For Fred Meurer, the relationship between military installations and surrounding communities wasn’t just about proximity, but partnership. Over a career that spanned military service and more than two decades as city manager of Monterey, California, Meurer helped redefine how local governments and defense installations collaborate to support mission readiness and community resilience.
A graduate of the Military Academy at West Point, Meurer served 20 years in the Army, including leadership roles in Vietnam, Korea, and multiple Army installations across the United States. He retired as director of engineering and housing at Fort Ord, where he worked closely with local officials to address housing challenges and improve quality of life for service members and their families. Meurer helped build privatized housing in the community in 1985 before the concept was adopted by the DOD in the late 1990s.
In 1986, Meurer joined the city of Monterey and was appointed city manager in 1991, a position he held for more than two decades. During his tenure, he became one of the country’s leading advocates for military-community collaboration, as ADC showcased in its video series Homefront.
Among his most influential accomplishments was his contributions to what became known as “The Monterey Model,” a municipal-military partnership in which the city of Monterey worked closely with nearby installations, including the Defense Language Institute and the Naval Postgraduate School, to provide services such as fire protection, public works and infrastructure support. The approach demonstrated how long-term collaboration between local governments and military installations could deliver services more efficiently while strengthening installation mission effectiveness.
His leadership also helped the region navigate the closure of Fort Ord and protect critical missions in Monterey during multiple rounds of Base Realignment and Closure deliberations.
Over a five-decade career in military service and local government leadership, Meurer showed how sustained collaboration between installations and surrounding communities could strengthen both.
His work helped establish a model for military-community partnerships that continues to influence how installations and communities work together today.
This profile is a part of the ADC50 Changemakers series, where we highlight members of our community who have supported defense communities and ADC over its history.
