Home

Conan O'Brien Bobblehead to Balance Fresno's Budget?

By Justin Willis, KSEE24 News
July 25, 2012 Updated Jul 25, 2012 at 6:26 PM PDT

When Mayor Swearengin made her budget proposals to City Council earlier this year, she had Plan A and Plan B solutions to get the city in the black.

But now, she's considering Plan C, for Conan.

Conan O'Brien, TBS Tuesday: "Okay, this thing just attracts tourists by the bucket-loads. They'll spend a lot of dough. This thing was a huge hit in Chicago. It always draws a crowd. I'm talking about the one and only Conan bobble-head!"

City officials have said they've left no stone unturned when it comes to finding ways to balance the budget.

Well, it looks like they missed one...

On his nightly show on TBS, Conan said he wanted to do his part as a loyal Californian to keep Fresno from filing for bankruptcy.

So far, Stockton, Mammoth Lakes, and San Bernardino have filed.

O'Brien: "That's right Fresno! Putting the Conan bobble-head on display in your city is going to boost tourism by up to 500%."

Mayor Ashley Swearengin: "I would love to talk to his economist that provided these projections."

Mayor Ashley Swearengin says Fresno is not filing for bankruptcy, but she loves the idea.

She formally extended an invitation to Conan, and his bobble-head, saying Fresno needs every little bit of help it can get.

"In all seriousness, I think this just a break from the very serious issues that we are dealing with here in Fresno."

Conan went on to say he's also offering to bring the Simon CowelL tight fitting t-shirt as a second tourist attraction.

Mayor Swearengin went on to read her letter to Conan.

"Unfortunately, I cannot in good conscience extend a similar invitation to the Simon Cowell t-shirt. As someone who is charged with looking out for the best interest of our community, I don't believe it would be appropriate to subject the women and children to such a troubling image."

We asked Conan's representatives about the proposal.

They made no guarantees, and only said the bobble-head is an ongoing comedy bit.

Assuming Conan follows up on his proposal, the mayor discussed where she thinks the bobble-head should go.

She mentioned by the water tower, or maybe auction the space off to local businesses.

There's also a Facebook page dedicated to getting Conan to Fresno.

It's called "Bring the Conan Bobble-head to Fresno."

The link is on the KSEE24 Facebook page.