A dozen reasons to vote

It takes big money to win power in America, as evidenced by the hundreds of millions of dollars spent by Barack Obama and John McCain in their race for the presidency. While campaign sums raised and spent are considerably lower, the race for Glendale’s open city council seats involves a fair amount of dough.

A dozen candidates — including incumbents Ara Najarian, Frank Quintero and Bob Yousefian — are running for three seats in at-large elections scheduled for Tuesday. Perhaps the most intriguing monetary outlays are the contributions of city employee associations, such as the $3,000 apiece that the Glendale City Employees Association gave to Najarian and Quintero, while skipping over Yousefian completely. Meanwhile, the Glendale Firefighters for Better Government gave Najarian $5,000 and Quintero $2,500 and the Glendale Police Officers Association PAC gave $1,000 to Quintero, while also snubbing Yousefian.

But candidate forums and online campaign finance disclosures offer one reasonable means of assessing which contestants are viable and which are engaged in a very public pipe dream.

Laura Friedman
A former studio executive and producer who now owns an antiques and decorative arts business, Friedman has five years of experience on the city’s Design Review Board in addition to endorsements from the Glendale Firefighters’ Association, Glendale Police Officers’ Association, Glendale City Employees’ Union, and dozens of individuals, including current City Councilman Dave Weaver. She raised $10,099 in 2008 and an even more impressive $23,463 from donors during the most recent contribution reporting period, from Jan. 1 through Feb. 21.

“Being a city commissioner enabled me to observe the City Council very closely, and I thought I could be very effective from the other side of the dais,” she said. “I was involved in the cell-tower issue, and worked with the LA Conservancy on historic preservation issues. I believe bringing more arts and culture to the city will serve as an economic engine for us all.”

Vartan Gharpetian
The owner of a small commercial broker’s office, with a full term on Glendale’s Design Review Board under his belt, Gharpetian has raised an impressive $23,761 in 2008, plus $32,307 from Jan. 1 through Feb. 21.  
“I want to bring respect among the council members back, because our current ones don’t even talk to each other. If they can’t talk, how can they work together for the good of the people, rather than just turning on each other?”

Aram Kazazian
An architect who takes pride in having lived in and run his own firm in Glendale for the past 35 years, Kazazian believes his decades of living in the city give him a large measure of insight into the city’s problems.

Yet he’s struggled on the fundraising front, having donated $5,000 to his own campaign from July through December 2008. And of the $27,241 he raised between Jan. 1 and Feb. 21, Kazazian himself is the donor of $17,000 and the source of a $5,000 loan.

“The biggest issue is high utility costs in Glendale, and how to extend the life of our landfill, because 12 years is all we have left before it’s completely full,” said Kazazian. “I’ve been attempting to bring reclaimed water to the hillsides, saving 20 percent in fresh-water costs to the city, and make sure resource [police] officers are reinstated into problem schools.”

Chahe Keuroghelian
As the owner of an immigration consulting business, Keuroghelian is well aware of the diversity that exists in Glendale. He believes immigrants there are often limited in their societal integration due to a lack of outreach, something he hopes to rectify. He finished fifth out of eight candidates for the two open City Council seats in the 2007 election, for which he raised $45,608, but has raised just $1,900 though Feb. 21  for this year’s campaign.
“A large number of residents are not properly represented by the current City Council. Residents who have not mastered the English language, residents in multifamily buildings, youth who are not eligible to vote, and families in precarious financial situations are all worried. I’d like to establish priorities. Family and youth issues must be catalogued and addressed systematically. We must be pro-family and use the funds from HUD more effectively and augment those funds from the general fund.”

Edward Lafian
Having worked for the past 25 years in financial services and investment advising, Lafian believes he brings fiscal wisdom to the table. In his only disclosure filing, covering Jan. 1 through Feb. 22, he raised a healthy if unspectacular $12,449.

“I’m trying to stop putting up with automatic raises. There are over 170 firemen making over $100,000 and one making $200,000, and my solution is to have Glendale, like the LAPD, hire reservists and cut overtime costs. There also used to be more communication between the police and residents, and that is necessary because we need more community.”

