KMPH Fox 26 Central San Joaquin Valley News Source in Fresno, California Entertainment, News, Sports and Weather | Fresno Mayor Appoints New City Manager

Fresno Mayor Appoints New City Manager

By Norma Yuriar

Fresno, Calif.  (KMPH News) -- The city of Fresno has a new City Manager.

"Will you join me in welcoming Mr. Mark Scott," Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin announced during an afternoon press conference at city hall Tuesday.

"I will tell you I have not seen a room with this many cameras since the Beverly Hills Police Department arrested Winona Ryder for shop lifting," Scott said.

Scott, 60, graduated from Fresno High and Fresno State.  He returns to the valley after serving as City Manager in Beverly Hills, Spartanburg South Carolina, and most recently Culver City.

"I'm thrilled to have a chance to come home.  It's almost emotional for me to have this chance at this point in my career to bring what I do to this community," Scott said.

He's replacing Andy Souza.  The former Fresno City Manager announced in December, he was stepping down.

Mayor Swearengin says she reviewed 60 resumes before hiring Scott.

"I was looking for someone who would embrace the mission and purpose of turning our city around," she said.

As City Manager, Scott will is responsible for 3,800 city employees, with a budget of about $244million.

"We know we have challenging times in Fresno – in fact this week we will provide an update to the council about the latest budget figures and the news is not pretty," Mayor Swearengin announced.

Scott welcomes the challenge.  He comes to the valley with more than 30–years of experience in public administration.

"I will tell you that in Culver City and the rest of America the number is not pretty anywhere," Scott said.  "Everyone is going to have to be as creative as we can be and look at the budget solutions in ways that government has never had to look at them."

When it comes to managing a budget — Scott is no stranger to thinking outside the box.  In Spartanburg, he made headlines when he appointed a volunteer to run the airport, free of charge.  The job went to a retired major general with the Army National Guard.

"It turned out that we saved the entire cost of the administrative office in the airport by using somebody that was capable of doing the job," Scott said.  "That would not normally be what you would do, normally you would say, gee, I don't know if I could control a volunteer."

It's going to take that kind of approach, the mayor said, to transform Fresno.

Scott will get to work in mid–April.  Starting salary is $189,000 a year.

Scott says he wants to help Culver City through the end of their budget process, before he makes the move to Fresno.

Until his arrival — Assistant City Manager Bruce Rudd will continue running City Hall's day to day operations.

"City Managers rarely get a chance to return to their hometowns," Scott said. "I feel very fortunate to be coming back to the place of my original inspiration to join Mayor Swearengin's team. The best part of Fresno is Fresnans. I'm glad to be home."

REPORTER CAN BY REACHED AT NYURIAR@KMPH.COM OR (559) 453-8850.