Time for another fun, completely unscientific blog poll. What do you think?
Tag Archives: polls
Poll results: two clear leaders for retail options
Almost 100 votes in our latest poll and two clear leaders finished ahead, with a pretty close third, among the 10 options:
What store would you like to see downtown?
Specialty food store — 23 percent, 21/91
Bakery/bagel shop — 21 percent, 20/91
Coffee shop — 16 percent, 15/91
Liquor store/wine shop — 8 percent, 8/91
Butcher — 8 percent, 8/91
Bar/restaurant — 7 percent, 7/91
Other — 6 percent, 6/91
Books/news/magazines — 4 percent, 4/91
Art/art supply — 2 percent, 2/91
Clothing — 0 percent, 0/91
Furniture — 0 percent, 0/91
So, it looks like you all want a specialty food store, bakery/bagel shop, and coffee shop the most. While most of you seem to want a grocery store, a specialty food store could be an interesting draw. Any suggestions exactly? I would think it’s key to have shops that might not be found elsewhere, and that could mean “specialty” just about anything.
Most of the choices in our latest poll could very well be combined into the same shop; a bakery that has bagels, and a nice coffee house space, and maybe specialty foods? Of course, just recently there was a bakery/pastry shop downtown but it didn’t last; so is it a matter of people saying they want something, but practically speaking, not using or patronizing it? I still think we’re desperate for a good bagel shop downtown, as well as a liquor store/wine shop — and not the kind that were downtown before. A liquor store would make a great complement to BYO restaurants.
What were some of your options for the six “other” votes? It’s clear that readers don’t want a clothing store or furniture store. Kind of surprising to be honest, as was the art/art supply choice. I mean, if it’s an arts town, you’d think and art or art supply shop would work, and in the same vein, perhaps an artsy type of specialty furniture store. Know what I mean? After all, the Rahway Survey (remember that?) recommended a strategy of recruiting retail related to arts and entertainment.
Free free to discuss in the comments below.
Poll: What store would you like to see downtown?
Most people seem to desperately want a grocery store of some kind to come downtown, so much so that I thought it would be worth its own poll question.
Continue reading Poll: What store would you like to see downtown?
Poll results: Which grocery store do you want?
The phenomenon that is Trader Joe’s jumped out to a strong, early lead in our latest poll and held steady for weeks at the 60 percent mark until voting closed last night. It was really a race for second place from the start:
Continue reading Poll results: Which grocery store do you want?
Poll: What kind of grocery store do you want?
It’s time for another fun blog post, like a new poll. It was mentioned during the annual reorganization meeting of the City Council that the city is in discussions to bring a grocery store downtown, upward of 20,000 square feet in size. A grocery store has long been among the top priorities for residents, so our next poll question isn’t whether you want a grocery store downtown, but what kind?
Which grocery store would you prefer downtown?
Aldi
A&P
Bravo/C-Town
Fairway Market
Pathmark
ShopRite
Stop & Shop
Supreme
Trader Joe’s
Whole Foods
Other
Given the proximity of a few (ShopRite, A&P, Aldi, Trader Joe’s), the demographics of some (Whole Foods) and the size of others (Wegman’s), I doubt whether these are realistic possibilities for downtown but we needed to give you something to vote for. For some perspective, of the 10 or so Whole Foods stores in New Jersey, the smallest is about 17,000 square feet (Montclair), so I’m not sure what could fit downtown, if anything.
Consider the “Other” option for any boutique or single-location store you might be familiar with, and feel free to share details in the comments. Who knows, maybe someone who can do something about it is reading.
Looking for feedback on the blog
I’m looking for some feedback this week about the blog, namely when exactly you read and visit the site. Whether or not the poll results affect what time I can post remains to be seen but I’d appreciate hearing if you have any preferences.
When do you usually read/check the blog?
– Early morning
– Late morning
– Early afternoon
– Late afternoon
– Evening
– Late night
– Weekends
I can tell site visits are certainly higher during the week, one reason why I don’t usually post on the weekend. I tend to post whenever I have time and some information though I’ve tried different schedules, if possible, such as just after midnight so email subscribers get the posts about 10 hours later; lately I’ve aimed for a specific time, like 7 p.m. Would that be something you’re interested in, a set time, like 10 a.m. or noon or 7 p.m., to be consistent? Or perhaps you like the randomness and surprise of whether there’s a post that day?
Also, I’ll sometimes share interesting items about redevelopment or planning stories from outside of Rahway, either via Twitter and/or Facebook, and/or tacked on to the end of a blog post. I like to keep up about goings-on elsewhere but also perhaps some items might be relevant to local redevelopment. Let me know what you think about that.
I’m always open to suggestions and feedback, so feel free to comment or shoot me a comment. Thanks for reading.
Poll results: Reduce mayor and Council salaries
More than a third of voters in our latest poll agreed that City Council should reduce the mayor’s salary, with another quarter adding that salaries for City Council members should be cut as well.
The City Council is scheduled to vote on a salary ordinance tomorrow night that would reduce the mayor’s salary by 68 percent, to $20,809.
Should the City Council reduce the mayor’s salary?* Yes. 34 percent (44/128 votes)
* Yes, but they should all be cut, including Council members. 23 percent (30/128)
* Not only cut, but salaries for all elected officials, and then some, should be cut. 17 percent (23/128)
* No. 12 percent, (16/128)
* No; you get what you pay for; they should be paid something to attract worthy candidates. 7 percent (10/128)
* Times are tough, make cuts wherever you can. 3 percent (5/128)
There were a total 128 votes cast in the latest poll and there was as smattering of votes both for and against that I received via email, which I’m not sure if they actually went to the site and clicked on the poll.
I always like to offer more than a yes/no question in the poll, and I realized too late (after I’d posted it and some votes had already come in) that I should’ve had another option, something like, “No, it reeks of political retribution,” since that’s what the mayor is claiming. Perhaps that would’ve gotten some more votes for the no group, or least another option, compared to the three “Yes” options. Either way, about three quarters of the votes favored a reduction in some way, and 40 percent wanted to cut all salaries, not just the mayor’s. In all, 20 percent of votes said don’t cut the mayor’s salary.
Remember this is a simple poll that, if you have enough time to waste, can be manipulated. It’s not exactly scientific.
New poll: Should the mayor’s salary be reduced?
Since it’s a slow, holiday week, and it’s been too long since we had a poll up on the blog, what better time to unveil a new poll question? Completely unscientific, of course.
The City Council introduced a salary ordinance this month that would reduce the mayor’s salary from $65,000 to less than $21,000, a cut of 68 percent. City Council members are paid $8,043, with the Council President earning slightly more, at $9,676. Both are considered part-time positions.
Should the City Council reduce the mayor’s salary?
* Yes.
* Yes, but they should all be cut, including Council members.
* Not only cut, but salaries for all elected officials, and then some, should be cut.
* Times are tough, make cuts wherever you can.
* No; you get what you pay for; they should be paid something to attract worthy candidates.
* No.