It was hardly the kind of meeting that could be kept a secret.
Andrew Janz, who has announced he’s running for Fresno mayor, and police chief Jerry Dyer, who is “strongly considering” jumping in, met with Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp on Friday morning at the Patio Cafe in Fig Garden Village.
The topic?
The 2020 Fresno mayoral election.
Related Story: 2020 Mayoral Election Now a Race — Janz Files to Run
Bringing Fresno Together
“The three of us had a productive conversation about the future of Fresno. I personally look forward to having more discussions with chief Dyer on how we can bring our community together,” said Janz, a deputy district attorney under Smittcamp.
Dyer agreed about the meeting’s positive, forward-looking tone.
“This morning, I had a great conversation with Andrew and district attorney Smittcamp about strengthening and uniting our city,” Dyer said. “I am hopeful today will kickstart many similar discussions ahead.”
As to Smittcamp’s role in the meeting, Janz said: “District attorney Smittcamp wanted to make sure the chief and I have open lines of communication. I reaffirmed my commitment to running a positive issues-oriented campaign.”
Smittcamp did not answer GV Wire’s request for comment before publication of this story.
Related Story: Police Chief Dyer ‘Strongly Considering’ Run for Fresno Mayor
Negative Message Starts Against Dyer
While Janz said he will run a clean campaign, Heather Greven, who managed his 2018 run against Rep. Devin Nunes, tweeted allegations this week lingering from Dyer’s past about an alleged inappropriate relationship with an underage girl.
Janz sent KSEE’s “Sunday Morning Matters” a statement, saying Greven does not work for him or his mayoral campaign.
Other Dyer critics have posted negative stories and allegations against him on Facebook and Twitter.
Dyer told GV Wire on Monday that he expects others to bring up his past.
“I’m well aware of the fact that those things could be brought up. It is my hope that should anyone wish to do that, that they would think carefully,” Dyer said. “The other thing is that people would focus on who I have been as a leader in this city for the past 18 years, not who I was 35-plus years ago.”
Mayoral Candidate Chavez: I’m ‘an Extreme Moderate’
After Mayor Lee Brand announced Monday that he would not seek re-election, Dyer quickly said he was interested in the job. He is scheduled to retire as chief in October.
City councilman Luis Chavez declared his intent to run the same day.
Chavez, spoke to Power Talk 96.7’s Trevor Carey on Thursday. Chavez said he is “an extreme moderate” — meaning he can work with anyone.
He advocated for more distribution centers to open in his southeast Fresno district.
Political analysts say that Brand’s exit from the race opens the door for more candidates to enter the race.
The primary is March 3. If no candidate wins a majority, the top two square off in a November 2020 runoff.
