Poll: 52 Percent Approve of Rahm

If you earn a six-figure income, you probably think Mayor Rahm Emanuel is doing a good job. 

That’s a finding of a Tribune poll on Emanuel’s first year in office, conducted May 2-10.

Emanuel’s approval rating among Chicagoans earning $100,000 a year was 62 percent, his highest rating in any demographic group. Here are Emanuel’s approval ratings among other groups. 

All Chicagoans: 52 percent 

Men: 56 percent 

Women: 48 percent 

Whites: 60 percent 

African-Americans: 44 percent 

Latinos: 49 percent 

Suburban Cook County: 47 percent 

Collar Counties: 58 percent 

However, the newpaper found, most voters felt Emanuel hasn’t kept his promise not to squeeze residents with higher fees and taxes. 

After taking office, Emanuel pledged that he wouldn't "nickel-and-dime" taxpayers for budget fixes. But Emanuel has raised water and sewer rates, city vehicle stickers and instituted other fine increases.

The poll found that 44 percent of city voters said Emanuel has not lived up to his pledge versus 38 percent who said he has.

Emanuel fared better on the tax and fee issue among white voters — 46 percent said he'd kept his promise — and wealthier voters, at 53 percent. Conversely, 49 percent of black voters and 46 percent of those earning between $50,000 and $100,000 a year said the mayor hasn't fulfilled his pledge.

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