By Jason KUROSU

Five candidates will appear on the ballot this June in Glendale’s Special Election, which will determine who will fill the vacancy on the Glendale City Council left by former councilmember Rafi Manoukian. Manoukian left the council to become city treasurer in April 2013, leaving a vacancy that has been filled in the interim by former councilmember and mayor Frank Quintero.

Now the public will be called upon to select someone to fill that seat for the next eight months, until the April 2015 regular municipal election. The five candidates who qualified for placement on the June ballot are Rick Barnes, Paula Devine, Vartan Gharpetian, Chahe Keuroghelian and Mike Mohill.

The special election will be conducted in consolidation with the county of Los Angeles’ election in June. The winner of the seat will only hold it until the April 2015 election, when they must be voted in again.

Though city rules necessitate a special election in the case of a vacancy, the June ballot will also feature a ballot measure that would eliminate such special elections. Instead, the interim council members appointed by the city council would retain their seat until the next municipal election. The city hopes that passage of the measure will help Glendale avoid expensive special elections in the future, when dealing with vacancies on the council. The June special election is estimated to cost the city about $230,000.

The special election will take place on June 3.

Visit glendalevotes.org for more information.

  Jason Kurosu