Harrell Fletcher, a longtime public servant who held seats on bodies ranging from Santa Maria’s fledgling Code Compliance Board up to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, died the evening of Jan. 3. The 91-year-old passed peacefully from pneumonia complications at Marian Medical Center, according to a press release from the city of Santa Maria.
Fletcher counted his efforts to get land donated for the fairgrounds among his many accomplishments. He also oversaw the convention center’s construction as chair of the Fair Board. Other highlights from his life include his record membership with the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce, his two terms as 5th District supervisor, his service on the Coastal Commission, and his involvement with the two Santa Barbara County split attempts.
Tom Urbanske, one of Fletcher’s supervisorial successors, told the Sun: “The 5th district supervisors have longevity,” explaining that many of the supervisors over the last several decades have led long, healthy lives.
“Harrell was a wonderful man,” Urbanske said. “When I used to have a political question and I’d go to my wife and ask, ‘What should I do?’ She said, ‘Call Harrell.’”
Locals can learn more about Fletcher’s life on Comcast Channel 25, which will air a 60-minute video, created after an August 2010 interview with Shirley Contreras in Fletcher’s office at the Santa Maria Inn. See it throughout January: Mondays at 11 a.m., Wednesdays at 8 p.m., and Fridays at 10 a.m.
This article appears in Jan 6-13, 2011.