Glendale’s Mayor Vartan Gharpetian Talks Politics

Though Glendale is in general economically in good shape, with a low unemployment rate (4.7 percent in December 2016), and an annual municipal budget of over 840,000,000 dollars according to the mayor, like many other American cities it grapples with how to support families in poverty. This year, with the changes that the Trump administration is bringing to federal spending, Gharpetian said that he fears that rental housing assistance for low income families through Section 8 of the Housing Act of 1937, might be cut back, along with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

According to the city website (http://www.glendaleca.gov/government/departments/city-clerk/boards-and-commissions-/community-development-block-grant-advisory-committee), each year the city receives approximately $3,400,000 in CDBG funds, and an advisory committee of five members, four of whom this year are Armenian, participates in the preparation of a spending plan. A small portion of this money goes to Armenian organizations operating in Glendale like the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) and Homenetmen Glendale “Ararat” Chapter.

Gharpetian declared that over 45 percent of the population of Glendale, or around 90,000 people, is Armenian. It is this concentration of population that makes Glendale different for Armenians. He said, “Whenever you have a majority of the population from a certain race or ethnic group, it will have its programs, schools, churches, and festivals.” He said that in Glendale, as wherever else Armenians have gone in the world, “first we build our churches, then we build our schools and then our organizations; and that old-fashioned lifestyle is continuing here.”

He made sure to stress that Armenian public officials in Glendale “are elected to serve the community as a whole…We don’t discriminate.” For example, he said, the independence of the first Republic of Armenia, May, 28, was celebrated right outside of City Hall, and, he said, “If other nationalities or religious groups want to do the same thing here they are welcome to do so.”

The programs the city provides are for the population as a whole. The recreation centers of the Glendale Parks and Recreation Department provides English as a Second Language classes, as well as exercise and yoga clashes. There are a few adult recreation centers for the entire population. Glendale Community College has many classes, and there are elderly Armenians who go there to learn English. Armenian organizations like Homenetmen and ARS have programs for the elderly.

As a result of the DMEF programs since 1978, the dual immersion concept entered the public school curriculum some eight to ten years ago, and now not only do two Glendale schools have Armenian dual immersion programs, but it led to similar programs in seven or eight different languages in different Glendale schools.

The Glendale municipality because of its large Armenian population has a variety of connections with the Republic of Armenia. Glendale has a sister city program with both Ghapan, from over 10 years ago, and Gyumri, starting 3 years ago. Gharpetian said that cultural programs are shared between the cities and the countries.

Furthermore, the Glendale police department has gone to Armenia to provide training and advice. Gharpetian said he wants to send a delegation from the Glendale Fire Department to show how training takes place here. He added, “I made a motion last year to send 12 of our fire trucks that are retired but in very good shape to Armenia. I am raising funds for the cost of transfer. We also sent some ambulances to Armenia from Glendale.”

Glendale has an arrangement with Adventist Health Glendale to send volunteers annually to border towns in Armenian and provide free clinics and medical care. Private Armenian organizations in Glendale of course also aid Armenia directly. For example, the Armenian Medical Society provides mobile clinics for Armenia and keep them there.

When asked about negative publicity about Armenians in the local media, Mayor Gharpetian said, “It is not just Armenians—it is against every nationality. It is a matter of getting used to a new neighbor. We [Armenians] moved to Glendale around 35-45 years ago, when a wave of Armenians came in. We proved to be a good, peaceful community which improved the quality of life in Glendale. Property values went up.”

As far as crime goes, he stressed that “most of the crimes by Armenians are white collar crimes. We like any other community have our bad apples. I have not seen robberies, home invasbions and drive-by shootings [by Armenians].” He said he did not know of any Armenian gangs in Glendale. In addition, he said “the general drug issue is there, but not as much as in our neighboring cities. Ours is a confined area because our police department is very, very proactive.”

Ghapretian said, “There will always be people upset with things, but elections are the proof” of the acceptance of Armenians, since non-Armenian votes are necessary to elect council members. He said, “We are no longer newcomers. Our children were born here. It will take another generation, and I think this issue will be resolved. As my father used to tell me, wherever you go in the world the sky is the same color—you will find arrogant people everywhere.”

He also felt that internal political Armenian community dissension has decreased. He said, “That divide, if you will, I have not seen it in a long time. The way this [last municipal] election went is a testimony to this. If you look at our city council’s makeup, Ara Najarian is from Cleveland, Ohio, Zareh Sinanyan from Armenia, and I am from Iran. This community is past the mentality of where you are from comes first—we are all Armenian-Americans first.”

Gharpetian also pointed out that the city council seats were non-partisan in terms of American political parties. He supported fellow Iranian-Armenian Vrej Aghajanian, a Republican and a personal friend, for example, in the election.

As an Armenian, Gharpetian said “our job is to build the next generation.” His focus is on the youth, and, he said, “how to keep them involved through sports and education.” For example, the Homenentmen Ararat basketball programs for youth under 16 have over 2000 members, all run on a volunteer basis. Soccer programs are also very active in Glendale.

He said, “It all comes down to your families and how you raise your children. You have to instill Armenian values and teach being a good Armenian American. You don’t have to give one up to do the other. The numbers help. We have so many Armenian associations here—the Armenian Society of LA, the Armenian National Committee (ANC), the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), Ararat Homenetmen, the Tekeyan Cultural Association, and many others.  When you have a cultural event, and out of around 100,000 Armenians, 2 percent show up you have a packed house.”

He encourages Armenians, like any other group of people, to get involved in politics. He commented, “We have young kids getting elected on the school district and college board. Of course you have to mentor and open doors for them. Internships are very important for them. We are part of this community and need to be involved.”

Thirty percent of registered voters, he said, are Armenian, and probably half of the Armenians are registered. He said, “If you look at other nationalities, their percentage [of registration] is very low, maybe 8-to 12 percent. But because our overall numbers are smaller, we need a bigger percentage to make a difference. It is a challenge. We have to constantly educate people about the rights and privileges of voting, and keep registering people. Organizations like the AGBU, ANC and the Armenian Society of LA, and the Armenian political parties, must do the registration. Local politcal parties do their share. It is a collaborative effort to increase the numbers of voters.”

Gharpetian spoke briefly about his family. They have close ties with Armenia. He said, “My uncle moved back to Armenia in 1947, and I have so many relatives, first cousins, second cousins, and third cousins, with whom we kept in touch. If not every year, every other year we visit Armenia and do what we can to help the country.”

He exclaimed, “I have a great family. My wife Armina is a dentist, and is a member of the Glendale Board of Education [she was its president until this April]. I have three daughters. My oldest is 19, named Nazeli, is attending Woodbury University. My second daughter, Nayra, is in ninth grade, while our 10-year-old Nelin, is in elementary school.”

He said, “We go to a lot of Armenian events as a family. We try to attend every event in Glendale.” The children go to public schools, and attended DMEF classes. They also went to Armenian summer camps. The mayor himself pursues several hobbies, including collecting classic cars, antiques and Armenian rugs.

Gharpetian promises to stay in municipal government for at least several terms. He said, “I need to be here a certain amount of time to achieve my goals and deliver my promises. After that I must see where my family, life and health is. Every elected official has ambitions to go to a higher position and I am not exempt from this.”