Mayor Mary Ann Lutz - Positions

By Mary Ann Lutz

Our budget remains balanced, new businesses are being added to our tax base and we are successfully addressing the long-standing financial hurdle of deferred maintenance. In short, the City has been through rough times, but thanks to prudent financial management, its solvency and ability to grow have never been threatened.

Public Safety:

The most important responsibility of our City is to maintain a safe environment. Supporting our police, fire and public works departments with the personnel and tools they need are paramount to achieving this goal. We are now experiencing the lowest crime rates in decades. (See http://www.cityofmonrovia.org/police/page/crime-information). To sustain that accomplishment, we must be more creative and recommit to our Community Policing program. In that regard, we are putting together an interdisciplinary group of professionals from law enforcement, community development, code enforcement and neighborhood services, along with community residents and business people, to address crime and blight-related issues as they arise.

Public Transportation:

Our 40-year dream is fast becoming a reality! Continuation of the Gold Line light rail system through Monrovia is progressing daily. In 2009 when you elected me to be your Mayor I committed myself to diligently working to bring the Gold Line to Monrovia and now it is here! I am proud to have encouraged and lead the way for Monrovia to be the host of the Maintenance and Operations Campus, the catalyst that finally got the construction started + and the proceeds from that sale of land, along with about $24 million more in additional grants, are being used to upgrade the entire area. The benefits to Monrovia from this project are immense; public improvements now underway, and our partnership with Samuelson & Fetter that will bring a beautiful apartment complex to Station Square, are just the beginning of our long-sought enhancement of the southern part of our town. We are forever grateful for our business and development partners who have stuck by us even as our best development tool, Redevelopment, was stripped away by the State. To learn more about the Gold Line and Station Square: http://www.cityofmonrovia.org/stationsquare/page/about-project.

Wilderness Protection:

I have consistently advocated and supported the protection of our hillsides and have diligently sought new funds and grants for the Wilderness Preserve while still protecting our property rights.

Litigation and legal issues surrounding easements have slowed the provision of access points ... because of property rights questions ... but the entire City Council and staff are working diligently to resolve the issues, seeking a win-win solution. Politically-motivated charges that I have somehow "given away" the preserve to the federal government are without foundation. Monrovia's Wilderness Preserve remains protected, and I have voted consistently with the rest of the City Council to keep it that way.

Infrastructure Repair:

Monrovia's finances + and its budget + took a huge hit when the State did away with Redevelopment, our primary economic development tool. In 2013 we began to see some improvement, but we couldn't fully understand then what this would mean to our overall finances.

I requested that our City Manager conduct an open and detailed budget study so that both our Council and our community had a better understanding of the sources for city funding, how our funds are allocated into different accounts and how best to plan for our needs. These sessions were held every few weeks and the topics were very detailed. Through these study sessions we began to develop answers to the needs of our community regarding infrastructure + parks, streets, parking lots, water, sewer and city buildings. We found the needs far exceeded our financial capabilities at the time, but we began a plan to catch up with the maintenance. In 2014 we began the process toward repair:

• Commissioned a full study of our sewer and water systems under our streets

• Commissioned a study of the condition of our streets

• Began an upgrade of our parks and utilized grant opportunities to replace playground equipment

• Budgeted and spent more than $3 million dollars on street and sidewalk improvements -- Olive, Magnolia and Primrose Avenues and Duarte Road are just a few of the streets where roadways and sidewalks have been repaired in recent years

The proceeds of the Gold Line Maintenance and Operations yard, along with grants, have allowed us to begin the largest project in our history to improve and upgrade infrastructure in the Station Square/Gold Line area, including the restoration of the Historic Train Depot. While we do not have the estimated $40 million dollars needed for all the work, our staff will be presenting to us in the coming months a plan to leverage our annual Measure R funds to make the much needed repairs in just a few years.

Leadership:

Leadership comes from doing the work, day after day. That's why I work with the agencies and elected leaders from all over our region, state and nation; it's not just about what occurs within our borders, but how we relate and react to whatever affects our community.

It's also why I work with organizations such as the Unity Center and Boys and Girls Club, because that kind of leadership affects lives, makes lives better, and builds a stronger future for our community. Leadership in Monrovia requires commitment, creativity, trust and the ability to work together with all parts of our diverse community. I have a proven record of just such leadership + a positive, cooperative and open approach to working through our problems.

My involvement has paid off for Monrovia time and again as I have brought new solutions to our challenges. Leadership requires more than just voting no, more than judging or blaming.

Leadership is not achieved by criticizing, it occurs when one acts with the courage of one's convictions. It's not just disagreeing ... it's doing!