A recent poll of D.C. residents brings more bad news for the city's embattled mayor: residents don't like what he's doing.
A Clarus Group poll says that just 31 percent of residents give him a positive job approval rating, with 41 percent disapproving.
The group polled 500 registered voters from D.C., and has a 4.4 percent margin of error.
That's a pretty big reversal from the rosy public perception that Gray rode into office last fall. Following the September mayoral primaries, Gray saw a 60 percent positive rating in another Clarus Group poll.
When asked about specific issues, Gray's hiring practices drew the most disapproval. Fifty-nine percent thought he was doing a bad job appointing the right people to city jobs. Fifty-four percent say he has not living up to high standards of ethics, compared to 23-percent of people who do.
His administration is currently under investigation by the FBI, for allegations of nepotism in hiring practices. The children of several Gray appointees were hired to fill city positions, including the son of the director of Employment Services, Rochelle Webb.
He did best on education, where 45 percent gave him a positive rating, compared to 26 percent negative. Forty percent believed he did a good job keeping in touch with average citizens, compared to 30 percent of people who did not.
D.C.'s Council Chairman Kwame Brown is even less popular, according to the poll. The poll says 27 percent approve of his performance, while 43 percent disapprove. Kwame Brown has been low key for the past few weeks after it was revealed that two fully-loaded sport utility vehicles were leased for his use by D.C. government.
According to Clarus Group, the city's top executives fare significantly worse than other public officials. President Obama enjoys an 88 percent job approval rating in the District. Police Chief Lanier gets an 84 percent positive rating, and D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton got an 82 percent approval rating.
