Bloomberg Ratings Get A Boost After Hurricane Irene

Mayor Bloomberg received a significant boost in ratings for his performance and "better safe than sorry" approach to Hurricane Irene, according to a new poll released by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Bloomberg now holds a 54 percent to 35 percent approval rating, up from 45 percent to 43 percent in July, his best numbers since New Yorkers deeply criticized his lack of response during last winter's blizzard.

"Maybe it was the decisive preparations for Irene - Bloomberg's job approval has moved up nicely. As usual, Manhattan likes him best of all," Maurice Carroll, director of the Polling Institute, said.

Carroll also noted that voters did not seem to weigh in heavily on the Mayor's recent embarrassment over his decision to not disclose information on former Deputy Mayor, Stephen Goldsmith's, domestic violence arrest.

"This survey was conducted after Hurricane Irene and during the storm about Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith's arrest - but maybe that second storm is a tempest in a teapot," Carroll said.

The poll also found that 60 percent of New York City voters believed that Lower Manhattan recovery efforts were either going "very well" or "somewhat well," up from the 40 percent seen back in August of 2009. The area has recently undergone a booming transformation, as new hotels, restaurants, and other businesses including real estate, have flourished in the neighborhood.