Judie Fenton was a longtime campaign organizer and Beverly Hills resident. (photo courtesy of legacy.com)

Judie Fenton, a longtime Beverly Hills resident whose influence spanned city politics, schools, nonprofits and civic institutions for more than four decades, died on Sept. 22, just shy of her 84th birthday.

Fenton was a businesswoman, campaign manager, commissioner and community volunteer who became one of Beverly Hills’ most recognizable civic figures. Though she never sought elected office herself, friends and former city leaders said few people had a greater impact behind the scenes.

“She was a legend,” Beverly Hills resident and political consultant Harvey Englander said. “She was the glue that held much of Beverly Hills together for at least three or four decades.”

The city lowered its flags to half-staff in Fenton’s memory. At the Sept. 22 Beverly Hills City Council meeting, Mayor Craig Corman announced her death before the council observed a moment of silence.

“Judie, as everyone knows, was a fixture in the community for many years, very involved in city government and just the community in general,” Corman said. “Judie was whip-smart and always personable. She will be very sorely missed.”

Fenton graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1960 and began her career in nursing, working with Beverly Hills pediatrician Dr. Mayo Stark.

In 1978, she took over the Beverly Hills Baseball and Sports Camp, which grew from approximately 100 children in its first summer to more than 700 campers by 1991. Thousands of children ultimately attended the program, which also employed local teenagers as counselors.

Englander first met Fenton through the sports camp, which his children attended. Their relationship later extended into civic and political work, including efforts related to major Beverly Hills developments.

“She was warm, loving and with an acerbic wit,” Englander said. “If you did something stupid, or if you were too full of yourself, she would bring you back to reality.”

He also recalled another side of Fenton that people who knew her through politics might not have seen.

“She was an unbelievable poker player,” Englander said. “She could have been a professional poker player in Vegas.”

In 1991, Fenton founded FTA, an events and marketing company focused on Beverly Hills. Through the business, she developed relationships with organizations including the Beverly Hills Firefighters Association and Beverly Hills Police Officers Association.

Fenton became particularly influential in local politics, running campaigns for City Council and Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education candidates, ballot measures and other initiatives.

“She was the go-to person for candidates, for anyone who wanted to get involved civically in the city, for the police and fire unions and fundraising for their associations,” Englander said. “Since her retirement and her illnesses, no one has replaced her.”

Former Beverly Hills Mayor Julian Gold first met Fenton around 1998 while helping with the school board campaign of Willie Brien. Fenton was managing the campaign.

“One campaign led to another, and she and I got to be friends,” Gold said.

Years later, Fenton encouraged Gold to run for City Council.

“She said to me, ‘You know, you’ve been hanging around the city a long time. If you’re interested in running for the City Council, this would be a good time to do it,’” Gold recalled.

Gold was elected in 2011 and later served several terms as mayor.

Englander said Fenton never ran for office herself because there was “always more power behind the throne,” while Gold said elected office did not fit the role she preferred.

“That wasn’t her style,” Gold said. “I don’t think that her passion was really about the day-to-day governance of the city so much as setting a direction and being part of the big decisions.”

Fenton nevertheless served eight years on the Beverly Hills Traffic and Parking Commission and later served on the Recreation and Parks Commission from 2018-20.

Her late husband of 55 years, Frank Fenton, served on the Beverly Hills school board, as city treasurer, on the City Council and as mayor. Corman said he was the only person to serve in all of the city’s elected capacities.

Gold said the couple shared a passion for civic engagement.

“It’s a family thing,” he said.

Fenton’s involvement in the city extended well beyond politics. She served on boards including the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, Beverly Hills 9/11 Committee, Temple Emanuel and Beverly Hills Rotary Club.

At the Maple Counseling Center, Fenton spent 17 years as director of development and also served as interim executive director. She was a former PTA president and founding member of the Beverly Hills Education Foundation.

Gold said the breadth of Fenton’s influence was felt at her funeral, which drew hundreds of people from across Beverly Hills civic life.

“There were any number of elected or former electeds there, including the school board and the council,” Gold said. “But even beyond that, folks who worked for the Beverly Hills Education Foundation, people who worked for Rotary, for Maple Counseling Center, for the fire and police associations – all these community events and more, Judie was part of.”

Fenton, he added, was rarely interested in being the center of attention.

“She was always the one who was making it happen,” Gold said. “But she herself was rarely the focal point.”

Councilwoman Sharona Nazarian remembered Fenton as “a force” who was strong, outspoken and deeply committed to Beverly Hills.

“Our conversations were never short,” Nazarian wrote. “A quick phone call could easily turn into two hours.”

Vice Mayor Mary Wells similarly remembered Fenton’s humor, warmth and devotion to the city.

“Beverly Hills won’t be the same without her,” Wells wrote.

Gold said Fenton’s ability to build relationships was central to her impact.

“If you needed help, she would find a way to help you,” Gold said. “When she called, people paid attention.”

Fenton was preceded in death by her husband, Frank. She is survived by their four children, Mindy Fenton, Gary Fenton, Steven Fenton and Jennifer Smiley; six grandchildren, Kelly, Sean, Brady, Carter, Kaden and Parker; and three step-grandchildren, Leksy, Troy and Nate.

Her family established the Judie Fenton Memorial Fund in partnership with the Rotary Club of Beverly Hills Charitable Foundation. Donations will support education, humanitarian and human services, hunger relief and assistance for people with disabilities. To donate, visit ftaevents.com.

“I do not think that there will ever be another Judie Fenton,” Gold said. “In this city, she was unique, and she leaves a hole that is immeasurable and could be impossible to fill.”