correction in bold

By Mikaela STONE

On Thursday, Feb. 1, the Northwest Glendale Homeowners Association hosted a City Council Candidates’ Forum at the Brand Library with the goal of being a neutral voice to keep voters informed on candidates’ stances. The forum posed questions taken from the public. Candidates who attended included former mayor Vrej Agajanian, professional engineer and television station CEO whose priorities include reducing city debt and streamlining the permit process; concerned citizen James Clarke, former Londoner and seven-year resident who is taking a stance against unsustainable spending and ongoing mismanagement; former mayor and real estate CEO Vartan Gharpetian, whose goal is to reduce crime rates, combat anti-police sentiment and secure school yards as parks after hours; licensed engineer and certified construction manager Andre Haghverdian, a 23-year resident who seeks to be the “reasonable voice” by applying what he does for a living, including his current work as project manager at Pierce College, to decrease utility costs, noting that his accolades include his history as project manager to the Brand Library; educator Karen Kwak, who desires to be a voice for historically underrepresented groups such as people of color, renters and South Glendale residents in her quest to make city government “fair and customer friendly;” four-time California Board of Occupational Therapy president Denise Miller, whose political passion is filling Downtown business vacancies, keeping the economy moving, lowering crime and uplifting the arts; and incumbent Ardy Kassakhian, whose laryngitis prevented him from speaking at the panel, but still attended and answered questions via email to the Crescenta Valley Weekly.

When asked whether their jobs presented a conflict of interest, most candidates stated that they had none with Denise Miller pledging to give up teaching as an adjunct professor at Stanbridge University if elected. Andre Haghverdian also stated that his job benefited the Council because he worked with LA Unified and similar public agencies to problem solve. While two other candidates questioned Kassakhian’s role of government relations in his consulting firm, Kassakhian noted that he works with a city attorney to ensure no issues arise and he remains transparent in filing information regarding his clients.

When all candidates were asked about the Glendale budget and declining city service levels, Haghverdian attributed the issues to executives rather than the workers, saying that as someone who had worked one-on-one with Glendale tradespeople, the city’s workers were the “best on the west coast.”

The forum then asked Agajanian and Gharpetian their opinions on a potential business registration fee, which both opposed stating it would drive businesses away. Both Haghverdian and Clarke see budget issues as a failing of leadership. Kwak agreed, stating that the Council needed someone who knew how to prioritize costs and make a small budget stretch. When asked about her beliefs regarding the possibility of defunding the police, Kwak responded by saying, “Let us beat swords into plowshares,” a passage from the book of Isaiah that encouraged people to invest in peace. She agreed with Glendale Police Chief Officer Cid, who said “it is not the police’s job to solve the root causes of crime.” Kwak ultimately suggested easing police burdens by channeling funds into preventing those causes at their source.

A question originally posed only to Kassakhian was opened to all candidates. The question was in regard to solving the ever-increasing salary and pension overhead Glendale now struggles to pay. Miller believes the solution lies in speaking to previous Council members and finding a “more reasonable and balanced approach.” Similarly, Clarke met with the manager of Arcadia who recently faced similar problems and was able to negotiate for cost sharing among employees and developed a comprehensive pension management plan. Clarke intends to evaluate current spending, a stance shared by Kwak and Haghverdian. Haghverdian noted that the issue is a California one rather than simply Glendale’s and emphasized the importance of working within California’s parameters to avoid a class action lawsuit. Glendale has already begun to take steps to address this issue by funding a “blue ribbon panel” to discuss the best options, which Gharpetian referenced, noting that younger employees entering the workforce were cheaper than retirees currently being financed because the younger workers required less insurance; therefore the problem would ease over time. Over email, Kassakhian similarly referenced the blue ribbon panel, favoring the experts’ suggestion to “demand our elected officials in Sacramento to allow local cities like [Glendale] to adopt [its] own retirement systems” and invest funds into the trust fund set up by the Council for this specific purpose. Agajanian, however, responded the problem was not possible to solve and questioned the legitimacy of the blue ribbon panel, claiming that those who would benefit from the pension asked of Glendale were included among the experts.

Regarding the efficacy of city staff, Haghverdian noted that more effort by current staff needed to be devoted to understanding loopholes and small print alongside the Council, holding executives accountable across the board. Clarke and Gharpetian agreed that the Council needed to ensure staff performed the jobs they were given. Agajanian seeks for a decrease in working from home as he believes that no work is accomplished this way. He also maintained that clerical staff should be hired to police departments so that the police can maximize time on the field. Kassakhian’s goal is to get the priorities of the Council itself aligned so that a tone is set for staff to follow.

When asked about the rising cost of utilities and the current state of power regarding sustainability, both Miller and Clarke noted the importance of deferring to the experts with Clarke noting that the first priority was Glendale making it “out of the hole” without such costs impacting citizens. While Kwak asserted that there was no trade off between sustainability and reliability, Gharpetian disagreed with those he saw as “trying to save the world from Glendale,” referencing the 37% increase in electricity cost. Andre Haghverdian, however, noted that Glendale Water and Power has 64% clean energy already, referencing his own engineering knowledge to note that this increase was instead an unnecessary result of corruption and maintaining that an investigation needed to be undertaken. Haghverdian also advocated for a Glendale reservoir to cut water costs.

In regard to other expenses, Clarke pointed out that Glendale has spent a substantial amount to ensure affordable housing, which has so far not come to fruition, a frustration also voiced by Kwak and Gharpetian. Gharpetian mentioned that starter homes in Glendale were almost nonexistent, referencing his own children’s struggles to find affordable housing in the city in which they were raised. Kwak’s housing frustration also extended to an increase in evictions, many of which cannot be challenged due to the tenant not being able to get legal assistance regardless of what a tenant might have in writing to contest the decision.

Although the forum covered a variety of topics, both Miller and Haghverdian had more to say. Haghverdian hoped to soon discuss his plans for protecting small businesses and getting youth involved in a public setting. When asked a controversial question, Miller jokingly expressed that she would rather be asked about health care. She sees health care as “expensive but a universal right.” After the forum, she asserted that Glendale struggled with access to health care, access to specialists, senior support, and equitable support for those who may have other mitigating factors such as a language barriers and poorly advertised services. One example she mentioned is the Glendale Medic Membership Program that allows Glendale residents and businesses to enroll for $60 annually in return for a 50% discount in ambulance costs. However, the lack of advertising means that many do not know how to reap the benefits of programs Glendale already funds.

While the panel offered a diverse set of candidates, many addressed the same issues in their speeches. Miller, Clarke and Kwak all maintained an emphasis on ensuring that the laws set in place were followed by everyone. Every candidate agreed that Glendale’s permit system needed to change and acknowledged the importance of historic resources while pledging to protect them. Each pledged to remain on Council all four years, if elected.

When it came to the Verdugo Wash, all except Kwak opposed the project as it currently stands. Miller and Kassakhian mentioned that while they do not support the current proposal as outlined, if substantial changes were made they would rethink their positions.

Similarly, all candidates opposed additional erections of 5G towers save for Kassakhian, who stated his support only extends as far as it did not affect people’s quality of life with an emphasis on avoiding such construction near children.

In the candidates’ closing statements, Gharpetian emphasized an importance of safety first and having more police officers; Haghverdian pledged to answer to all the public, not just the loudest; Agajanian promised to work on traffic and homelessness; Clarke reaffirmed his desire to protect historic districts; Miller noted she was not an expert, but would listen to both experts and the public; Kwak asserted that she would create a city hall for everyone – and joked that if cats could vote, she would win.

Election day is March 5.