Approval ratings for elected officials’ handling of the super-storm are sky high, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released this morning.
Mayor Bloomberg – whose overall approval rating jumped to 56 percent, from 51 in an August Q poll – handled the devastating hurricane well, according to 75 percent of city voters.
Gov. Cuomo received an 85-percent Sandy approval rating; Obama, 84 percent.
But city voters saved their biggest applause for NJ Gov. Chris Christie, who won 89 percent of their support for his response to the storm.
New Yorkers were not as forgiving of the utility companies. Only 37 percent approved of the job performed by Con Edison and LIPA, which have been skewered by Cuomo for not turning on the lights fast enough.
By comparison, 58 percent gave the power companies a thumbs down.
Three-quarters of city residents approved of the MTA’s response, which was generally so well received that political insiders have begun buzzing about MTA chief Joe Lhota running for mayor as a Republican.
Another star of the storm was Bloomberg’s demonstrative sign language interpreter Lydia Callis, who outshone hizzoner during press conferences with her enthusiastic gestures. New Yorkers approved of her performance 53-2, with 43 percent saying they had no opinion.