By Terry Miller
The mayoral race has drawn much attention and criticism as two veteran players fight for support in a community that is torn apart by numerous allegations of mismanagement of funds, the controversy over missing deadlines for grant monies, and lack of leadership.
A longtime supporter of Mayor Mary Ann Lutz, Monrovia- based commercial real estate developer Samuelson & Fetter, is now the largest collective contributor to her opponent Tom Adams, who is giving up his council seat to run for mayor.
Executives at Samuelson & Fetter, a company that owns numerous buildings and the Station Square apartment complex slated to be built near the depot, each donated $1500. Combined, the total donated to Adam’s campaign for Samuelson and Fetter was over $7,000.
Monrovia Weekly spoke to Blaine Fetter Tuesday regarding his company’s change in support of Tom Adams.
“They are both friends of mine and I’ve known them for years. I think the city’s problems are self-inflicted and we need more transparency. I think Tom will be able to be more effective ….
“Many have told me we’d be better off with one of them gone (referring to Adams or Lutz)…” Fetter said in a telephone interview.
Fetter also added that he hopes the City Council will eventually go to the time-honored rotational system.
In the past fourteen years, Samuelson & Fetter has built over 800,000 square feet of class “A” office space and has partnered with numerous Fortune 100 companies and a multitude of smaller businesses that now call the western San Gabriel Valley home. Samuelson & Fetter has a history in developing locally in the San Gabriel Valley and surrounding areas. The company has been involved in more than 150 projects with a combined $400 million value over the last 25 years with in the city of Monrovia.
