Swearengin is Fresno's mayor-elect
Nothing stopped the Ashley Swearengin express.
Not record-setting union and independent-expenditure support for opponent Henry T. Perea.
Not the Democratic wave that carried Barack Obama to his historic presidential victory.
Swearengin, in her first try at political office, defeated Perea, a Democrat, handily and will succeed two-term Fresno Mayor Alan Autry into the nonpartisan office.
Swearengin, a Republican, won by keeping her message simple and positive: She had the skills to unify Fresno and transform it into one of California's leading cities.
With the economy reeling, she also emphasized her experience as the chief executive of the Regional Jobs Initiative.
Apparently, it didn't matter that RJI didn't come close to realizing its goal of creating nearly 30,000 new jobs. She sounded like she knew what she was talking about, and that was enough to sway voters -- and cut through the police union's support of Perea.
Her victory, once again, illustrated the power of Fresno's evangelical community. She is the third straight evangelical to lead Fresno, joining Jim Patterson, the city's first strong mayor; and Autry.
She surely received a huge boost from supporting Proposition 8, the ban on gay marriage, after initially opposing it.
But she will lead much differently than Patterson, a proponent of limited government who almost totally ignored downtown's deterioration; and Autry, whose inattention to detail and political stunts ultimately derailed a promising start as mayor.
Swearengin's intelligence and organizational skills will serve her well. Expect her to be solid, not flashy. Expect her to build consensus, not bully and embarrass opponents.
But she won't be a wimp. During the campaign, she showed that she is tough enough to succeed in the political arena. You don't defeat Henry T. Perea and his father, Henry R., without knowing how to play hardball.
It will be interesting to see how many of Autry's appointees she keeps at City Hall. Autry spent the last six months lobbying for his people, particularly City Manager Andy Souza.
Swearengin's campaign manager, David Schecter, said Tuesday night that the mayor-elect will reveal more of her plans Wednesday in media interviews.
My column in Thursday's Bee will focus on her plans.
Good night.
Comments:
Given the hard economic times facing the City of Fresno it would be most illuminating to learn how Ms. Swearengin is going to fund some of her ideas for the City of Fresno.
What Ms. Swearenging plans to do with the uptick in crime that follows hard economic times. How will she deal with the increased demands made on the coppers to deal with drug dealers selling 'poison', abuse of alcohol, and the increase in domestic violence and petty crime coming out of the increased use of 'poison' and alcohol.
What magic wand will Ms. Swearengin wave to solve the problems that plague challenged roads and neighborhood? Will she get down and dirty and venture into neighborhoods she has not visited during the campaign? Ride public transport to rub up with the common folks?
My guess is that she will charm folks into believing she has achieved something, like the missed jobs in that program she headed that did not matter to the voters.
MOI is quite certain that Ms. Swearengin made some sort of deal with Mayor Autry for his support for the job of Mayor. More than likely to keep folks in jobs, giving her less opportunity to sweep City Hall with that new broom.
Posted by: RobDeFrees at November 5, 2008 6:48 AM
And she's much easier on the eyes than Henry Perea or Alan Autry.
Posted by: prima facie at November 5, 2008 1:40 PM
Rob DeFrees, you are soo right. She is clueless on crime, she is clueless on all matters of importance. All Swearengin does is market herself through popular ideas and soundbites. She's waffled on every issue of significance when unexpectedly confronted in public forums. She then has her marketing team pick the most sellable opinion and write her up a few easy to remember bullet points. But hey...she's Republican, hates gays and women's rights, and lies like Autry, so she's our man!
Posted by: Katrina Reyes at November 5, 2008 2:19 PM
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