According to a recent poll conducted by conducted by Bendixen and Associates and sponsored by WPLG Channel 10 and WLTV Channel 23, which included a sample of 400 registered voters, 74 percent said that they had "little trust" or "no trust" in the mayor when it comes to responding fairly and with integrity to the needs of the people of Miami-Dade.
Only 23 percent said that they had "a lot of trust" or "some trust" in Alvarez.
On whether or not the mayor should be recalled, voters of Miami-Dade are divided -- 46 percent for, 47 percent against - and when it comes to personal image ratings, a mere 24 percent have a positive opinion of Alvarez.
The low approval ratings come on the heels of Alvarez's announcement that he was raising the salaries of many of his top staffers while proposing major budget cuts.
The salary hikes, made last October, include a 54 percent raise for Communications Director Victoria Mallette (now making $124,999 per year) and an 11 percent increase for Chief of Staff Denis Morales ($206,783 annual salary). The salary raises, given to 12 employees, totaled in the neighborhood of $90,000.
"It totals $90,000. The budget shortfall, the revenue shortfall they have to deal with is $427 million dollars. So I don't think we should be confusing apples and oranges," Alvarez retorted.
Alvarez isn't alone in his un-popularity, though.
Sixty-nine percent of voters said they have little or no trust in the County Commission when it comes to responding fairly and with integrity to the needs of the people of Miami-Dade, either.
The commission is scheduled to meet tomorrow to continue budget discussions.
