Glendale City Council Special Election in June

City of Glendale voters once again have a chance to vote into office a new city council member. On June 3, the City of Glendale will have a special election to replace outgoing Councilman Frank Quintero. The Glendale City Council voted unanimously to consolidate this election with a statewide primary election. As of today, six candidates have filed papers with the city clerk and have begun informing the community of their intentions.

Chahe Keuroghelian, Vartan Gharpetian, Paula Devine, Rick Barnes, Mike Mohill and newcomer Luis Alberto Ramos are in the running. Please make sure you are informed on each one of the candidates and know what they stand for. To be official, each candidate must get a petition with 100 names from City of Glendale residents turned in to the city clerk by March 7. Please follow the updates on www.glendalevotes.com to see their candidate statement and profiles.

Chahe ran in 2012 and came in fourth place by the slimmest of margins. He has experience working on political campaigns and with various multi-cultural organizations. Vartan is on the City of Glendale Design Review Board, Historic Preservation Commission and is the CEO of a real estate brokerage firm in Glendale. Paula is a former teacher and coach at San Gabriel High School who serves on, among others, the boards of Glendale Adventist Medical Center, Glendale Healthy Kids and the Glendale Police Foundation and is also a member of the Glendale Commission on the Status of Women. Rick Barnes is a broker/owner of Real Estate 1 in Glendale and has served the community for over 35 years. Mike Mohill is a community activist and ran for city council in two previous elections and has lived in the community for 58 years. Luis Alberto Ramos is new to the election process.

The person who replaces Quintero in the June election will only be in office for 12 months. Whoever wins the June election and wants to hold a seat for a full four-year term will have to run again in the April 2015 municipal election. According to city rules, the seat Quintero filled can only be held through June. The city council is looking to change the rules for filling vacant seats, which would help cut expenses as the special election is estimated to cost from $230,000 to $250,000 according to the City of Glendale.

If you are interested in running for city council, please come to the city clerk’s office located in City Hall at 613 E. Broadway, Room 110 in Glendale and ask for the candidate’s informational packet and nomination papers. The city clerk’s office hours are Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. You may call (818) 548-2090 to make an appointment ahead of time with one of their office staff members. www.glendalevotes.org

Crescenta Valley Day At The Races is Sunday, March 16, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Santa Anita Park, 285 W. Huntington Dr. Arcadia.

Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day is Saturday, March 29 at the Vietnam War Memorial in Montrose.

Glendale City Council Candidates Forum is Monday, May 5 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Sparr Heights Community Center, 1613 Glencoe Way, Glendale 91208.

  melinda clarke