Ara Najarian
An attorney with four years of experience on the City Council, Najarian is one of three incumbents seeking to hold their seats. He raised $44,850 in 2008, including $100 from Glendale Mayor John Drayman, $5,000 from Glendale Firefighters for Better Government, $4,500 from the Glendale Management Association and $3,000 from the Glendale City Employees Association. Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 22 this year, he raised another $14,249.

“I think the biggest issue that Glendale is facing over the next four years is managing the growth that we’ll be experiencing when the economy turns around next year, managing it so that it integrates well with our quality of life.”

Bruce Philpott
A retired policeman who rose through the ranks to become Pasadena’s police chief in the early 1990s, Philpott has drawn plenty of attention for his controversial stance that millions of dollars can be saved by reducing the size of
fire crews in Glendale from four men to three without compromising safety. In 2008, he loaned $10,000 to his campaign and gave his campaign another $5,000 between Jan. 1 through Feb. 22, although outside contributors donated an additional $6,100 during that seven-week period.

“We’re expecting retired people on fixed incomes to shoulder higher utility prices and ridiculous city staff salary increases while paying nearly $200,000 in pensions to retired civil servants who are barely 50 years old. I want to restore responsible government and fiscal responsibility to Glendale.”

Frank Quintero
The two-time councilman is seeking to retain his seat for a third four-year term, and he’s got plenty of money for
the fight — having  raised $64,048 in 2008 but just $100 between Jan. 1 through Feb. 22. He raised $5,000 from Glendale Firefighters for Better Government, $2,500 from Glendale Police Officers Association and $3,000 from Glendale City Employees Association.

“Accomplishments would include the purchase of open space and parks, and also development issues were kept under control. We have to focus on more efficient delivery of city services.”

Lenore Solis
An entrepreneur who runs a language interpretation agency in Atwater Village, Solis
is focused primarily on fiscal issues. In the Jan. 18 through Feb. 26 period, she raised just $500, $300 in a loan from herself, but had $3,356 worth of services donated to her campaign.

“We have 595 employees, earning an average of over $137,000, and that’s not including benefits. The Public Employee Retirement System is underfunded by 65 percent. Even if everyone steps in to save this, we’re still sunk. Our current council hasn’t seen a pay increase they don’t like, for themselves and other city employees. We have to change that.”

Aramazd Stepanian
As the director of Glendale’s Luna Playhouse and the manager of an apartment building for people with disabilities, Stepanian has developed a life philosophy that centers on the arts and helping others. He raised no money for this race, according to disclosure forms.

“I do not run to fix smaller issues, like zoning and potholes, but because I want to change the way we look at life, and question our prevailing wisdom,” said Stepanian. “The idea that unions and homeowner associations only worry about their own needs and no one else is wrong. I’m the only candidate in the past 16 years to support rent control, and I ask why are there few theaters and no museum, sports facilities or a well-rounded college in our city.”

Michael Teahan
The owner of an import and resale business selling espresso machines, Teahan believes he has learned plenty about Glendale in his five years in the city. He raised $900 in 2008 from others, but loaned himself $800 of his $900 in campaign funds raised between Jan. 1 and Feb. 21 this year.

“For me, it’s about quality of life issues and making Glendale a better place to live. I can’t think of anyone who moves to a city just because it’s fiscally responsible. They want more parks and recreation, and we need to bring museums, arts and entertainment to the city so that it’s not just another ’burb with a shopping district.”

Bob Yousefian

A former general contractor who now performs his council work as a full-time job, Yousefian is another of the three incumbents seeking re-election. He has the money that comes with incumbency, having raised $64,028 in 2008 and $3,470 more between Jan. 1 through Feb. 21.

“The most important thing currently is the budget and the shortcomings in revenue. We need to reduce spending without jeopardizing the basics government has to provide, such as public safety and infrastructure. I count the completion of the Americana at Brand and the Embassy Suites, as well as several ordinances — including a balanced one on smoking, as some of the accomplishments in my term.”