A new poll indicates that mayoral candidate Diane Therrien has a substantial lead over Mayor Daryl Bennett, who is seeking re-election.

The telephone poll was commissioned by David Goyette, a City Hall columnist for The Examiner, and conducted by Toronto-based polling firm Campaign Research.

The results indicate that 60 per cent of decided respondents would vote for Therrien while 23 per cent would vote for Bennett, with 17 per cent undecided.

When those who are leaning toward voting for a candidate were added, 62 per cent said they would vote for (or are leaning toward) Therrien, while 28 per cent said the same for Bennett. That left 10 per cent of respondents undecided.

The polling took place over two evenings on Oct. 9 and 10.

Goyette said Therrien's lead was so commanding, on the first evening of polling, that the firm did a second evening of polling to verify its earlier findings.

A total of 534 Peterborough residents, aged 18 or older, were asked who would get their vote for mayor.

If they were undecided, they were asked who they were leaning toward. Respondents were also asked whether they approve or disapprove of the job done by Mayor Daryl Bennett.

Bennett's approval rating was 29 per cent, while 49 per cent disapproved and 22 per cent didn't know.

The polling was commissioned and funded entirely by Goyette. In an interview Wednesday, he didn't say how much the poll cost him.

But he did say many readers and voters had asked him who he thought was in the lead - and he couldn't tell them.

There's also been a lack of public engagement at City Hall, in Goyette's estimation - and rather than simply write about it critically, he said he decided to do something about it.

"This is my way of showing what community engagement looks like, at election time," he said. "Let's give people a voice."

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