Data not good for Bloomberg

From the NY Times:

...for a mayor who advertised his managerial expertise to win a third term, some of his administration’s own numbers show a clear slump in the performance of agencies Mr. Bloomberg oversees as the city’s chief executive.

While many performance indicators registered gains since 2001, a higher share declined and fewer improved during most of the last fiscal year than in any year since Mr. Bloomberg’s first term. The slump, magnified in the past two years, has apparently not been lost on his constituents. Before the mayor’s timely, aggressive, reassuring and highly visible response to Tropical Storm Irene — in contrast to his administration’s lackadaisical handling of last December’s blizzard — his job approval rating had declined to its lowest point since 2005, according to a recent New York Times/CBS News poll.

Among seven broad services provided by the city, a majority of indicators improved in only a single category: economic development. In two categories, public safety and education, more indicators declined than improved.

Among all of the 478 indicators or measurements of progress monitored by the mayor’s office, about 48 percent improved and 45 percent declined, according to an analysis by The New York Times — a record that may undercut Mr. Bloomberg’s reputation for applying business skills to city government even during a recession. Administration officials defended their performance, saying the sagging economy inevitably led to some service cuts, even as agencies are still expected to show year-to-year improvements.