Interview with Garry Bredefeld

by Sylvia Sneedly, GBF's Political Correspondent

Garry Bredefeld is running for City Council in District 6 (colloquially called "North Fresno" which is currently represented by Lee Brand, who is subsequently running for Mayor to replace SwearBear).

Garry previously held the seat for District 6 from 1997 to 2001. We sat down with him to ask him the tough questions you've been waiting to have answered.

GBF: You spell your first name with two R’s. Isn’t it true that “Gary” is normally spelled with just one R?

GB: Yes, it is but having it spelled with 2 R's makes it unique. That's why I like it spelled as it is.

GBF: Your opponents are Jeremy Pearce, an Elvis impersonator, and Holly Carter, who, based on her website (CarterCoco.com), seems to run some kind of chocolate company. What can you do for your district that they cannot?

GB: I congratulate anyone who is willing to serve and endure the rigors of a campaign. I differ from my opponents in that I have a strong, proven record of leadership, which I've outlined on my website, garrybredefeld.com, and brochure. I served on the Council for one term and we hired about 170 police officers, reduced crime and graffiti, built neighborhood parks, initiated the NE police substation, held monthly district meetings, mitigated urban sprawl in the district, built trails, and planted trees in median islands throughout the district.

GBF: Public Safety seems to be a major concern for all of the candidates running for District 6. Do you believe this is due to the crime rate in your district becoming more in line with the rest of Fresno?

GB: We are a big city with big city problems. Crime continues to be a problem throughout the city and as a Councilmember you have to be concerned with crime in all areas of the city. Ensuring your city remains safe must always be our first priority.

GBF: Both of your opponents as well as you are calling for more police officers in Fresno, however you are the only candidate to not call for a specific amount. Is there a total number of police officers you would like to see in Fresno? We've estimated that it would cost roughly $1 million dollars per year for every 18 police officers (based on the median income of a Fresno police officer.) How do you propose the city pay for these new officers?

GB: We at one point had about 850 police officers just before the recession. Ideally, we'd like to have 2 officers per 1000 people but that is very difficult to reach fiscally. We currently have funding for 750 officers by the end of the this fiscal year. We need to continue making the hiring of more officers our top priority. We will need to seek all grant funding available for more officers and determine by whatever fiscal means we can to hire more officers so that we can get back to the same level of police staffing that we had prior to the recession.

GBF: When you say, “whatever fiscal means necessary” would that include cutting funding for other public services in order to hire more cops? If so, what would you cut?

What I am referring to is looking at the entire budget and determining where there might be cost savings that could lead to having more funding available to hire more police. Another potential resource is looking at any appropriate city land and assets that might be potentially sold and using those assets to hire more police. We also need to seek all possible available federal grants that could be utilized to hire more police just as we did when I served on the Council before. Additionally, we are getting funding from FUSD to help pay for police officers at their schools. These are some examples of what I mean by "whatever fiscal means are necessary."

GBF: Your website says, “knowing how important police presence is to preventing crime, [you] strongly advocated getting the Northeast Police Substation, which was eventually built at Cedar and Teague Avenues.” As you may know, the police substation in Tower closed 4 years ago despite the area having higher crime rates than other areas of Fresno. Tower has subsequently seen an uptick in crime as response times have increased. What is your opinion on this? Do you support a potential reopening of the Tower substation?

GB: I certainly would support it. Police presence deters crime. That is a fact. That is why we need and want more police officers to patrol and be seen.

GBF: You were just endorsed by Fresno’s beloved Mayor Ashley “SwearBear” Swearengin. Is this the most important endorsement you could conceivably receive?

GB: If there were one endorsement I would want from any elected official, it would be Mayor Swearengin. She is highly respected not only in Fresno but Washington and Sacramento. She has tremendous integrity, provided strong leadership during the recession which has allowed our credit rating to be upgraded, has gotten the General Plan updated which is a plan I strongly support, and believes in downtown revitalization and protecting older neighborhoods. I am very proud to have her endorsement.

GBF: Which of Swearengin’s policies and platforms do you agree with and which do you not agree with? Overall, what grade would you give her as Mayor?

GB: Well to some degree I answered that question in [the last question]. Where I might disagree with her is in her support of high speed rail. But now that it appears to be moving forward, I hope it brings the numbers and kind of jobs it is proposed to. I would say she and I agree on most issues related to Fresno. In terms of grading her performance, I don't think we have ever had a better Mayor and without hesitation, I would grade her A+.

GBF: Who would win in a fight: Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin or Clovis Mayor Nathan Magsig?

GB: I have watched her articulate her positions and she is extremely intelligent, focused, and insightful. She does not bend to pressure when she believes strongly in something and she has tremendous integrity. She nearly won the Controller position in California which is heavily Democrat. I would never bet against her in any "fight."

GBF: Much of your platform is based on your previous experience as a Councilmember. Would you say that you were a great councilmember or the greatest councilmember?

GB: I would say during my one term on the Council, I was known as someone who was independent, strong, exhibited great leadership and integrity. I worked hard to improve our city and give voice to the people in District 6. I will let others judge my performance.