Manitowoc Mayoral Primary

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Manitowoc Mayoral Primary Community Survey
February 2009
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Study Methodology

• The following are the details of the study
• Custom designed survey instrument developed
  through work between WCUB and Leede Research.
• The survey information was gathered by telephone
  interviewing. All interviewing was completed by
  Leedes interviewing team in Manitowoc.
• The sample used in the study consisted of random
  households in the City of Manitowoc who indicated
  that they were likely to vote in the upcoming
  primary elections.
• A total of 300 completed interviews were
  conducted overall. This gives the study a
  maximum error of 5.7, based on a 95 confidence
  level.
• The goal of the study was to identify key issues
  in the upcoming election and to gauge voter
  preference to the five candidates that are part
  of the primary to select the first new Mayor in
  Manitowoc in 20 years.

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Study Detail
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Greatest Issue Facing City of Manitowoc
Q1. What do you see as the greatest issue facing
the City of Manitowoc in the next five years?
The most often mentioned other responses
were Economy 13 responsesJobs/Unemployment
10 responsesAquatic Center 5 responsesSchools
4 responsesTaxes 4 responsesDowntown 3
responses

• The results indicate that Jobs are the top issue
  to area residents. This is followed by
  Controlling Spending and Budgets. These dwarf
  all other issues in this unaided question. Other
  areas also lean towards the importance of Job and
  the Local Economy.

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Ability of City Government To Influence Issue
Q2. On a scale from 1 to 7, with 1 being No
Influence at All to 7 being Very Significant
Influence, how would you rate the ability of City
Government in Manitowoc to influence that issue?
Mean Score 5.15

• There are mixed opinions as to the ability of
  government to address and influence some of these
  key issues. The mean score indicates that
  overall respondents generally feel that
  government can play a role in addressing these
  key issues.

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Importance of Factors
Q3. The following is a list of issues that might
be important to you now and in the future
specific to the City of Manitowoc. Please rate
each of these issues from 1 to 7, with 1 being
Not at All Important, to 7 being Very Important
to the future of the area

• There are several items of note in this
  question. The mean scores vary greatly
  indicating a significant level of thought in the
  response. It is interesting to note that while
  we hear a lot about the need for more
  entertainment, the ratings were just above
  average. Jobs, Spending, Property Tax Control
  and Economic Development are the top items of
  interest in the City.

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Most Important Role of Mayor
Q4. What do you feel is the most important role
of the Mayor in the City of Manitowoc?
This was an open response. The most often
mentioned responses were Business/Bring in
Jobs/Economy 52 responses Control
Taxes/Spending/Budget 48 responses Be a Leader
39 responses Listen to the People 30
responses Oversee Government/City Council 27
responses Ambassador of City/Promote 13
responses
Please see the complete listing of responses in
the Open Responses section of the report.
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Satisfaction With Groups
Q5. The following is a list of key people in the
governing of the City of Manitowoc. Please rate
your satisfaction with each of these groups from
1 to 7, with 1 being Not at All Satisfied, to 7
being Very Satisfied with that group at the
current time
Mean Scores

• There appears to be some issues with both the
  current Mayor and the City Council. All
  responses are above average with the Police and
  Fire Departments showing the strongest
  satisfaction ratings.

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Aware Mayor Not Seeking Re-Election
Q6. Were you aware that Mayor Kevin Crawford is
not seeking re-election as Mayor of Manitowoc?

• The community is strongly aware of the fact that
  Mayor Crawford is not running for re-election at
  this time.

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Name Candidates - Unaided
Q7. Can you name any candidates for the position
of Mayor of the City of Manitowoc?
Yes Responses

• Unaided awareness of the candidates is sound
  with all candidates being named by over half the
  respondents. It is a relatively tight race for
  unaided awareness which is an indication of a
  close primary election.

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Familiarity With Candidates
Q8. I am going to read a list of candidates that
are running for Manitowoc Mayor in the upcoming
City Primary Election. Please rate your
familiarity with that candidate from 1 to 7, with
1 being Not at All Familiar, to 7 being Very
Familiar with that individual
Mean Scores

• The respondents indicate that Jim Brey has the
  strongest familiarity rating and is the only one
  that is over the average rating of 4.0. These
  are not strong ratings and all candidates would
  appear to need to strengthen their position to be
  successful. This is challenging with the limited
  time available.

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Opinion of Candidates
Q8a. If rated a 4 or higher on familiarity Now
I would like to get your opinion of that
candidate. Please rate them from 1 to 7, with 1
being Very Negative Impression, to 7 being Very
Positive Impression of that person
Mean Scores

• There are stronger perceptions of the candidates
  and a broader range of response. We see that
  Dave Soeldner has a strong rating, though Justin
  Nickels would be a statistical tie. Jamie Aulik
  is right behind them. It is interesting to note
  that Jim Brey, who has a long history on the City
  Council, shows a relatively low rating.

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Familiarity vs. Opinion of Candidates
Rank By Familiarity

• This slide brings together familiarity and
  perception. It would appear that Dave Soeldner
  has the strongest opportunity as he has a strong
  perception but low familiarity. Jim Brey has the
  strongest alignment but the ratings are
  relatively low.

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Planning to Vote
Q9. Are you planning to vote in the upcoming
Mayoral Primary in the City of Manitowoc?

• All respondents surveyed indicate they are
  planning to vote in the next election.

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Candidate Vote For
Q9a. If Yes If the election were held today,
which candidate would you vote for?

• The Undecided group is the largest block of
  voters in the study and could carry any candidate
  over the top. It is interesting to note that
  with two weeks left before the election, there is
  over a third of the market that is undecided.
  Nickels and Soeldner are the strongest candidates
  at this time but it is still an open race.

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Why Vote For That Candidate
Q9b. Why would you vote for that candidate?
This was an open response. The responses were
broken out by the candidate mentioned in Q9a.
Jamie Aulik Responses Experience 11
responsesLike What He Stands For 9 responsesI
Know Him 9 responses
Bob Knox Responses No Categorization Could Be
Made
Jim Brey Responses Experience 9 responses
Justin Nickels Responses Experience 14
responses Younger 14 responsesLike What He
Stands For 8 responsesFresh/New Ideas 8
responsesI Know Him 6 responses
Dave Soeldner Responses Experience 12
responsesLike What He Stands For 10
responsesEducated 6 responses
Please see the complete listing of responses in
the Open Responses section of the report.
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Vote in Last Mayoral Election
Q10. Did you vote in the last mayoral election
in the City of Manitowoc?

• Three-quarters of the respondents indicate they
  voted in the last election. This indicates that
  a quarter of voters are new and may have been
  drawn into the new group of candidates.

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Consider Yourself
Q11. Do you consider yourself

• It is interesting to note in a County that is
  considered Democrat, there are almost two-thirds
  of respondents who indicate they vote for the
  best candidate. There are 18 who identify
  themselves as Democrats.

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Demographics
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Age/Gender
Q16. Respondents Gender
Q12. Respondents Age
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Marital Status/Children at Home/Live in Area
Q14. Do you have children living at home?
Q13. Marital Status
Q15. How long have you lived in the area Mean
Score 39.6 years
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