SACRAMENTO - Mayor-elect Kevin Johnson and outgoing Mayor Heather Fargo had their first meeting since the campaign ended last week, with Johnson calling his defeated rival gracious and a formidable opponent.

Johnson, who will be sworn in later this month, said Fargo told him it was important to maintain a good working relationship with both city staff and the eight city council members.

"It's isn't personal, it's politics," he said of the council members' majority support of Fargo during the oftentimes nasty mayoral race. "We've got to come together."

He added that he's met with all but one incumbent council member, and that he'd do so with that member, Kevin McCarty, later this week.

During their 30-minute chat, Johnson said he and Fargo also discussed the numerous boards and commissions that operate under the city's auspices.

One topic that didn't come up, he said, was the city's budget, though he noted that the city will have to begin planning soon for next year's budget, which already looks like it will be in deficit.

Johnson said he's still interested in bringing in a third party to audit the city's finances and find ways to make city finances more efficient.

Though Johnson met briefly with the media outside Fargo's office, she did not make herself available for questions. Johnson said Fargo would give him a tour of city offices later this afternoon.

Johnson also briefly discussed his appearance Tuesday night on The Colbert Report, saying he thinks he has a decent shot at getting Stephen Colbert and a camera crew to visit the city sometime in the future.

"If they ask me to come back, that's one of my bargaining chips," he said, adding that the show's producers told him they don't do much on the West Coast. "I think we could show them something in Sacramento."

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