POLL: Majority of Santa Feans Support Raising Taxes

Some interesting results from Progress Now New Mexico's municipal election poll.

In the wake of actions at the state Legislature that cut the amount of cash cities will receive from state coffers, more Santa Feans support raising taxes slightly than those who support cutting city services, according to a poll conducted in late October.

The poll commissioned by the progressive advocacy nonprofit Progress Now New Mexico found that 54 percent of a 400 likely voters either strongly support or somewhat support hiking the sales tax by three-eighths of one percent to keep services at the same level. Twenty-seven percent of respondents said they somewhat support or strongly support cutting services instead. Eighteen percent said they didn't know.

SFR wrote about what respondents thought of mayoral candidates. Longtime councilor Patti Bushee has a 13-point lead over her nearest opponents in the poll. But 37 percent of respondents are still undecided.

The poll, conducted by Stephen Clermont at Virginia-based Third Eye Strategies, also asked Santa Feans about other issues relating to the race.

The most important issues for the next mayor to address are protecting water, improving schools, creating jobs and reducing crime, according to the poll.

Respondents also said they would be much more likely or somewhat more likely to vote for a mayoral candidate if the candidate received endorsements from environmental organizations like the Sierra Club, sitting Mayor David Coss and labor unions.

Read the entire poll here:

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