POLL: New Yorkers Sick of 'Worst in the Nation' Lawmakers

ALBANY - New Yorkers have become so disgusted with their "worst in the nation" state Legislature they're willing to dump their local lawmakers to fix it, according to a new poll out this morning.

The Quinnipiac University survey found 58 percent of the state's registered voters rank the 212-member Legislature as "the worst" or "among the worst" in the United States, up from 42 percent in January.

The dismal 16-point upswing follows a disastrous legislative session, in which lawmakers raised state taxes by more than $8 billion, rejected most of Gov. Paterson's reform proposals and wasted five weeks on an internal power struggle in the Senate.

The poll shows nearly half of voters - 49 percent to 40 percent - believe their local senator deserves to be thrown out of office as punishment for the coup. Another 50 percent said the 31-day Senate stalemate left them "embarrassed to be a New Yorker."

Historically, local popularity has insulated lawmakers from the public's perennial disdain for the Legislature. Upstate Republicans are slightly more willing to demand their legislator's ouster than downstate Democrats, according to the poll of 1,667 registered voters.

"It's not surprising that people don't think highly of the state government - dysfunction is almost a synonym for Albany in the public view these days these days," said Quinnipiac Maurice Carroll. "The idea that things are so bad that people even want to throw out a representative they like, yeah, that's interesting."

The Democratic takeover of the state Senate in January gave the party control of all statewide offices and both houses of the Legislature for the first time since the Great Depression.

Meanwhile, the survey showed overwhelming support for spending cuts and a sweeping reform of state government.

Some 65 percent of voters consider the state's budget problems "very serious," with service cuts favored over tax hikes 54 percent to 33 percent. Paterson is expected to call the Legislature back in Albany to close a ballooning $2.1 billion deficit in the current year's budget.

Voters generally support a constitutional convention to overhaul state government (64 percent to 24 percent), an idea backed by Republicans Rudy Giuliani and Rick Lazio, who are both considering runs for governor next year.

Specifically, voters favor amending the state constitution to allow the governor to appoint a lieutenant governor 54 percent to 37 percent. Lawyers for Paterson are expected to appear before a state appellate court in Brooklyn today to defend his attempt to appoint Richard Ravtich lieutenant governor against Republican charges the move was illegal under current law.

The Quinnipiac poll has a margin of error of 2.4 percentage points.