First published in the Dec. 3 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
The Glendale City Council recently appointed John Takhtalian as the assistant city manager.
Takhtalian has been with the city of Glendale since 2002, where he started as an administrative assistant in the city manager’s office.
For the last 10 years, Takhtalian has served as the deputy city manager, where he has managed various special projects, served as a key leader in developing and implementing strategies to keep the city operating during the COVID-19 pandemic, led the Blue Ribbon Pension Review Committee and negotiated several labor agreements with employee unions. Takhtalian has also assisted in carrying out the directives of the Glendale City Council, provided high-level staff support to elected officials and served as a liaison with various intergovernmental agencies.
“John is an integral part of the Glendale team and has always been ready to take on additional responsibilities to support our organization and our community,” City Manager Roubik Golanian said. “I look forward to continuing to work with him as he assumes the role of assistant city manager.”
Takhtalian has helped the organization through multiple transitional periods by serving several interim and acting roles, including interim chief information officer, acting general manager of Glendale Water & Power, interim integrated waste administrator and interim director of the Community Development Department.
“John has come up through this organization and knows it inside and out,” said Mayor Ardy Kassakhian. “He has a deep commitment to the city — its residents and the people who run it and make it the great city that it is. I have no doubt that he will succeed in his new role.”
Takhtalian firmly believes that the lasting relationships developed with residents and colleagues alike have played a fundamental role in his ability to effectively serve the community. This exposure has given him an enormous level of respect for every community member’s contribution to the overall success of the city of Glendale.
“Working for the city as an hourly employee was truly the first time I personally felt I was making a difference,” Takhtalian said during a recent council meeting. “And that’s the primary force that’s allowed me to sustain the challenges that come with being a leader in an organization the scale, size, scope and magnitude that is the city of Glendale.”
At the same council meeting, Kassakhian praised Takhtalian’s service to the city.
“Everything we’ve needed to fill in a gap in the organization, he’s the person that we’ve called upon,” Kassakhian said. “He’s been the No. 2 person in this organization. Now he has the approval and official title to go with all the hard work he’s put in.”
Takhtalian holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in public administration from California State University, Northridge.
