Does Fresno have low self-esteem? Mayor Dyer says ‘yes’ and launches new plan to help
Fresno leaders are hanging banners throughout the city they say highlight the diverse culture and hardworking people in the city, and they’re calling on residents to change the way they talk about their home.
In a news conference Tuesday, Fresno mayor Jerry Dyer said that 50 banners would go up around the city with his “One Fresno” campaign slogan, photos of community members, and interesting facts about Fresno. They will showcase first responders, city employees, and other community members from diverse backgrounds.
The banners initially will be near Shaw, and Blackstone Avenues, the Kings Canyon Road corridor, and in downtown before more appear in other parts of the city. So far, the city has spent about $17,000 on the banners.
The banners tie in with Dyer’s Beautify Fresno program to clean up litter and other eyesores in town.
The purpose of the efforts is to boost Fresno’s reputation and feelings of pride, the mayor said.
“I think at times throughout our city, we’ve lost our pride. We’ve lost our pride in terms of how we feel about the neighborhood we live in. We’ve lost our pride about the city in which we live in,” Dyer said. “Part of that has to do with the fact that we suffer from low self-esteem as a city. We allow people from the outside to be critical of ourselves, and sometimes we are critical of ourselves.
“I believe it’s time that we feel good about the city in which we call home, and that is Fresno,” he said. “We need to affirm the positive attributes of our city on a daily basis. I love Fresno. This city has been very, very good to me and very good to my family.”
Dyer acknowledged Fresno has its challenges but said it’s important not to dwell on the negative.
The city paid $50,000 to a marketing firm, Signature Solutions, to survey residents on their attitudes about Fresno. Signature Solutions, which Dyer said is a minority-owned company, also helped with the design of the banners.
“For far too long, Fresno has been used to being the punch line of jokes by non-residents and even by some residents,” Deputy Mayor Matthew Grundy said. “We’ve struggled with our own identity issues and the value of our city. Unfortunately, though, that negative sentiment has hurt this community in very tangible ways and has served as headwinds against the city’s progress and the ‘One Fresno’ vision.”
Councilmember Luis Chavez said he’d like to see Fresno return to the list of “All-American Cities,” which it landed on in 2000.
“That put Fresno on the map, and we need to get back to that,” Chavez said. “I believe that we have everything that we need to be on that list again and be an All-American City.”
Chavez said the new banners would help promote things that investors want to see, and investors are particularly interested in Fresno right now.
Dyer has previously faced criticism for the use of his “One Fresno” campaign logo on city materials. He said previously he consulted with the city attorney, who offered an opinion saying it was OK for incidental use.