Published
1 week agoon
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer says he hasn’t paid much mind to criticism from his former boss.
As a guest panelist on KSEE-24’s “Sunday Morning Matters,” former Fresno Mayor Alan Autry said that Dyer has sold out the city to Gov. Gavin Newsom. He has since followed up with more Dyer criticism on his daily radio show on KXEX-AM 1550.
#SundayMorningMatters #SneakPeek Fmr. Fresno mayor @AlanAutry3 channeling his inner @TulsaKing character on what he thinks of Dyer’s spending plan for @GavinNewsom proposed $250M in CA budget to revitalize downtown. ‘Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining’ @KSEE24 Sun-8am pic.twitter.com/gNEYkXEQ4A
— Alexan Balekian (@RealALEXAN) May 19, 2023
As mayor from 2001-2009, Autry — a well-known actor as well as a politician — hired Dyer as the city’s police chief in 2001.
Dyer is taking the criticism in stride while also pointing out that his job is to bring as much financial help as possible to Fresno.
“I haven’t given much consideration to it. Alan and I are friends. We have been for a lot of years. He is entitled to his opinion. You know, quite frankly, I think Alan is operating without a lot of information (and) from a 15-year-old perspective,” Dyer said in response to a GV Wire’s questions on Wednesday.
The mayor also said that he must deal with a much different political paradigm than Autry did.
Dyer, a Republican, is dealing with a Democratic governor’s office and White House.
“If you don’t have a relationship with the state or the federal government, you won’t get anything,” Dyer said. “And I will tell you, when Alan operated as a mayor, he had a Republican president and a Republican governor and a Republican (city) council. It’s not like that today. But I still work with both sides in order to do what’s best for the city of Fresno.”
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Appearing on KSEE’s public affairs show hosted by Alexan Balekian, Autry was a panelist alongside GV Wire News Director Bill McEwen.
Asked about Gov. Gavin Newsom designating $250 million in the state budget for downtown Fresno improvements, Autry took sharp aim at Dyer.
“Don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining. $250 million is nothing to that (state) budget,” Autry answered. “We have always gotten the crumbs from the state and this mayor, I love him like a brother, but he is reluctant to fight the good fight for the city on anything.
“He’s thinking (as long as I) stand next to the governor and I’m going to say good things about him while he runs for president, I’m going to be the one Republican. And that’s what it appears with our mayor now, just like he’s a little puppy dog at the table, wanting to get the scraps.”
In contrast, McEwen described the funding as a positive for the city and noted that downtown has long needed better infrastructure to position the area for positive transformation.
Autry followed up with nearly daily diatribes on his radio show. He said that Dyer isn’t fighting to bring more water to the Valley and that he should have resisted state-imposed COVID restrictions.
“You’ve got to be a grown Rottweiler for the people you swore that oath to represent,” Autry said on the radio.
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email