CA- Swearengin jumps right in to Fresno mayoral job

The mayor's comments as to sex offenders are laughable. Notice she intends to monitor those offenders who are no longer on parole or probation which the law does say. Whats wrong with that you say, well what will the monitor do when the registrant takes a trip to Europe, South America, etc. They are OFF supervision and can go where they want and when they want. Absent a new crime they cannot be placed back on supervision. What a waste of public resources and funds, yes funds that were recouped from drug offenders, but that will not cover the costs mark my words. Shortsighted lawmakers only look to what sounds good.

1-7-2009 California:

Minutes after she was sworn in as the 24th mayor of Fresno on Tuesday morning, Ashley Swearengin stepped to a podium and began outlining her plans for the next 100 days.

"If I seem impatient this morning, it's because I am. I'm chomping at the bit to get to work," Swearengin said.

Swearengin was sworn in at 9:35 a.m., with her husband, Paul, and their two children watching.

She thanked her family and supporters for their help, and then jumped into her goals for the coming months, including a citywide efficiency analysis to make sure residents get the most for their tax dollars, an internal analysis of every city department to find unneeded programs, and a redesign of the permitting process to make it more transparent and accountable.

"The dollars we spend are not ours; they belong to the public, and we will keep a close eye on each one. We've got to be extremely focused on the work that will produce the best results for the community," Swearengin said.

She didn't wait long to introduce her first initiative. An hour after she was sworn in, she and Police Chief Jerry Dyer announced a plan to increase local monitoring of sex offenders.

Swearengin was one of the last to speak at Tuesday's meeting, which began with the swearing-in of Andreas Borgeas and Lee Brand to the City Council.

Both thanked their supporters and outgoing Mayor Alan Autry for his leadership over the past eight years. There were also several light moments.

Borgeas, who takes over the District 2 seat from Brian Calhoun, returned to his seat in the audience after being sworn in, then laughed as he was called to the dais by outgoing Council President Blong Xiong.

"You need to get used to sitting up here," Xiong said.

Borgeas, 34, became emotional while thanking his friends and family, and particularly his wife, Anna.

Brand, who took over the District 6 seat from his good friend Jerry Duncan, said he looked forward to working with the rest of the council.

"No matter how good our ideas are, we cannot succeed without the support of our colleagues and the mayor. My prayer for us all is that God will grant us the wisdom to make the right decisions in these difficult times," Brand said.

Throughout the meeting, Autry was the first out of his seat to applaud as the new council members and Swearengin were sworn in.

Earlier in the meeting, in his last remarks as mayor, Autry encouraged all of the new officials to keep open minds as they began their public service careers.

"Expect the unexpected, but remember that mayors come and mayors go. You don't own the offices you were elected to, you are simply stewards," Autry said.

Swearengin's sex-offender monitoring program is scheduled to go before the City Council next week.

The program would use money seized from drug dealers to fund monitoring of sex offenders who have completed their state parole.

Currently, the more than 70 registered sex offenders living in Fresno are not monitored after they complete state parole, even though the law allows lifelong electronic monitoring, Dyer said.

Dyer said the program would cost about $50,000 this year, and would use police cadets to track movements of sex offenders by satellite-monitored ankle bracelets.

Dyer said the monitoring would stop on any sex offender who moved out of Fresno.

"It may provide incentive for some of these individuals to leave," Dyer said. ..News Source.. by Denny Boyles / The Fresno Bee