Two Fresno City Council personalities leave office

Published online on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2008

Brian Calhoun and Jerry Duncan will take their seats for the last time Tuesday as active members of the Fresno City Council.

They'll be on hand in January to watch their replacements be sworn in, but Tuesday's meeting is their last chance to shape the city both say they still love.

For eight years, Calhoun and Duncan have sat at opposite ends of the dais in the Fresno City Council chamber.

They've also been on the opposite side of many debates, and have exchanged sharp looks and sharper words with each other as they both worked to represent their districts and the city.

Both spoke last week about their time in office and their plans for the future.

Two weeks ago, Brian Calhoun cleaned out his City Hall office.

The pictures are gone from the walls, the books and other mementos from the last eight years are cleared off the cases. The only thing left on his desk is a bag he carried in with him.

Calhoun is ready to move on, and says the last six months in office have been the hardest of his elected career.

In June, his bid to become a Fresno County supervisor fell short, and term limits will end his time as the District 2 representative on the Fresno City Council on Jan. 6.

Over the last few months, his frustration has become more clear, his patience with his fellow council members shorter.

He has introduced initiatives he said he knew would fail, and has seen some ideas die without discussion.

"Maybe it's partly my fault. I haven't been as effective, and I've been frustrated that we can't get more done. I wish sometimes I hadn't run [for supervisor], so that I could go out a winner," Calhoun said.

Calhoun, 64, is a military veteran and a veteran politician. He served as an intelligence officer in the Army during the Vietnam War era, and spent seven years as a county supervisor in Wisconsin before he resigned to continue his education. He has a doctorate in educational policy studies from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and guides future teachers at Fresno City College.

Calhoun is also a study in differences -- a man with a personality so razor-sharp and at times negative that even he admits his manner has hurt his political goals, but who also uses the phrase "FresYes" to try to give the city a more positive outlook.

"I've always been honest, and very straightforward, even if it means not being on the popular side of an issue. I've regretted things I've said at times, but that's who I am," Calhoun said.

His peers offer mixed reviews. Council Member Jerry Duncan, who Calhoun once called "a real son of a bitch" after a meeting, considers Calhoun a friend. Council Member Mike Dages said he won't go that far.

"He doesn't communicate with us," said Dages, who joined the council in 2002. "In six years, he's never once come to talk to me about an issue. What he has done is personally come after me for disagreeing with him."

Council Member Cynthia Sterling said she respects Calhoun for both his intelligence and his dedication.

"I've come to really admire his way of thinking -- it's very much out of the box, and very unique. We haven't always agreed, but he's always been willing to talk to me," Sterling said.

During his eight years on the council, Calhoun said, he's proud of what he's done both inside and outside the north Fresno district he represents.

He said his highlights were balancing the city budget, updating the general plan, improving downtown's Eaton Plaza, modernizing infrastructure in Pinedale and Herndon Town and fighting for a new park in the Fig Garden Loop neighborhood.