First public debate features 5 of 7 vying for job.

Organizers of the first public debate involving candidates for mayor of Fresno compared the event to the first round of a heavyweight fight.

Instead, it seemed more like the press conference before the fight, with the participants sizing each other up, joking with the crowd and offering only a brief glimpse at their plans for the future of Fresno.

Council members Jerry Duncan, Mike Dages and Henry T. Perea; former council member Tom Boyajian; and Ashley Swearengin, director of community and economic development at California State University, Fresno, all spoke before the crowd of several hundred during the hourlong event at Pardini's. The forum was hosted by the Cen-Cal Business Finance Group, a nonprofit government loan administrator.

It was the first public debate for the candidates. A small, private debate was sponsored by Leadership Fresno in November.

Jim Boswell, who announced his campaign for mayor Nov. 26, was not invited. Debate organizers said they had printed their program before Boswell was a candidate. Boswell said he would have shown up if invited, and he said he was disappointed his voice was not heard.

A seventh candidate, Fresno's deputy mayor, Jeff Eben, is expected to announce his intentions to run for mayor today. Eben, a longtime Clovis resident, was out of town Wednesday.

Those seven are seeking to replace Mayor Alan Autry, who cannot run again because of term limits.

The debate featured six questions ranging from leadership experience and future priorities to specific topics such as eminent domain and budget issues. The candidates were also asked how they would spend their first 100 days as mayor.

"On Day One, I will issue an executive order that the city will follow the same rules it imposes on the private sector," Duncan said. "And I will pledge that there will be no more budget surprises."

Duncan was alluding to a recent announcement that the city may have to cut $12 million from next year's projected budget. Autry said housing downturns will leave the city with less money.

Swearengin, the only candidate at the forum without city council experience, said she would use her problem-solving experience to lead the city through troubled financial times.

"Our plans have to be the most efficient and the most effective ways to use our resources," Swearengin said. "Anyone can look at the budget the city has and find programs that aren't essential. Those things have to be sacrificed."

Perea said that with 500,000 residents relying on the city to provide basic services, the next mayor must work closely with the council and not waste time bickering.

"I know what hungry families look like," Perea said. "I know what crime-ridden neighborhoods look like. To change those things, we have to squeeze the most out of every nickel."

The format of the debate had each candidate struggling to make the most of the allotted time, and each drew laughs from the crowd at different points joking about how fast the light came on to cut them off.

Dages, who said the mayor needs a sense of humor, also said he would establish himself immediately as a serious leader. He said the city has too many upper-level managers, and that those salaries could be better used elsewhere. He did not give specifics.

"There'd be no honeymoon period," Dages said. "Those positions need to be eliminated and that money placed back in the general fund."

The candidates agreed that public safety was a priority, but Boyajian said the city needed to do more than just add police officers to lower crime.

"San Jose has a far larger population and a lower crime rate," Boyajian said. "Crime is lower there because their unemployment rate is lower. We have to do more on economic development to create more jobs."

Tal Cloud, who moderated the debate, said the candidates all seemed prepared for the debate and the campaign, which officially starts Feb. 11.

"No one fumbled," Cloud said. "I'm shocked in fact that they all did so well."

The reporter can be reached at dboyles@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6659.

http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/248639.html