City Clerk Yvonne Spence knows Craig Scharton is running for the Fresno City Council.
The big question: When does Scharton get the word to the voters of District 3?
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Scharton for months has teased City Hall observers about his political ambitions.
I asked Scharton in late December if he would run for the District 3 seat in 2018.
“I think I’m going to do it,” he said. “It’s certainly something I’ve thought about.”
Scharton filed on Feb. 22 a Candidate Intention Statement with the City Clerk’s Office, saying he will run for the District 3 seat. He filed on Friday an amended Statement of Organization Recipient Committee.
Scharton is all set to go. Now all he needs is money.
District 3 incumbent Oliver Baines is termed out in January 2019.
Scharton is a former council member who served Mayor Ashley Swearengin in several posts during her first term. Reporters loved to describe Scharton as the downtown development czar. He still is in many ways – he currently is the Downtown Fresno Partnership’s interim chief executive/president.
District 3 includes Downtown and traditional West Fresno. But the district has many centers of influence. A portion of the Tower District is in District 3. So, too, is some of the relatively new growth west of Highway 99 and north of Roeding Park. And at the southern tip of District 3 is the so-called “Reverse Triangle,” an industrial area that is rapidly becoming a Mother Lode of new jobs.
The District 3 council member’s chores are almost as varied as the mayor’s.
I understand that Miguel Arias and Tate Hill also want to represent District 3.
I had no luck getting hold of Scharton on Sunday.
He told me in late December: “I want our city healthy and revitalized.”
If I lived in District 3 I wouldn’t vote for Craig. First of all he’s an unindicted conspirator in Operation Rezone and second, we need fresh blood on the council, not recycled hacks.
My strategy for our neighborhoods is so simple youll wonder why it hasnt been happening this way all along . Why is it only when running again that you hear these words, why arent these things done while in office? I have never heard of you , why should I vote for someone that you only hear when they seek to be voted in again? If not to busy , send a reply.