Ashley Swearengin announced Thursday that she will seek a second term as Fresno's mayor, saying the city is well on its way toward a dramatic turnaround, but much work remains.
"I could not be more pleased with the progress of our city," Swearengin told a packed room of supporters at The Grand 1401 in downtown. "We cannot stop now."Swearengin admitted with a smile that her decision to run for re-election was one of the worst-kept secrets in the history of local politics. She has made it clear since she defeated then-Council Member (now Assembly Member) Henry T. Perea in November 2008 that she wanted eight years in office.Swearengin almost certainly will face competition in the June primary, and it's looking almost equally certain that none of her opponents will have the name recognition and war chest to run anything other than a long-shot campaign.District 6 Council Member Lee Brand and Fresno County Supervisor Henry R. Perea, a former council member and father of Assembly Member Perea, for months have expressed strong interest in becoming Fresno's chief executive. But they also emphasize they're looking at 2016, when Swearengin is termed out.According to Fresno County records, four people have taken out so-called "signatures in lieu" petitions for the mayor's race. Candidates seek registered voters to sign the petitions, which can be used to reduce filing fees related to the election.The four are former City Council District 5 challenger John Worona, who, at 84, was the oldest candidate in the 2010 city election; Barbara Ann Hunt, who ran in the District 3 primary in 2010 and in the mayoral primary in 2008; Rick Morse, who battled City Hall in recent years over the operation of his medical-marijuana clinic; and Richard Briano Renteria.That means the 2012 mayoral election is shaping up as a replay of the 2004 race when incumbent Alan Autry, despite his best efforts to find an acceptable candidate to take his place, ran a low-key campaign against weak competition in the primary and won in a landslide. Swearengin's announcement in The Grand's stunning 10th-floor conference room focused on themes already explored in detail during her annual State of the City and State of Downtown addresses.Swearengin said she and others at City Hall (i.e. the council and staff) have retooled the city's business practices in the face of a three-year economic crisis. The payroll has been reduced by 20%, services such as commercial trash collection have been outsourced and new ways of doing things -- such as parks maintenance -- are in place.Downtown revitalization and its companion challenge of homelessness will again be priorities in a second term, Swearengin said. She pointed with pride toward a streamlined downtown building code, and new development plans for the Fulton Corridor and distressed neighborhoods surrounding downtown. She spoke with a hint of emotion about the strides toward independence made by formerly homeless people who have received city services.The half-hour announcement was Swearengin's show, so there was no hint of any anger or failures during her three-plus years in office. But the first term has not been a smooth ride.City unions have chafed at the layoffs and outsourcing efforts. Residents have protested service cutbacks, especially in a Police Department that has seen a reduction of about 100 sworn officers through attrition. And the city's many advocates of a Fulton Mall reserved exclusively for pedestrians and bicyclists are concerned about Swearengin's hope to open the six-block area to traffic as part of her jobs-creation strategy.But, so far, none of these beefs has been enough to spur a serious challenge to a second Swearengin term at City Hall. The incumbent is building her campaign on a simple slogan: "Ashley Swearengin -- Our Mayor." She said she will present to voters a vision for a second term that is clear and inspiring."Nothing worthwhile," Swearengin said, "is ever easy."