Mayoral battle line: It's north vs. south

Fresno divisions both regional, economic.

Published online on Thursday, Jun. 05, 2008

While campaigning to become Fresno mayor, both Henry T. Perea and Ashley Swearengin said they appealed to voters citywide. But in the end, the results showed a sharp geographic divide.

Most of the precincts Perea won were south of Shaw Avenue. Ashley Swearengin won most of the northern precincts. The pair will face off in November -- but how will they bridge the gap between the wealthier north and the less affluent south?

Mayor Alan Autry, who has spent much of his time in office trying to end what he calls a "tale of two cities," said he hopes both candidates will recognize the divide, and realize that to succeed they must reach out to the entire city.

"You have to have a mayor that transcends race and politics," Autry said. "The only way to do that is go out to all of the people and tell them you care, regardless of where they live."

Autry, who lives in north Fresno, made improving streets, sidewalks and parks in southern neighborhoods a priority.

Perea and Swearengin were the top two vote-getters among 11 candidates. One of the two will take Autry's job next January.

Perea said he has already reached out to voters citywide and will continue that effort over the next five months.

"I had a strong cross-section of support from Democrats, Republicans and independents," Perea said. "And I'm going to keep campaigning in every neighborhood across the city."

Swearengin said she doesn't believe the divide is as clear as it looks.

"We both have votes citywide," Swearengin said. "It's unfair to say the divide is that strong. I would instead say every precinct was mixed to some degree."

Political observers Wednesday attributed the split to several factors.

Tom Holyoke, an assistant professor of political science at California State University, Fresno, said the results reflect economic and demographic differences.

"That's a stark contrast," Holyoke said. "With that kind of split, it gives the general election this cast of the upper-class and wealthy northern Fresno against the rest of the city."

Holyoke said that the results could have been predicted early on. Swearengin campaigned heavily in north Fresno, Holyoke said, and Perea has a natural appeal to the Hispanic community in the city's southern half.

Swearengin's strongest results came from mainly white north Fresno. Perea did well in the south, where a greater number of Hispanics and other minorities live.

Even when they crossed the divide to lead in a precinct, those factors remained.

Perea led precincts in the Pinedale community of north Fresno, which has a large minority population. Swearengin's best results in the south came in wealthier neighborhoods, such as the Sunnyside area.

"Now, from Ashley's point of view, she has to find an issue that will increase her appeal south of Shaw," Holyoke said. "Downtown redevelopment may be that issue."

"For Perea, the key will be to get his supporters, the city employees and the unions, to help him reach out to northern voters," Holyoke said.

Former Mayor Jim Patterson said he attributes the split vote not just to economics, but to a historical preference for outside candidates among wealthier residents in the north.

"In that part of the city, if the options for mayor are an insider and an outsider, the outsider seems to have an advantage," Patterson said.

"There's also a tendency for the second-place finisher in the primary to end up the winner," he added, noting that Autry was second in his first primary election, as was Sheriff Margaret Mims. Patterson also said that Swearengin had a strong showing for a newcomer, something that should concern Perea.

"If I were Henry, I would be worried he was looking at his ceiling in terms of support, while Ashley has established a ground floor," Patterson said. "I think Ashley, who started as an unknown, has significant room to grow upward."