As Los Angeles County has continued tallying votes in the primary election over the last week, updated counts show a new hierarchy in races for seats on Glendale’s City Council and Glendale Unified School District Board of Education.
While City Council incumbent Ardy Kassakhian has held on to his spot as the top vote earner with 22.9% of the vote — according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk as of Thursday — Vartan Gharpetian moved up the ranks, taking the second-place position from Vrej Agajanian. Gharpetian stood at 16.6% and Agajanian at 15.8%. Both are former Glendale mayors.
Gharpetian thanked all Glendale voters for casting ballots in this election and to those who entrusted him with their vote.
“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to once again run a grassroots and clean campaign,” he told the News-Press. “Although the election results haven’t been certified yet, I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work to address the many issues our residents and our city are currently facing.”
The other four Council candidates have maintained the rankings from last week’s News-Press coverage, with Karen Kwak in fourth place, Denise Miller in fifth, James Clarke in sixth and Andre Haghverdian trailing.
If the vote percentages follow the current trend, Kassakhian and Gharpetian will sit among current Councilmembers Elen Asatryan and Ara Najarian, with Mayor Dan Brotman on the dais.
GUSD SCHOOL BOARD
In the race to represent Glendale Unified School District’s Board of Education in Area E, Neda Farid made a comeback in the last week with 51.8% of votes as of Thursday, taking a decisive lead over Aneta Krpekyan, who has 48.3% currently.
“I am humbled by the incredible outpouring of support and well wishes from members of the community and beyond,” Farid told the News-Press. “Most of all, I am grateful to the voters in Trustee Area E for coming out in support of the students, educators and staff who make up the GUSD school community we cherish and hold so dear.”
Early in the vote count and up until March 8, Krpekyan had led the race with 53.8% of votes. Her lead began to dwindle in the days to follow until ultimately Farid surpassed her on Tuesday. Krepkyan did not respond to a News-Press request for comment.
Farid, meanwhile, expressed her desire to be a resource for anyone and everyone interested in the betterment of GUSD students and schools, adding that she is committed to bringing all stakeholders in the community together to ensure all voices are “heard, honored and respected.”
“I am incredibly grateful to be able to continue to serve the GUSD community in this new role and thank the many volunteers, donors and supporters who contributed in countless ways because they shared my vision for a rich, inclusive, diverse tapestry where we can all thrive and grow together,” she said.
In the race for Area A, rankings stayed consistent through this week, though Telly Tse’s lead increased to 58.8%, followed by Jordan Henry, who dropped to 34.9%, and Shant Kevorkian, who dropped to 8.3%.
The district will host a farewell reception on April 4 for the two Board members whose seats were up — Jennifer Freemon and Nayiri Nahabedian — to thank them for their “outstanding service.” The event will take place at the GUSD Board room from 5-6:30 p.m.
First published in the March 16 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
