Monrovia proud of new title
City hopes to reap benefit
By Janette Williams (1995)
Staff Writer
Monrovia - It's the little city that could, and did.
Now Monrovia, newly named an All-America City 1995, is determined no one will forget
it.
So don't be surprised to see the city blanketed with banners, hunting and balloons.
"Monrovia, All-America City" signs inside and outside Foothill Transport
buses, decorating city garbage trucks, school buses, street signs - even sneaked in at the
bottom of city water bills.
"I can see it now - Monrovia, All-America City boxer shorts," joked Assistant
City Manager Don Hopper.
Monrovia officials and volunteers are still on an emotional high after their triumph at
being one of 10 cities nationwide honored June 24 in Ohio.
But now the serious business of capitalizing on and marketing their success has begun.
They hope the prestigious National Civic League's All America City title will validate
their efforts to establish Monrovia as a great place for people to live, shop and move
their businesses to.
"This award certifies we are a well-run, well-managed, stable community,"
said Dick Singer, executive director of Monrovia Chamber of Commerce. "It attracts
businesses, pushes civic pride, gives political clout and increases property values."
The record shows the award can stimulate a business upturn, Singer said.
"There's a track record of that happening if you promote it right. The award draws
attention, says this is a place where things get done," he said. "For small
retail merchants, it's harder to put the finger on direct benefits, except for an increase
in tourism and shopping in Monrovia."
The payoff for one of last year's All America City winners, Porterville, in the San
Joaquin Valley, has been international recognition and interest from companies and
businesses all over California, said Robert Engle, Chamber of Commerce executive vice
president.
And on a community level, Engle said, it caused a reversal of the "rather dim
view" the city had of itself.
Twenty years ago, many took a rather dim view of Monrovia and its future.
"We had a 40 percent vacancy rate downtown then -- everyone was leaving,"
Councilwoman Mary Wilcox recalled. "The schools were in disarray. We even had some
race riots. Huntington Drive was an embarrassment; you wouldn't want to be seen there. Now
it's the most beautiful, high-tech street. We worked hard to get the changes, always
thinking ahead. We decided then we had to improve the city, and we've been doing it ever
since."
The turnaround in Monrovia's fortunes, which hit bottom in the late 1960's and early
'70s has been the result of a structured, long-term strategy, city officials said.
At first change was very difficult, Singer said. The town was philosophically divided
and there was a "good deal for fighting" between those entrenched and the
then-new guard at City Hall -- current Mayor Bob Bartlett and Council members Pat Ostrye
and Eric Faith, elected in 1974.
"Things were so bad at the time I didn't think anything we did could have hurt
us," Bartlett recalled, smiling. "So it was easy to take risks -- and we took a
lot in the early years."
"We hired great staff and made in non threatening for them in Monrovia, let them
know their careers were not on the line if they had a crazy idea that didn't work, freeing
their creative vision," he said. "In early years during redevelopment efforts we
didn't tear down architecturally significant buildings. It was tempting to start anew, but
we did some thinking, and these buildings became more valuable as time went on, and we
didn't lose all this charm."
