Glendale voters to decide seats on City Council, education boards

Glendale voters head to the polls Tuesday to decide City Council, school board and community college seats as well as a $270 million bond measure to upgrade public school facilities.

Two of the City Council's five seats are up for grabs, with incumbents Dave Weaver and John Drayman facing challenges from four candidates, including a former councilman and a security guard who heard a "calling from above" to enter politics. Drayman declined an interview request for this story. Budget concerns have dominated the debates, as city financial managers estimate Glendale will be $10 million to $15 million in the red when the fiscal year begins July 1.

Dave Weaver: Weaver, a fixture on the council for 14 years, said the cost-cutting measures undertaken so far have been effective, and he plans to continue on the same path.

"What we've been trying to do is provide the same level of services at less cost, and we've been successful on that so far," he said. "No workers have been laid off, no furloughs have had to be implemented."

The city still anticipates the shortfall even after freezing new hires, contracting with a local hospital to provide health services and teaming up with Burbank to operate police helipads and jails.

But challengers Rafi Manoukian, a former City Council member and mayor; Chahe Keuroghelian, a small business owner; Mike Mohill, a community activist; and Garen Mailyan, a security guard, say more can be done.

Rafi

Manoukian: Manoukian said the budget deficit did not represent a "crisis," but he added that Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to take $5 million to $7 million of city redevelopment money could change that.

Manoukian recommended limiting employees' use of so-called procurement cards, saying it leads to "wasteful expenditures." He also sought to crack down on overtime.

"That needs to be brought under control," he said. "In the normal course of business, cities should not be incurring overtime. During emergencies, it's understandable, but not during normal operating hours."

Chahe Keuroghelian: Keuroghelian wants to eliminate overtime altogether and to require employees to contribute more toward their pension and health care.

The manager of a paralegal office, who also works as a court interpreter and immigration consultant, has been running for a spot on the council since 2005.

"I want to engage a large number of the community that doesn't get a say in the process of running the city," Keuroghelian said.

Incumbent Weaver said Glendale was "far better off than virtually any city around, and maybe even in the state of California" because its workers pay about 11 percent of their salary toward their pension, and also shoulder about half the cost of their health care.

Garen Mailyan: Mailyan, who works as a security guard at The Americana at Brand, blames the city's fiscal troubles on "mismanagement" and "waste" by the current leadership.

A born-again Christian with a master's degree in political science, Mailyan said he heard "a calling from above to participate in politics" and wants to hold regular "reconciliation meetings" to resolve what he calls "ethnic-cultural conflicts" among Glendale's diverse population.

Mailyan said if he is elected, he would ensure the city does not spend more than 90 percent of its revenues, and invests the remaining 10 percent into a reserve fund.

Mike Mohill: A community activist and retired businessman, Mohill said he was most concerned about "restoring the public trust."

"There is corruption," he said, noting that Weaver was fined $9,000 in 2009 for campaign irregularities, and Drayman was recently embroiled in a scandal.

Drayman's condo renovation last summer was overseen by a senior design manager at Advanced Development & Investment Inc., an affordable housing developer now under federal investigation for allegedly billing cities fraudulently and transferring money to personal accounts.

Drayman declined repeated requests for comment on this story.

Schools, colleges: Incumbents Mary W. Boger and Nayihi Nahabedian are trying to keep both of their seats on the Glendale Unified School District Board of Education.

Their challengers are Vahik Satoorian, an accountant and president of a nonprofit after-school program; Todd Hunt, an executive at a software development firm; retired teacher and former PTA present Daniel Cabrera; and teachers Ingrid Gunnell, Jennifer Freemon and Ami Fox.

Also on the ballot are two seats on the Glendale Community College Board of Trustees.

Tony Tartaglia is the board's current president and Vahe Peroomian, a research scientist with a Ph.D. in physics, is another incumbent.

Vying to oust at least one of them is Vartan Gharpetian, CEO of a real estate brokerage firm.

Measure S: Also on the ballot is Measure S, a $270 million bond measure for upgrading aging school facilities across Glendale. Proposed projects include updating classroom computers, modernizing science labs, improving access to students with disabilities, and transitioning to solar power.

Proponents say Measure S will not increase taxes, but rather extend the rates that Glendale residents are currently paying. The Glendale Teachers Association opposes it because there are no guarantees the money would be spent on teacher staffing.

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