Upstate still rates Paterson as OK

ALBANY — Upstate residents continue to give the governor high marks on his job performance, while the state Legislature is still seen as ineffective.

In a poll released Thursday, Quinnipiac University reports that 56 percent of upstate New Yorkers approve of the way Gov. David A. Paterson is handling his job, versus 20 percent who disapprove and 23 percent who "don't know." Sixty-six percent of upstaters believe he will be able to govern effectively, compared with 75 percent who responded similarly in March.

Statewide, the governor also got a 56-percent approval rating, while 67 percent of all New Yorkers think he will be an effective governor.

"After a rocky period, Gov. Paterson's job approval has moved up," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Most New Yorkers think he'll be an effective governor and can work well with the Legislature."

The Legislature, however, continues to be viewed poorly by upstaters, with only 27 percent giving approval to that body's handling of its job. Statewide, the Legislature has a 29 percent approval rating. Regionally, the Legislature gets its highest approval rating — 33 percent — from residents of New York City.

Neither Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, R-Brunswick, nor Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, earned good grades from upstaters; their approval ratings are 39 percent and 25 percent, respectively.

Yet 64 percent of upstaters believe the governor and the Legislature "will be able to work together to get things done for the people of New York state."

Control of the state Senate, where Republicans hold a slim 32-30 majority, will loom large in the coming November elections. Forty-six percent of upstaters surveyed said they would prefer Democratic control of the Senate, versus 37 percent who want the Republicans to remain dominant.

When asked to rate their level of satisfaction with "the way things are going in New York state today," 69 percent responded that they are either "somewhat" or "very" dissatisfied, versus 29 percent who said "somewhat satisfied."

When asked to gauge the state's economy, an overwhelming 84 percent of upstate residents replied either "not so good" or "poor," while 14 percent said "good." Only 11 percent think the economy will improve, while 49 percent believe it will get worse and 37 percent say it will stay the same.

New York's two Democratic senators also are in upstaters' good graces. Sen. Charles E. Schumer has a 61 percent approval rating, while Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has the approval of 60 percent of upstaters.

For the purposes of the poll, "upstate" is defined as the 53-county region north of, and including, Orange and Putnam counties.

Pollsters from the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, Hamden, Conn., surveyed 1,388 New York residents between June 3 and 8. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.