The Foothill Gold Line Monrovia Station was dedicated last weekend and a large memorial rock
“Dedicated to the Journey” was unveiled to show off those who helped get the light rail to Monrovia.
However, as one reader noted, there was one rather serious omission under the “Former Council Members” recognition. Robert Bartlett.
Bartlett was first elected to the Monrovia City Council in 1974, and was elected mayor in 1988. He served as mayor for 13 years until 2001, as he opted to not run for re-election. His accomplishments have included memberships of the League of California Cities, Southern California Association of Governments, and the Los Angeles County Sanitation District. Bartlett was also the President for the Southern California Association of Governments and the chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for the National League of Cities.
Bartlett ran for City Council because he saw Monrovia floundering while other cities were progressing. Many residents credit his strong leadership as the reason for Monrovia’s transformation from a blighted and gang-infested city to the prospering city full of national retailers that it currently is today.
KGEM host Ralph Walker brought this to the attention of Monrovia Weekly and was literally flabbergasted that Bartlett’s name was overlooked. “How can this be? Bob Bartlett? Come on!”
Walker said he was going to find out who was responsible for such a faux pas.
Walker contacted City Hall and this is directly from the City Manager’s update report sent out Tuesday morning:
“Last week, staff was approached by Ralph Walker regarding the plaque that the Gold Line Construction Authority installed at Monrovia’s Gold Line Station. Mr. Walker indicated that in his opinion, former Mayor Bob Bartlett should have had his named included on the Foothill Gold Line dedication stone. By way of background, we wanted to provide some additional information regarding the situation. The names of the former Monrovia City Council members that were listed on the dedication stone were identified based on service to the Foothill Gold Line Extension Construction Authority (FGLCA) as either a member of the FGLCA Board of Directors or as a member of the FGLCA Joint Powers Authority.
“This was a deliberate decision made in concert with Gold Line and Metro staff given that the dedication event was to celebrate the completion of the construction of the Monrovia Station, which was undertaken by the FGLCA. It is also important to note that the FGLCA was formed in 2003, which is two years after former Mayor Bartlett left office.
“Moving forward, the City’s intention has always been to honor significant contributors to Gold Line, including former Mayor Bartlett, when we dedicate Station Square Park, which is the City-funded and initiated project to compliment the Gold Line. Furthermore, we have been working on development of a ‘Walk of Fame’ exhibit to honor significant Monrovians down in the Station Square area. Details related to who will be honored have yet to be worked out as we are still around eight weeks away from substantial completion of the overall Station Square project. However, as we get closer to completion, we will be developing an overall dedication/ribbon cutting event, and we will be certain to keep everyone informed as to our progress moving forward. In the meantime, please feel free to let me know if you should have any questions regarding this particular matter.”
