Meet Greg Krikorian

By Ashley FILIPEK

“Sensible policies. Sustainable solutions.” This is Republican Greg Krikorian’s focus as he kicks off his campaign to be elected to the California State Assembly for the 43rd District. In November, Krikorian will be facing incumbent democrat Mike Gatto.

The 43rd District includes Glendale, Burbank, Crescenta Valley, Hollywood, San Gabriel Valley, Pasadena and San Fernando Valley.

Krikorian grew up in Hartford, Conn. before moving out to California and starting a magazine business with his father. In May 1990, the first issue of “Business Life” magazine was published.

Around the same time, Krikorian married his wife Christine and they began to look around the area for a “good place to raise kids,” settling on the Glendale and La Crescenta area. They have five kids, all of whom have come up through the local schools and youth programs allowing Krikorian to always be involved in the community.

In 2001, he ran for the Glendale Unified School District Board of Education and won. He is now completing his third term, and has served as president three times.

Over his time with the school board, many infrastructures have been developed to create revenue for the school district including the Glendale Education Foundation, which generates revenue for schools and offsets budget gaps. He also had a hand in dedicating the new football field at Crescenta Valley High School.

Although he lives in Glendale and has worked for the Glendale Unified School District for years, he said he values the importance of the Crescenta Valley. While some may regard GUSD as only serving the southern part of Glendale, Krikorian disagrees.

“It is so important to spend equal time and attention on the La Crescenta area,” he said.

During his tenure with the school board, Krikorian was elected to the California School Board Association, which covers 23 cities. He served as a delegate for Southern California and would travel to Sacramento to advocate for proper funding and to stop unfunded mandates.

Because Krikorian is from the area, he said he understands what happens when programs have to be cut or parents are asked to pay more to fund athletic or arts programs. He said that, with the right attention, he can help this area thrive.

He added that his involvement within the school district and as a business owner is in line with many who live in the Crescenta Valley.

“Owning a small business and being involved in the education system are two of the strongest traits that qualify me for this job and to be a servant for these people,” said Krikorian, adding that a lot of times, politicians get elected and focus more on serving themselves or special interest groups.

But that is not what he is about.

“I’m dedicating my time for our community, not for myself,” he said. “The issue at hand right now is that our country, our state, is in a crisis. It comes to a point where we need someone to look at both sides and have sensible policies and sustainable solutions.”

It is this belief that drives his three main goals, which are to revitalize business, work towards a responsible government, and reinvest in education.

He wants to revitalize business by reducing regulations put on businesses that cause them to close or hire less people.

“We don’t need to create more government jobs; we need to create more real jobs for people by allowing small business to grow,” he said.

Krikorian believes that responsible government can be achieved by focusing more on the bipartisan issues, stopping the stranglehold of special interests, and ending unfunded mandates.

Reinvesting in education can be done, he said, by protecting classroom funding and creating partnerships with the business industry allowing funding for education. He also said that preparing students for the future by providing real work experience for youth is essential.

Last week marked Krikorian’s campaign kick-off which “went really well,” said the candidate. “There were over 300 people in attendance, and it was a good fundraising opportunity. We’re excited to be hitting the streets, making phones calls; anything to get our message out there, because now it’s game time.”

Krikorian was joined by honorary host former governor George Deukmejian, along with elected officials such as California State Assembly member Connie Conway and California Senator Bill Emmerson.

Those who endorse Krikorian represent a broad spectrum of the local and surrounding communities and his campaign is focused on the people in these communities and what will really benefit the people as a whole.

“I know so many people from these communities. I’m part of this community,” he said. “I’m running for us.”

  Ashley FILIPEK