MONTEBELLO, Calif.—The Montebello City Council on a 4-1 vote on December 14 appointed Planning Commissioner Ashod Mooradian as city treasurer.
Mooradian, who ran for the office a year ago, was appointed by the city council to replace the precious treasurer who resigned in November.
A life-long Montebello resident, dedicated civic servant and active member of the Armenian-American community, Mooradian stated, “I am honored to be appointed as Montebello City Treasurer by the City Council tonight. I am also very grateful for the support I have received from my family, friends and community from the beginning of my campaign until today. I believe Montebello has a very bright future and a great potential for success and growth. That is why I am committing myself to work hard every day I am in office to advocate for sound financials policy and the progressive community development. But most of all, I want to be a clear and consistent voice for hope, unity and mutual respect in my Montebello.”
Council-member Jack Hadjinian remarked “We have a candidate who has incredible civic experience, who’s served on the Planning commission for five years and prior to that he was a member of the Traffic and Safety Commission.”
Mooradian is not a newcomer to community involvement. Mooradian has been a commissioner for over the past 6 years. He was first appointed to the Montebello Traffic and Safety Commission by then-Councilmember Alberto Perez. Then, 5 years ago, he was appointed to the Montebello Planning Commission by Mayor Jack Hadjinian. Now, and for the past two years, Mooradian has been the chairman of the Montebello Planning Commission and was responsible to conduct some of the most important hearings in the history of Montebello, including most recently the well-attended public hearings on the Montebello Hills Specific Plan. Mooradian has also supported, volunteered, joined or been actively involved in many civic and charitable organizations such as Kiwanis, the Armenian Relief Society, the Montebello Police Officers Association, the Montebello Firefighters Association, the Friends of the Montebello Unified School District Foundation, the Beverly Hospital Foundation, the Montebello Armenian Cultural Foundation, the American Heart Association, the Red Cross, the Montebello Chamber of Commerce, SEIU, the Montebello Citizen’s Patrol and the Montebello chapter of the Armenian National Committee of America. He is currently also a current member of the Board of Trustees of the Montebello Holy Cross Cathedral.
When asked about his community involvement, Mooradian said, “Montebello is where I learned about the meaning and value of community. Community is more than the people, places and things that surround where we live. Community is also the place where we belong. I have learned that although we may be different in many ways we can only be as one when we are a community. The bright future that waits for us all will only be ours if we are a true community. We can’t afford to leave any one of us behind because only together can we move forward. Every one of us is important and none of us are expendable.”
Mooradian hopes to take his years of experience in civic service, combined with a genuine passion for the well-being of the Montebello community and channel it towards a successful term.
