Vartan Gharpetian Elected Glendale Mayor

GLENDALE—Vartan Gharpetian will serve his third year on the Glendale City Council as the city’s mayor thanks to a unanimous vote by council members Monday, where new and returning faces were officially sworn in to their roles as civil servants, reported Glendale News Press.

Gharpetian was elected to the Glendale City Council in April of 2015 and has been involved with the City of Glendale directly as the past Commissioner on the Design Review Board, Commissioner on the Parks, Recreation, & Community Services Commission, Commissioner on the Historic Preservation Commission, and Chair of the Glendale Housing Authority. Other positions held include Civic Advisory Boardmember of the Glendale Adventist Medical Foundation, Boardmember of the Glendale Police Foundation, Member of the Glendale Historical Society, Member of the Glendale Chamber of Commerce, Board Vice President of the D&M Educational Foundation, and Member of the Glendale Association of Realtors. Mayor Gharpetian and his wife Dr. Armina Gharpetian have been married for 21 years. They have 3 children, all of whom attend Glendale public schools.

City Council incumbents Ara Najarian and Zareh Sinanyan took their oath of office for another four years of service alongside first-time Councilman Vrej Agajanian. Unopposed candidates Ardy Kassakhian and Rafi Manoukian will continue their roles as city clerk and city treasurer, respectively.

Before Gharpetian took on his new role, acting Mayor Paula Devine received recognition for her contributions to the city by state Sen. Anthony Portantino and a representative from the office of Assemblywoman Laura Friedman.

In parting comments, Devine expressed her gratitude to colleagues and supporters for the opportunity to pursue her vision of the city, which included greater public engagement by moving oral communication to an earlier portion of council meetings, park creation and renovation, and an expansion of the Glendale business and art community.