
The World-Herald Poll, conducted Oct. 17-21, surveyed 390 Omaha registered voters. The poll had a statistical margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.
Contact the writer:
444-1114, paul.goodsell@owh.com
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