Ward system proposal popular with Surrey residents, Ferris Wheel near Patullo Bridge is not
A Insights West poll released Monday clearly shows that Surrey Councillor Barinder Raosde’s chances of becoming mayor of Surrey are bright.
The poll found that Doug McCallum and Linda Hepner hold similar levels of potential support among residents who are gauging their options.
The poll showed:
* Among the two declared candidates, McCallum holds a higher level of familiarity (83%) than Hepner (67%).
* Both contenders are recognized by most residents aged 55 and over (96% for McCallum and 81% for Hepner), but the former mayor has a higher level of familiarity than the current councillor among residents aged 18 to 34 (64% to 46%) and those aged 35 to 54 (87% to 74%).
Among those who are familiar with McCallum, 40% say they are “very likely” or “moderately likely” to vote for him in the mayoral election. The numbers are very similar for Hepner, with 37% of those who are acquainted with her being “very likely” or “moderately likely” to support her in November.
Another plus for Rasode is that the poll showed that CRIME (45%) continues to be the top issue facing the city, followed by transportation (21%), poverty (10%) and economic development (8%).
Rasode split from Surrey first on the issue of crime and she continues to highlight it.
Yet another plus is that the poll shows that following three years of single party rule in City Council, almost two-thirds of residents (64%) would like to have councillors who can work together in a coalition, while 21% favour independent councillors. Only 5% of residents prefer to have councillors who represent a political party.
Interestingly, the online survey of a representative sample of Surrey residents also shows that the public reacted positively to McCallum’s proposal to elect City Council through a ward system, but not to Hepner’s idea of constructing a Ferris Wheel near the Patullo Bridge.
McCallum’s proposal to elect the Surrey City Council by neighbourhood wards resonated with the population, with 53% of residents calling it a “very good” or “good” idea.
Conversely, Hepner’s suggestion to build a Ferris Wheel on the beach wedged between the Patullo and SkyTrain bridges was deemed “bad” or “very bad” by 72% of Surrey residents.
Results of the poll are based on an online study conducted from July 17-21 among 507 residents of Surrey who are aged 18+ and are Your Insights panel members.