Weeks before Santa Fe's municipal election, Mayor David Coss appears to have a comfortable lead in his bid for a second four-year term.

A poll commissioned by The New Mexican found likely voters who favor the incumbent outnumber nearest rival Asenath Kepler's supporters by a nearly two-to-one ratio, with broad support for Coss among different demographic groups. City Councilor Miguel Chavez trails well behind in the three-way race.

The poll, conducted Feb. 1-3, also found voters' top concerns have shifted since previous mayoral elections. The economy and property crime this year have surpassed the development, growth and water issues that have dominated city politics in more prosperous times.

"It doesn't surprise me that the economy and jobs jumped up," said Brad Coker of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc., which conducted the poll. "That's been consistent everywhere in the country."

Coss, a retired government employee, recently has focused his campaign on the idea that city programs, with help from federal and other sources, can help foster job creation, particularly in the community's hard-hit housing industry.

Kepler, a lawyer and former city manager, has made pointed criticisms on crime and safety issues while also raising questions about the current administration's efficiency in overseeing city operations, including economic development activity.

But the polling data show the incumbent mayor remains popular. Of the 400 registered city voters contacted, 51 percent said Coss would get their vote if the election were held today. Meanwhile, 27 percent chose Kepler and 8 percent Chavez, with 14 percent still undecided.

The poll, which has a 5-point margin of error, found that more than 60 percent believe Coss is doing at least a "good" job as mayor (including 15 percent who rated his performance as "excellent").

Between that and numbers showing a high favorability rating and high name recognition for Coss, Coker said, "They seem pretty satisfied with his job as mayor."

A New Mexico pollster who examined the same numbers, Brian Sanderoff of Research & Polling Inc., reached a similar conclusion: "For a guy in his fourth year, that's pretty good for job performance, especially in a significant downturn in the economy."

Noting the size of the incumbent's lead over his nearest challenger in the March 2 election, with only 14 percent undecided, Sanderoff said, "Barring any unforeseen occurrences prior to election day, this places him in a pretty secure position."

However, Sanderoff also noted that "typically the incumbent has a hard time picking up the lion's share of the undecided voters since most of these voters have already formed an opinion of the person who has been in the public spotlight."

When poll respondents were asked to rate how friendly the city of Santa Fe is as a place to do business, about two-thirds — 62 percent — said the city is "generally friendly to businesses," while 17 percent said "unfriendly to business" and 5 percent said "too friendly to business." The remaining 16 percent were neutral or unsure.

Sanderoff, who has years of polling experience in Santa Fe and elsewhere in New Mexico, said that question probably would elicit different results if asked solely within the business community. "It's not a position that is shared by the majority of business people," he said. "That has been my experience."

He said Santa Fe voter attitudes in general differ from those found elsewhere in New Mexico. For example, he said, "There is a lot more of a pro-immigrant stance than in other communities in New Mexico."

When poll respondents were asked about a City Council resolution adopted several years ago that prohibits the use of city resources to identify and apprehend illegal immigrants, 52 percent approved, 40 percent disapproved and 8 percent weren't sure.

Support for the resolution appeared to have gained somewhat since the same question was asked in a poll for The New Mexican four years ago, when 45 percent approved, 41 percent disapproved and 14 percent were unsure.

Similarly, Sanderoff said attitudes toward public employee unions in the capital city, where many middle-class and upper-middle-class voters work for government, vary from those in other New Mexico communities.

When Santa Fe voters were asked how much influence they feel public employee unions have on city government and politics, 30 percent said "too much," while 40 percent said "an appropriate amount" and 11 percent said "not enough." The remaining 19 percent weren't sure.

The poll also found that voter support for Santa Fe's minimum-wage law — currently $9.85 an hour, one of the highest wage floors in the country — has increased: 76 percent approve of the ordinance, up from 63 percent in 2006.

When asked to rate the city of Santa Fe's performance in various areas, a majority poll respondents gave ratings of at least "fair" for managing growth and development, dealing with property crime and maintaining streets. The percentage who rated the city's performance as "poor" was 29 percent in the area of managing growth and development, 26 percent in maintaining streets and 21 percent in dealing with property crime.

Contact Howard Houghton at hhoughton@sfnewmexican.com.