Peter Corroon, whose understated, even safe manner has gained favor with voters, has done it again - despite a contentious deal he helped craft to finance a Major League Soccer stadium.

The Salt Lake County mayor's approval rating has jumped nine points to 72 percent, according to a new survey conducted for The Salt Lake Tribune.

That bounce comes despite a wave of angry e-mails accusing Corroon of caving on public funding for a Sandy stadium when he helped craft this month's eleventh-hour agreement.

"I'm amazed," said Ron Hrebenar, chairman of the political science department at the University of Utah. "He's getting an afterglow from both sides, which is really a politician's dream."

At the same time, 54 percent of county voters oppose the plan to tap old and new hotel taxes to help Real Salt Lake build a 20,000-seat stadium, according to the survey conducted Aug. 22-24 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. of Washington, D.C.

The poll, which carries a 5 percentage point margin for error, shows 29 percent support the stadium deal, while 17 percent are undecided.

The dichotomy in the results - with county voters balking at the deal by still backing Corroon - was reflected by a handful of poll respondents.

"We will never go to a soccer game or use the stadium," said Salt Lake City resident Marlene Maio. "I resent that being crammed down our throats."

In almost the same breath, though, Maio said Corroon has a "great reputation" regardless of the stadium saga. "I haven't seen his name connected to this too much," she added. "He's done a pretty good job keeping that under wraps."

Sandy's Judy Spencer, a stadium convert, was not surprised by the support for the first-term Democrat, who blocked an earlier stadium-funding proposal.

"He has expressed his concern for the taxpayers and is not just making deals without investigating the long-range ramifications," she said.

In June, a Tribune poll showed even more angst about public funding for a soccer stadium, with 68 percent of voters opposed to tapping tax dollars. That same survey - coming on the heels of the mayor's rejection of the first stadium-funding scheme - gave Corroon a 63 percent approval.

Hrebenar notes the new numbers may stem from RSL's heavily hyped Aug. 12 exhibition with Real Madrid in which "we were the center of the world for a while."

The uptick, he argues, also comes from two factions: those who continue to call Corroon principled, and the stadium supporters who suddenly are paying closer attention.

But County Councilman David Wilde, a one-time swing vote on the soccer venue who ultimately voted no, said the Corroon swoon seems "awfully strange" - given a majority of county residents still oppose the soccer deal.

"That's crazy," he said Monday. "I don't know what to think about that."

Draper resident Burns Errebo calls it a conflict.

"I wouldn't vote for him now," he said of the mayor. "He gave in to the people who were behind it."

Errebo says RSL should furnish its own place to play and not rely on tax dollars.

"This whole thing was rammed through too fast without the people of Salt Lake County having a chance to size it up," he said. "And I think it was deliberate."

The June survey revealed 72 percent of voters wanted the stadium issue on the ballot, a move RSL vigorously opposed.

The rejiggered stadium deal, which still must pass legal muster and obtain firm contracts, calls for funneling $55 million in tax money to RSL for land and infrastructure. In return, the team would commit $27.5 million through cash and in-kind donations to promote the county, along with $7.5 million for a soccer complex in northwest Salt Lake City.

Corroon maintains he always has been consistent in calling for a sound deal for residents and defends his stadium endorsement, even if it's unpopular.

"The money we're investing will come back many times over," he said. "When I go out and speak to people and explain the deal, even those opposed are realizing it's not a bad deal for the county."

And what does Corroon - who plans to seek a second term in 2008 - make of his rosy poll picture?

"I'm thrilled, obviously," he said before adding characteristic care. "Political lives are measured in weeks. I'll work hard for the next two years, and we'll see what happens."

Hrebenar, the U. political scientist, says Corroon will be fine.

"He hasn't had any disasters. And apparently, he's even survived this," Hrebenar said. "He's in good shape for re-election."

djensen@sltrib.com