GLENDALE—The Armenian National Committee of America, Glendale (ANCA-Glendale) and Crescenta Valley (ANCA-CV) chapters have issued their endorsements for the two seats up for election on the Glendale Unified School District Board of Education. The ANCA-Glendale and ANCA-CV announced endorsement for incumbent Nayiri Nahabedian for one of the two School Board seats up for election on April 7.
The ANCA-Glendale and ANCA-CV granted a dual endorsement to two candidates seeking election for the vacant seat on the School Board. The ANCA-Glendale urged voters to vote for either Jennifer Freemon or Vahik Satoorian.
The ANCA-Glendale and ANCA-CV urge a “yes” vote on Measure D to amend the City Charter and allow by-district elections for city council. The amendment will require the voter approval of the district plan prepared by the City Council. At the present time, the Charter requires that Council members be elected at-large by all voters.
The ANCA-Glendale and ANCA-CV also announced their support for Measure O. The measure will increase the Transient Occupant Tax by 2% in order to further stimulate the local economy.
The organizations will announce their positions on measures C and E next week.
“We are pleased to complete our endorsement of candidates for the April 7 municipal elections,” stated the ANCA-Glendale Community Outreach Coordinator Tigranna Zakaryan. “In the coming weeks, the ANCA-Glendale will be working actively to engage voters and educate Glendale’s citizens on upcoming ballot measures.”
Nayiri Nahabedian has served the GUSD School Board since 2007 and has played a key role in maintaining small class sizes, supporting language immersion programs for elementary, middle, and high school aged students, in addition to advocating for anti-bullying policies district-wide. In the past Nahabedian has served as the vice-chair for the Commission on the Status of Women for the City of Glendale; the chair for the forum on Armenian Cultural and Social Sciences; and has founded community initiatives such as the Generation Next Mentorship program.
Jennifer Freemon has an extensive resume in supporting public education which ranges from teaching history and AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) at Eleanor J. Toll Middle School, to serving as a mentor for new GUSD teachers. Freemon has played several active roles on the Franklin Elementary PTA as fundraising chair, treasurer, and president. She is also a former board member of the Occidental College Board of Governors and the past president of the National Charity League Juniors of Glendale.
Vahik Satoorian plays an active role in the Armenian-American community as president of the Davidian Mariamian Education Foundation and has served on various boards and subcommittees including the ANCA- Glendale and St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church board of directors. He has also served on the GUSD Superintendent’s Advisory Committee in addition to the participating in the Glendale Educational Foundation. Satoorian seeks to contribute his twenty-five years of work experience as a Certified Public Accountant in a manner that will assist the school-district in managing its annual budget.
This announcement follows the organization’s City Council endorsements of Councilwoman Paula Devine and candidate Vartan Gharpetian. The ANCA- Glendale also issued endorsements for incumbents Dr. Vahe Peroomian and Tony Tartaglia running for reelection for the Glendale Community College Board of Trustees.
For more information or if you are interested in getting involved, please contact ANCA-Glendale Community Outreach Coordinator Tigranna Zakaryan directly at Tigranna@ANCAGlendale.org or call 818.243-3444
The ANCA-Glendale advocates for the social, economic, cultural, and political rights of the city’s Armenian American community and promotes increased civic participation at the grassroots and public policy levels.
For over 100 years, like half of all American cities, Glendale has elected our Council ‘At Large’. It’s easy, allows anyone the opportunity to run and makes elected officials responsible to all voters. Politicians respond to all issues citywide, not just those in their neighborhood.
We have no problem currently, why change? Litigious lawyers threatened suit under laws relating to minority representation so Council is spending $200,000 to place this misguided proposal before us.
The reality is there are no disenfranchised minority groups in Glendale. Rather the data shows Glendale is diverse and well represented by the citizens who choose to run for elected office.
Districts are a bad idea for Glendale.
• Politicians focused only on their district will lack an overall view of the entire community.
• District Council members are not accountable to the entire electorate, only to the select voters in their small area.
• At Large Council members more closely monitor financial details and, according to The League of Cities data, spend fewer tax dollars than in cities with district representatives. Districts will require additional staff expenses and likely lead to tax increases.
• Quality candidates are discouraged from running if a well-entrenched politician is seated in their district. The Community suffers as a result.
• Districts with little voter participation (some areas of the City have less than 5% of registered voters actually voting) will enable small groups to have oversized voices on the Council.
• If your District Council member is unresponsive to your plight, you have no other place to turn; currently there are five Council members to address.
• Districts lead to gerrymandering with Councils drawing district boundaries that benefit their re-election, not the interests of the entire City.
Glendale needs to focus on pulling our community together, not apart as this measure will certainly do.
Please join your neighbors and vote NO on Measure D.