Being the mayor of Fresno — a city of diverse competing interests, political alliances, and irascible voters — isn’t for the faint of heart.

The mayor must make tough decisions — sometimes going against long-held beliefs — to do what’s best for the city.

Ashley Swearengin knows how difficult the job is. Over two mayoral terms (2009 to 2017) she navigated the Great Recession and massive layoffs at City Hall.

She performed exceptionally well and Fresno is better for it.

Who Will Prevail on SEDA, Dyer or Swearengin?

Now she is CEO of the Central Valley Community Foundation. It’s a powerful nonprofit so well-connected to progressive funding giants (James Irvine Foundation, The Kresge Foundation) and state Capitol Democrats that it is Fresno’s “shadow government.”

As leaders weigh their options, they sometimes have to decide which hill to die on. Meaning: I’m not backing down and will fight until I can’t fight anymore.

The Southeast Development Area is that hill for Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer.

It’s also that hill for Swearengin, who has armed surrogates and community activists with talking points to drive a stake through SEDA’s heart.

Related Story: Progressives Opposed to SEDA Talk From Both Sides of Their Mouths

Swearengin Stared Urban Sprawl in the Eye and Embraced It

One of those talking points is that SEDA represents urban sprawl and that growth there will further hollow out the city’s core.

Did you know that Swearengin as mayor backed, fought for, and triumphed in a quest for a massive leapfrog development project?

This project rezoned land on Fresno’s northwest perimeter intended for light industry, farming, and single-family homes into a regional shopping center the size of River Park.

The project totally countered Swearengin’s praise for regional planning and cooperation, as it was destined to siphon millions in sales tax dollars from neighboring Madera County. Furthermore, opponents who predicted it would snarl traffic were right.

With Unemployment at 18.7%, It Was All About Jobs

I was there in December 2010 when the Fresno City Council gave the green light for the shopping center on old Forkner fig land on Herndon Avenue a hop, skip and jump from Highway 99.

There was a lengthy hearing with ardent debate about a project begun by her predecessor Alan Autry, and Swearengin was elated to push it over the finish line.

A lawsuit from River Park owner Ed Kashian’s company later trimmed the project we know as Marketplace at El Paseo.

Swearengin was willing to die on the El Paseo hill because Fresno needed jobs. Construction jobs, retail jobs, any kind of job. The city’s unemployment rate was 18.7% when the EIR passed.

She was right to fight for the shopping center, and today many thousands of northwest residents are glad she did.

Even with the traffic.

Swearengin’s Fight for Distribution Center Incentives

Distribution centers and their city of Fresno tax-sharing agreements are prime targets for criticism by nonprofit groups funded by the Central Valley Community Foundation. They’re dead-end jobs, don’t pay well enough, and contribute to the Valley’s sometimes unhealthy air, critics say.

In April 2014, the City Council unanimously approved an incentive package to bring an Ulta e-commerce fulfillment center to Fresno.

“I’m grateful for the City Council’s action today,” an elated Swearengin said.

Fresno’s unemployment rate that month was 12.2%.

Swearengin’s team also worked out an incentive deal to keep Betts Springs in Fresno. “Any time we can move the needle to increase job opportunities and improve the quality of life in our city, it’s a reason to celebrate,” she said on that occasion.

Why Not SEDA?

The revised first phase of SEDA, which Dyer will unveil next month, would deliver about 5,000 residences to a city with a housing shortage. It also includes a technology and research hub.

Good jobs and needed housing? Sounds like a proposal Swearengin would have backed to the hilt as mayor.

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