Preceded by Alan Autry Spouse Paul Swearengin (m. 1994) Role Mayor of Fresno | Name Ashley Swearengin Political party Republican Party Republican Party | |
 | ||
Full Name Ashley Emile Newton Born May 24, 1972 (age 51)
Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. ( 1972-05-24 ) Alma mater California State University,
Fresno Office Mayor of Fresno since 2009 Education California State University, Fresno, Fresno Christian High School People also search for Neel Kashkari, Paul Swearengin, Sydney Swearengin, Samuel Swearengin Children Sydney Swearengin, Samuel Swearengin | ||
Suab hmong news ashley swearengin mayor of fresno speech at funeral service for may song vang
Ashley Emile Swearengin (née Newton) (born May 24, 1972) is an American politician who served as the 24th mayor of Fresno, California. She is Fresno's second female mayor. She was first elected in a run-off election on November 4, 2008 and was re-elected in 2012. Swearengin ran for State Controller in 2014. After leaving the mayor's office, she became the president/CEO of the Central Valley Community Foundation.
Contents
- Suab hmong news ashley swearengin mayor of fresno speech at funeral service for may song vang
- Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin at Sacramento Press Club
- Early life and education
- Early career
- Elections
- Tenure
- Other Elections
- References
Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin at Sacramento Press Club
Early life and education
Swearengin was born in Texas and raised in Arkansas. Her family moved to Fresno in 1987. She graduated from Fresno Christian High School and California State University, Fresno.
Swearengin holds a Bachelor of Science (magna cum laude) and a Master of Business Administration (summa cum laude) from California State University, Fresno. Her husband, Paul, and she have two children, Sydney and Samuel.
Early career
In 2000, she became Director of the Office of Community and Economic Development at California State University, Fresno.
In 2002, she co-founded the Regional Jobs Initiative (RJI), an industry-focused effort aimed at helping the unemployment in Fresno County. She served as the Chief Operations Officer.
In 2005, she became lead executive for the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, a group formed by Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Today, she serves as the deputy chair of the Partnership’s board of directors.
Elections
In 2008, she ran for Mayor of Fresno, California. Swearengin campaigned on the four "priority issues" of Jobs and Education; Safe, Quality Neighborhoods; Effective and Responsive Government; and Regional Leadership. She defeated Henry T. Perea 54%-45%.
In 2012, she won re-election to a second term with 75% of the vote, defeating four other candidates.
Tenure
In her first week in office, she and Police Chief Jerry Dyer introduced Operation Monitor: designed to allow GPS tracking devices on registered sex offenders after being released on parole. She inherited a difficult budget shortfall. She stated "I don't think anybody thought that within an 11 month window we'd have to close a $55 million dollar budget shortfall. When I started this job the general fund was $255 million dollars. So a $55 million dollar hole is significant for an organization of our size."
In March 2012, Ashley Swearengin announced that the City was facing a fiscal emergency because of the state's continued economic troubles combined with high cost contracts for certain segments of the city's labor force. A USA Today listed Fresno among 10 cities that could follow Stockton and Vallejo into Chapter 9 bankruptcy.
The unemployment level of the city of Fresno is 12.5%, and has fallen since Mayor Swearengin came into office. She proposed a plan called "Fresno's First Steps Home," which will battle chronic homelessness in the city.
Other Elections
In 2014, she ran for the California Controller's office, but lost to Betty Yee, 54-46.