By Julie BUTCHER

On March 13, nearly 40 members of the community attended a forum for candidates running for election to the Glendale City Council. The forum was organized and sponsored by the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce and held at the Sparr Heights Community Center.

The municipal election is set for Tuesday, April 4. Ten candidates are running for three seats. The candidates include two incumbents, Ara Najarian and Zareh Sinanyan. One of the seats on the council is open due to the election of former councilmember Laura Friedman to the state assembly.

The city clerk and city treasurer spots are also up for election citywide and both officials, Ardashes “Ardy” Kassakhian and Rafi Manoukian, are running for reelection unopposed and did not attend the March 13 forum. Neither did council candidate Onnik Mehrabian, a Glendale car dealership owner who has served on the City’s parks and transportation commissions and has previously indicated his main focus would be preserving open space, transparency of government and supporting local businesses.

The April 4 election is citywide. Each voter votes for three candidates, and the top three vote-getters win; there is no run-off election.

Three of the candidates attending the Sparr Heights forum have previously run for office: Vrej Agajanian is a professional engineer, a 34-year resident of Glendale, and host of a local radio program focused on local and political issues. He aims to bring an evidence-based perspective to traffic and pedestrian safety issues, to protect neighborhoods from over-development, and to support important city resources such as parks and recreational opportunities for youth.

Rick Dinger began his service to the community in the 1990s. President of a local La Crescenta business, Dinger is active with the Salvation Army and other service organizations and hopes to promote small business in the area.

Mike Mohill is a retired businessman, Vietnam veteran, and self-identified community activist “for the past 10 years.” He’s particularly concerned about the ongoing burden of public pensions, including those of retired police officers.

Zareh Sinanyan recounted the accomplishments of his tenure on the council: increased accountability and transparency – “large contracts no longer show up on the consent calendar; I’ve voted against unjustified increases in water and utility rates. And I’ve promoted the ‘Councilmember in Your Neighborhood’ program to bring government to you.” Sinanyan boasted support from Glendale’s police, firefighters, realtors and all of the members of the council.

“I’m a committed fiduciary with the experience and willingness to make the tough calls to ensure a beautiful prosperity for our ever-burgeoning city,” he said.

Ara Najarian touted his long experience and his long-term commitment to the City’s priorities.

“It takes resources to keep us one of the safest cities and to sustain the fastest fire response times,” Najarian said. He indicated his work and support for the City’s purchase and maintenance of Rockhaven, his encouragement for opening the local Trader Joe’s, and his continued vehement opposition to the 710 tunnel, particularly in his role on the Metro board focusing on local and regional transportation issues, as key markers of his commitment to Glendale.

Candidate Mark MacCarley shared his two purposes for attending the forum.

“First I’d like to give you the opportunity to get to know me, how I think and who I am, and secondly to convince you not to secede from the City of Glendale. It is critical that we fight to maintain the character of Montrose, its history and its values,” he told the audience.

Retired U.S. Army General and local businessman, MacCarley proudly shared that he raised his family here, has worked for and in the community for many years, including with Montrose Search & Rescue and as a reserve officer with the county sheriff.

Susan Wolfson is running because she “loves the City,” and wants to protect the flavor and character of every neighborhood. Active in her own homeowners’ association, Wolfson is also a volunteer and member of the Glendale Historical Society. She claims her key assets include the “sharpened pencils of CPA acumen.”

Mike Van Gorder said he’s running because “the working class needs to be represented on the council.” Emphasizing his youthful 31 years, Van Gorder advocates for a new municipal high-speed Internet service for residents and to incentivize business growth. Also, as a renter, he’s expressed support for a possible rent stabilization ordinance.

“House prices in Glendale have gone up 84% while family income hasn’t tracked. We lost 1,200 jobs at Nestlé. It’s time for a fresh, youthful perspective.”

Grant Michals first got involved in the community after a bad development went up in his neighborhood.

“It’s what drives my passion,” said Michals. “Every morning I see a project that doesn’t fit in my neighborhood.”

Long active in the Montrose/Verdugo City/Sparr Heights Neighborhood Association, Michals is also the president of the Glendale Homeowners Coordinating Council, a Glendale Parks, Recreation & Community Services commissioner, a member of the city’s Public Safety Advisory Commission and on the Planning Process Streamlining Task Force, is chair of Glendale Clean & Beautiful, and a steering committee member of the Crescenta Valley Community Association. He indicated he is endorsed by the California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV) as well.

Responding to specific concerns from the local business community, Dinger advocated for a retail incubator to help “small and micro-businesses.”

MacCarley added: “This area is defined by small businesses. After my service, I came right back here to a small business. One of the reasons I’m running is to help streamline the opportunities for new businesses here. New folks deserve the same opportunities this town afforded me and my family. Business is good. Business is good for Glendale. Somehow we’ve got to get across that Glendale is ‘open for business.’”

