If I Ever Slow Down, I’ll Fall Apart

Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin Loves ’80s Music

Ashley Swearengin is the mayor of Fresno, California. Before joining a Zócalo/The California Wellness Foundation panel discussion on her city’s struggle with unemployment, inequality, and homelessness—“Can Fresno Win the War on Poverty?”—she talked in the Zócalo Green Room about her childhood in Arkansas, a recent flight scare, and an app for staying hydrated.

Q:

When did you learn how to swim?


A:

It was sometime after I almost drowned jumping into my friend’s pool without my water wings. I was on the swim team by age 8.


Q:

Do you like flying?


A:

In February 2014, I had a really bad flight. We hit some crazy turbulence. Previously I never had any trouble flying, but I’ve been wary since.


Q:

What’s one of your tricks to staying productive during the workday?


A:

Never stop moving. I mean that both literally and intellectually. If I ever slow down, I’ll just fall apart.


Q:

What’s your favorite phone app?


A:

Plant Nanny. It keeps track of how much water you drink. As you drink, a plant grows on screen.


Q:

Who was one of your heroes when you were younger?


A:

I was a gymnast, so Mary Lou Retton [a multi-medalist at the 1984 Olympics].


Q:

What’s a song you’re embarrassed to admit you love?


A:

Pick any ’80s song and I probably love it. I went for a power walk with my daughter the other day and the Pandora station I listened to was the Bangles.


Q:

Where’s the best place in Fresno to go on a date?


A:

My first date with my husband was at Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theater, in the Tower District. We saw Bye Bye Birdie.


Q:

What’s one of the hardest parts of being Fresno’s mayor?


A:

Navigating between competing good interests.


Q:

Describe Fresno in three words.


A:

Energetic. Diverse. Underdog.


Q:

You spent your childhood in Arkansas. What’s one of your clearest memories of living there?


A:

In a part of the country where you deal with weather a lot, you build homes to last. Even the new homes were built with bricks. They made for high-quality neighborhoods that last.


*Photo by Roe Borunda.