By Julie BUTCHER

In a surprise move, Glendale City Councilmember Ardy Kassakhian issued a public statement indicating that while he is next in line to be selected mayor according to the operative city ordinance he would not be seeking the office. 

“I am making this announcement publicly so as to eliminate the perceptions of backroom dealmaking and to put an end to the ever-present and toxic online world of false information and rumors that have done so much to harm our democratic institutions and faith in our ability to govern ourselves as neighbors. I encourage all residents to engage in civic life, whether through public service, community involvement or simply by treating one another with respect and kindness. Our city’s strength lies in our collective commitment to working together for the common good,” Kassakhian wrote.

The Glendale City Council took up the issue at its meeting on Tuesday night in anticipation of the annual mayoral selection set for Tuesday, April 15.

The Glendale city charter requires that the Council select one of its members to serve as mayor. In Glendale, the mayor chairs the Council meetings, helps set the agenda for those meetings and serves as the representative of the city – officially and informally. A new mayor is selected each year at the Council’s “first regular meeting after the first Monday in April.”

By ordinance, the Councilmember with the “longest continuous uninterrupted service on the Council since last serving as mayor shall be selected mayor.”  Councilmembers whose term will expire in the same year that the mayor’s term will also expire “shall not be selected mayor” to preclude the actual or perceived benefit to Council candidates running for re-election.

Last year the Council exercised the “best interest” section of the mayoral selection ordinance and voted to skip Councilmember Ara Najarian’s selection as mayor in favor of the current mayor Elen Asatryan. 

The Council has requested changes to the ordinance for future selections including revising the seniority rule to give priority to Councilmembers who have not served as mayor; potential modifications to the prohibition against serving as mayor while running for re-election; and revisions to the controversial “best interests of the city” provision. The Council also wants to consider changing the date of the mayoral selection in light of recent changes to the municipal election calendar.

Councilmember Vartan Gharpetian recalled the past process of selecting a new mayor. 

“It was always known who the mayor was going to be,” he said. “The families came and brought flowers and the mayor-to-be had a statement to make and it was a happy night. The ordinance was put in place for a reason – to have clarity, transparency, and a clean process as to who the next mayor’s going to be, to stop backroom dealing – these were the exact words used at the time – to stop horse-trading, to take politics and corruption out of the process.”

According to the ordinance, Councilmember Gharpetian is next in line to be mayor.

“I’m next in line to be the mayor and I expect my colleagues to follow the ordinance the same way they did in 2021 for Paula Devine, in 2022 for Ardy Kassakhian and in 2023 for Dan Brotman because they were next in line. We saw what happened last year when they used the ‘best interest’ clause – I don’t want that to happen again this year. To me, it was the lowest point the city has ever had,” Gharpetian concluded.

The Council then acted to update the safety element of the city’s general plan. In California, all cities and counties must have a general plan, an overarching plan that serves as a blueprint for future growth and development. By law, the general plan must include seven mandatory elements: land use, circulation, housing, conservation, open space, noise and safety. Glendale’s general plan has 10 elements.

First adopted in 1998 and updated comprehensively in 2003, the safety element covers seismic and geologic hazards; flooding and fire hazards; disaster preparedness, recovery and emergency responses; dangerous animals and plants; and terrorism, civil disturbance and crime.

The update adopted by the Council is required by state legislation requiring cities to address wildfire risks, climate change impacts and community resiliency and aims to improve emergency responses and enhance evacuation plans. The fire hazard section of the plan has been updated to expand the areas of the city deemed very high in fire danger given the frequency, intensity and severity of wildfires in California. The draft plan was approved by CAL FIRE in January and by the city’s planning commission in early March.

Councilmember Kassakhian commented on the expanded fire zones and “how much of Glendale is in that chaparral-type setting, with homes right up against it.”

“We were very fortunate God smiled upon Glendale this last time when unfortunately it was our neighbors in Altadena, but I’ve seen those hills burn twice in my lifetime and we need to be prepared,” he said.

The safety element can be reviewed at https://www.glendaleplan.com/safety-element and the city’s entire general plan can be reviewed at https://www.glendaleplan.com/.

Earlier in Tuesday’s Council meeting Councilmember Kassakhian noted concerns raised by the businesses of the Montrose Shopping Park that liners in trash receptacles are not being used and urged the city to fix the problem this creates.

Councilmember Ara Najarian noted that he serves on the board of the public transit agency Metro, representing 13 cities, and indicated that he plans to solicit input as he does from the other cities he represents from the Glendale City Council as to specific projects and its priorities.

The Council issued several proclamations including designating the week of April 7-13 as Food Waste Prevention Week; April 6-12 honoring local libraries as part of National Library Week; and April as Armenian Heritage Month: “[W]hereas the City of Glendale is proud to be home to the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia – a community whose history, resilience and culture are deeply woven into the fabric of our city, and whose presence has profoundly shaped Glendale’s identity and growth.”

Councilmember Kassakhian shared information about an event the city is having “honoring and remembering the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide” on Monday, April 21 at 6 p.m. at the Alex Theater. 

“We have survived as a nation that will not be erased,” he noted.

Finally, the Council adjourned in the memory of one of four service members who died in a recent training accident in Lithuania – the 25-year-old son of Glendale Sgt. Edvin F. Franco.

The Council will meet again on Tuesday, April 15. A new mayor will be selected at that meeting.