Scott warmly thanked the mayor for brining him home to Fresno. Scott was raised in the Valley and attended Fresno State. He takes over a City Hall -- awash in a multi-million dollar budget deficit. Scott said, "I don't know the number yet. I haven't been working on the budget here. I will tell you in Culver City and the rest of America, the number is not pretty everywhere."
Scott landed his first city manager job in Beverly Hills back in 1990. He then moved across the country to run the city of Spartanburg, South Carolina. From there, it was back to California, where Scott was hired as city manager of Culver City. He left after just nine months to come back to Fresno. Scott said, "This is home. This is the last stop for me. I feel very badly for leaving Culver City to tell you the truth. I plan on trying to helping them with some things for a while yet."
Scott replaces Andy Souza who resigned in December. Mayor Ashley Swearengin said she reviewed 60 resumes before hiring Scott. Swearengin said, "I was looking for someone who would embrace the mission and purpose of turning our city around. Someone who was not just a hired gun."
Scott will take over as Fresno's City Manager on April 14th. The mayor plans to update the city council on Thursday about an increasing budget deficit. She hinted Tuesday, the deficit is growing. It could be nearly $30-million.