Najarian also spoke in support of bringing in business, sharing his experience working with Trader Joe’s to move to Montrose five years ago.

“The City has done well with large projects when we offer concierge service – one person helps guide the project through the entire process. Perhaps we need to consider this approach to all good development opportunities.”

Wolfson added that she works for a smaller nearby city and that she not only understands how cities work, but she’s seen the level of responsiveness members of the community should expect.

“At the counter where I work, when the resident says ‘Jump,’ we ask ‘How high?’ Now I know we may not be able to achieve that level of responsiveness in Glendale but we can surely do better. Perhaps we should consider a mini-SBA-style entity to specifically help small businesses as the best source of new wealth.”

Michals spoke about ADA challenges facing older buildings.

“Part of the charm of our community is its character and, while we clearly have problems helping businesses get started, I’m inspired by the Montrose Vision 2020 Plan and an accessible, open process that leads to a blueprint for flourishing growth.”

Mohill countered: “Glendale is not business-friendly! They keep raising taxes and fees and the City’s budget is upside down. I salute the merchants for doing a good job in spite of the City. I hear they provide little support for the businesses and don’t even pick up the trash regularly.”

Sinanyan noted that “Montrose is a very special place and it faces unique problems. We can certainly do a better job of streamlining the administrative process to provide concierge service for all types of businesses. Small business is the heart and soul of our city. We’d be soulless without them.”

Regarding the current legal challenge to the City’s transfer of funds from the public utility, Councilmember Najarian shared his perspective.

“People voted twice to approve the transfer. That $20 million pays for police and fire or for all the parks and libraries. I disagree with the judge and believe that in time the City and its actions will be vindicated. Voters in this community do not want to cut police and fire services. That’s why we voted 71% for the utility users tax.”

Wolfson noted that it’s a sad day when members of the community feel they need to resort to suing their city and urged a conscientious review of the City’s next legal steps.

Michals strongly expressed his support for a transparent process to set rates based on the cost of service while ensuring that money be put away for maintenance and infrastructure expenses.

“It’s a good thing that we have our own utility,” Michals opined. “If we were to sell to Edison, we’d lose all control.”

Mohill predicted the City would sell the public utility to Southern California Edison to balance its books.

“The Charter says up to 25% from the surplus,” he said. “The City violates its own charter to pay for its expensive union workforce and their exorbitant pensions.”

Van Gorder acknowledged that the voters supported the transfer twice, then he called attention to the innovative activities of the City of Chattanooga, Tennessee where the municipality established its own high-speed Internet service. The city’s unemployment rate dropped in half; it made money and grew its business community to everyone’s benefit.

“Since GW&P owns the trenches and cable, we could take advantage of this cutting-edge opportunity and repay the people of Glendale in a meaningful way rather than a couple of bucks each,” Van Gorder said.

Agajanian reported that Glendale Water & Power needs $300 million for the station and another $350 million in upgrades.

“That’s why the Coalition for Better Government came forward. No one wants to raise taxes or cut services. We need to increase revenue and cut expenses – there’s still fat in some departments but not parks or fire,” he said. “We need new high-tech businesses.”

Sinanyan indicated that he had voted against the utility rate increase, which led to the lawsuit as a violation of Prop 26. That said, he urged a sober, perhaps third party, review of the City’s options as a failed appeal could cost the City $30-35 million.

“We should be honest and put the actual cost on the ballot for folks to vote,” he said. “Let’s just do it right and make sure we keep current – maybe increased – levels of service.”

Two candidates, Wolfson and Mohill, specifically advocated “down-zoning” for the Montrose area to protect residential neighborhoods from encroachment. All of the candidates expressed opposition to over-development in all areas of Glendale, supported efforts to address traffic, including increased traffic enforcement, to reduce traffic and pedestrian deaths “to zero.”

Finally, on the question of defining the City as a “Sanctuary City,” Mohill expressed a strident anti-immigrant position. Van Gorder shared that his family crossed the border in 1914 seeking a better life. He further urged the distinction between immigrants and “refugees, who are considerably less likely to break the law.”

Agajanian said that he does not want to break up families and, while dealing with criminals is different, “I don’t want our local police officers doing the work of the federal government.”

Najarian agreed, adding that the police should respect a warrant but not a simple phone call.

“That’s not what this city is about,” he said.

Wolfson expressed thankfulness that “at this time” there’s no need to “endanger federal funds.” She added: “However, there remains the possibility that we will face times that call for courageous action.”

The Glendale municipal election is on Tuesday, April 4. Absentee ballots are in the mail. The city clerk’s website www.GlendaleVotes.org has comprehensive voting information including polling places and tools to find a district in new district-based elections for the Glendale Unified School District and the Glendale Community College District.

  Julie BUTCHER