In the upcoming April 4th Glendale Municipal Elections, voters will be able to elect three individuals to City Council. ANCA – Glendale and ANCA – Crescenta Valley Chapters have endorsed incumbent council-members Zareh Sinanyan and Ara Najarian for two of the three seats in City Council. They have decided to leave the third seat open and provide this platform for Glendale voters to become better acquainted with all of the City Council candidates. 

ANCA-Glendale Endorsed Candidate, Zareh Sinanyan

Balanced Quality Housing: With the dramatic increase in the cost of living in Glendale, we must create and secure affordable housing units. Rent is going through the roof and the most vulnerable members of our city are facing the risk of being pushed out. We must ensure no resident lives with apprehension of leaving the city they love. I became the first elected official in Glendale’s history to use my tenure as mayor to go to Washington and secure 165 additional vouchers for affordable housing. I will continue to work with my colleagues at the State and local level to provide balanced quality housing in Glendale to try and alleviate the effects of the housing crises in Los Angeles.

Modern Transit: Glendale currently has no advanced modern transit. Due to a lack of preparation and planning many years ago, today we are isolated from regional mass-transit projects. We cannot allow ourselves to make the same mistakes of yesterday. I am ready to plan and integrate Glendale into regional advanced transit projects today. As Vice-Chair of the Eco-Rapid Transit Authority and as Secretary of the Burbank/Glendale/Pasadena Airport Authority, I know the importance of implicating these projects now. These projects will boost the city’s economic growth while providing safe and user-friendly transit services. If re-elected, it is my goal to begin the revival of the electric cable line that used to run in Glendale and whose track already exists on Glenoaks and Brand Boulevard.

ANCA-Glendale Endorsed Candidate, Ara Najarian 

Proven Job Creator: As Mayor and Councilman of the City of Glendale since 2005, Ara Najarian has led the fight to create thousands of new jobs by attracting and retaining national company. More than 3,000 new jobs have been created in Glendale since 2010

Public Transit Champion: As Chairman of the MTA board during 2009-2010, Ara spearheaded the efforts to a unanimous vote by the Board Members to the Long Range Transportation Plan and has supported and voted for almost every major current project within the County of Los Angeles. Ara has led the fight to secure millions in grant funding to purchase new low-floor Clean Natural Gas buses, install bike lanes, and provide safe routes to schools.

Balancing the City Budget: While serving as Mayor and Councilman for the city of Glendale, Ara has had a record of balancing 10 straight budgets along with reducing the size of the Glendale government workforce by 25% to maintain a balanced budget, during which time, the city of Glendale received the highest municipal bond rating by Fitch and Associates, without jeopardizing public services.

Prioritizing Community Safety: As a leader in the city of Glendale, Ara has worked closely with law enforcement to make Glendale consistently one of the safest cities in America. Ara has also worked to maintain the city’s class 1 Fire Department, which serves as the dispatching center for most of the San Gabriel Valley.

Vrej Agajanian 

Is a board member for the Glendale Police Foundation and past board member of the Glendale Kiwanis Club. The CEO of two television stations operation in Glendale, he has previously been ranked as the second most influential community member by the Glendale News Press for his work as a nightly host and commentator concentrating on Glendale, California, and U.S. social and political issues. Project engineer for the San Diego Naval Medical Center during his tenure with Syska Hennessy Group, Mr. Agajanian continues his scientific projects as the current president of the Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America. “As a professional engineer, I intend to bring evidence-based solutions to our traffic, environmental, and infrastructure policies.”- Vrej Agajanian

Richard Dinger 

As your councilmember, public safety—both police and fire—will be my #1 priority, and I will advocate for hiring more police officers. By being fiscally responsible, I will fight to protect our city services while balancing our budget without raising your fees and taxes. I will work diligently to continually improve traffic safety, including the safety of our pedestrians and cyclists. Mindful of our need to mitigate traffic and preserve neighborhood integrity, I favor responsible development. I own a local small business and support small businesses and the jobs they provide here.

Mark MacCarley

I want Glendale to be a place where people can afford to live, where big box luxury apartments don’t dominate our streets; where people feel safe; where anyone can get around the City easily, where government fees don’t choke out small businesses; and where young people can attend our public schools, get a decent job, buy a home, and enjoy their retirement. I went to school here. I received a law degree from Loyola University and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts. I have taught at Glendale College. I spent the last 12 years as a Soldier, retiring as a Major General. As a lawyer before my Army service, I have helped prosecute claims on behalf of relatives of Genocide victims against foreign and US companies. As a retired Soldier, I have engaged with the Artsakh Armed Forces during their fight, last year, to defend their homeland from invasion. I learned one thing from my military service in a time of conflict – it’s all about selfless service. Now that I am back home in Glendale, I want to serve you as your City Council Member.

Onnik Mehrabian

A proud resident of the city for over 35 years, Onnik Mehrabian has had the pleasure of raising his two children in Glendale, and has deep roots in the community. As a longtime business owner, and former owner and president of Glendale KIA, Mehrabian has made significant and impactful contributions to Glendale’s economic development, and intimately understands the diverse needs of the city’s constituencies. He is running for City Council because he sees public office not as a job, but as an opportunity to do something positive for the community in Glendale. He has lived and conducted business in Glendale for over 35 years, and has grown deeply familiar with the issues Glendale residents face. His top priorities will be to focus on the future of our children and our environment, support our local businesses to promote job growth, and make city hall more accessible. Mehrabian believes that Glendale’s future is rooted in the quality of its schools and the availability of open spaces. He also believes by encouraging local investment through small businesses, it will allow Glendale to thrive.

Grant Michals

Every morning, when I look out my window, I see a development that is incompatible with my neighborhood. This drives my passion to help others and develop solutions that benefit our entire City. My advocacy for neighborhood compatibility continues as president of the Glendale Homeowners Coordinating Council. I am active with other organizations to improve our great City, such as; Glendale Clean and Beautiful, the Public Safety Advisory Commission and being appointed to the Glendale Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission.

Mike Mohill 

I strongly advocate lowering water and electric rates; fixing traffic gridlock before allowing any new high-rise development; never allowing high density development in single family neighborhoods; supporting public safety by exploring retirement pension solutions that are both fair to the taxpayers and the city employees, fixing our infrastructure i.e., roads, sidewalks, GWP repairs; advocating for more open green space.

Mike Van Gorder

There are five homeowners on the city council and no renters – the working class perspective is absent from City Hall and I humbly ask your vote to address this problem. I’m a progressive activist that was raised by conservative Catholics (one a police officer), an artist, a self-employed small businessman, and a husband. Let’s talk about Rent Stabilization so working class people like me can afford to live where we’ve been living – because the housing market has blown far beyond many of us. Let’s talk about building parks and sensible development and not fast-tracking unnecessary luxury apartment buildings and hotels – because Glendale should prioritize its hardworking homeowners and renters, not visiting executives. AN AFFORDABLE GLENDALE!

Susan Wolfson 

Love for Glendale and all of its residents motivated me to run for City Council so that I can participate in ensuring that our City stays financially sustainable and is a safe and fulfilling environment for families to live and to realize their dreams. We need to protect Glendale for the next generation and the generation after that. To do that we all need to work together, showing each other respect and courtesy as we develop programs to assist our more vulnerable citizens while also maintaining our City’s financial viability. We need to work together on all of these goals, and to make success possible for our small homegrown Glendale businesses. I respectfully ask for your support in realizing these goals.