Armenians Will Hold a Majority on Glendale Council
By Nicholas Shields, Times Staff Writer
It is a first for an ethnic group that makes up more than a third of the
city’s population. Ardashes Kassakhian elected city clerk.
Los Angeles Times
April 7, 2005
For the first time in its history, the Glendale City Council will
have an Armenian American majority following this week’s municipal
elections.
In unofficial returns, Ara Najarian topped a field of 19 candidates
in Tuesday’s election with more than 10% of the vote.
He was followed by Mayor Bob Yousefian with 9%, Frank Quintero with
8.8% and Dave Weaver with 8.2%.
The three top vote-getters will serve four-year terms and Weaver will
complete a two-year term left when Councilman Gus Gomez stepped down
late last year.
Armenian Americans Najarian and Yousefian and Councilman Rafi Manoukian
will hold three of the five City Council seats.
More than one-third of Los Angeles County’s nearly 153,000 Armenians
Americans live in Glendale, which has the second-largest population
of people of Armenian descent of any city in the country, behind
Los Angeles, according to census officials. There are about 205,000
residents in the city.
“There are a lot of Armenians in Glendale, and we just happen to be
fortunate enough to be elected,” said Najarian, whose goals include
tackling traffic problems.
“I know these gentlemen, and we’ll be dedicated and committed to
serving all of Glendale,” he added.
In Glendale’s first contested city clerk election in 75 years,
Ardashes Kassakhian will replace City Clerk Doris Twedt, who retired
after serving five years.
Treasurer Ronald K. Borucki was reelected with 64% of the vote.
Assistant City Clerk Rita Buchanan said a number of absentee ballots
remain to be counted. The results are not expected to change the
outcome of the election.
Meanwhile, voters in Inglewood on Tuesday reelected incumbent council
members Curren Price Jr. with a 61% majority and Judy Dunlap with 55%
of the votes.
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