By Julie BUTCHER

On Tuesday night, the Glendale City Council, on a nearly unanimous vote, selected Councilmember Ardashes “Ardy” Kassakhian as mayor for the coming year.

Councilmember Vartan Gharpetian abstained, criticizing the mayoral selection process.

“What happened last year and the year before was wrong,” he said. “I believe it was disgraceful. I do not wish for that to happen again because our community deserves better.” 

Gharpetian deemed the process of selecting this year’s mayor to be “pre-determined” and he said that he therefore opted not to be considered for the selection.

“It doesn’t disturb me because I have such low expectations of you,” council critic and council candidate Beth Brooks said, addressing the council’s selection of a new mayor.

The mayoral selection process has been controversial for the past few years with the courts ultimately determining that the council can select whomever it likes to serve as mayor.

The new mayor will be seated at the next council meeting.

Mayor Ara Najarian summed up his achievements during the past year and over the years he has served, with a “full heart of deep gratitude,” concluding his fifth term as Glendale’s mayor and more than two decades of service. 

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve this extraordinary community, a city not defined by its growth and success but by our character and resilience and by our people,” said Mayor Najarian harking back to his first year on the city council in 2005 when “Glendale was already a strong and vibrant city.” 

His goals for the current term, the mayor recounted, were to “strengthen our neighborhoods; to grow our economy; to improve our infrastructure; and to make sure that Glendale stayed a place where families could thrive and opportunities and business could flourish.”

This year the city boasts a decline in overall crime by 6% and a reduction in burglaries of 15%; expanded fire safety coverage with the addition of five new ambulances; welcomed more than 600,000 visitors into the city’s libraries; held an inaugural Veterans’ Day event; gathered the consuls general of the cities with which Glendale has a Sister City relationship; oversaw a return of the city’s annual MLK breakfast; and more.

“Glendale is a city of incredible diversity and incredible strength, a place where different cultures and backgrounds and perspectives come together to form one community,” Mayor Najarian concluded. “Glendale will always be my home, and I will always be invested in its success.”

Glendalian Allan Durham thanked Mayor Najarian for his service.

“You’ve done a terrific job,” said Durham. “We don’t always agree, but you run a great council meeting.”

Once again, the council reviewed recommendations from the Charter Review Committee. The open question of whether the city’s clerk and treasurer should be selected and appointed rather than elected was fueled by a dispute over editorial comments posted on the city election website administered by the city clerk regarding upcoming council candidate forums. The current city clerk acknowledged the posting was made in error and was removed but the mistake engendered criticism and an exchange between the clerk and Councilmember Gharpetian.

At the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Najarian introduced members of the Gabrielino/Tongva nation whom he had invited to perform the invocation for the meeting. The mayor commented that many cities begin meetings with a statement recognizing the ancestors “upon whose sacred lands we stand,” and observed the statements sometimes become routine and perfunctory, sometimes even belittled. 

Instead, Mayor Najarian invited the tribal chairwoman Sandonne Goad to address the council. The original stewards of this land, the greater Los Angeles Basin, she said, the Gabrielino/Tongva “seek the inalienable rights of self-determination, self-preservation and self-governance, which have been denied us for 254 years.”

Najarian pledged to work to include the tribal nation’s culture and history in the “city’s fabric.” More information can be read at https://gabrielinotongva.org/.

The mayor issued his final Medal of Honor to Rick Caruso, noting two categories of recognition: outstanding economic advancement and exemplary civil leadership. 

“Rick Caruso is one of the most consequential civic and business leaders in the Los Angeles region and his connection to Glendale has been simply transformative,” he said. “Rick didn’t just build shopping centers; he reimagined what community gathering places could be. Rick, you’ve spent your career building – not just structures but community and opportunity and tonight Glendale is proud to honor you as one of our own.”

“I am so honored,” Caruso said, accepting the recognition. “Working with the City of Glendale has always been a bright light in our company. There is no city that we’ve ever done business with in our 40 years that has been better to do business with from the standpoint of being transparent, being open, being honest, being willing to share ideas, to work through problems and issues.” 

Councilmember Ardy Kassakhian noted Caruso’s local success against a backdrop of failing shopping malls.

  “We are very fortunate to have a vibrant economic core thanks to what you brought to Glendale,” Kassakhian said. 

Kassakhian also commended the spirit behind Caruso’s slogan for his unsuccessful run for mayor of Los Angeles – “For the love of Los Angeles” – as expressive of Rick Caruso’s care for the region.

A group of under 10-year-old girls soccer all-star players from Glendale AYSO Region 88 attended the council meeting on Tuesday night to be recognized for winning the 2026 western states championship. 

Councilmember Dan Brotman clarified that they competed against 229 teams. “I thought it would be a big number,” he said. “I didn’t think it would be that big. That’s incredible, and the best – right here in Glendale.”

Mayor Najarian added that the AYSO soccer organization is a “character development program.” 

“It’s not just about soccer,” he observed, “but about being a good competitive athlete, a good teammate and a good leader – values you will remember for the rest of your lives.”

A picture of the winning team can be found at https://www.instagram.com/p/DW4S249ib1_/.

The council designated April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and April 29 as Denim Day, a day the city “invites the community to wear denim as a sign of solidarity with survivors and as a reminder that there’s never an excuse for sexual violence.”

Arbor Day is April 15, “recognizing trees as an essential part of a community.” Assistant director of Public Works Dan Hardgrove reported that this year is the city’s 75^th annual celebration of Arbor Day and the 42^nd year of recognition as a national “tree city.” Hardgrove recounted the city’s goal to increase its tree canopy from the current 21% to 25%. For more information about the importance of trees and the celebration of Arbor Day, visit https://www.arborday.org/trees.

Glendale Parks and Open Space Foundation board president George Balteria and vice-president Inder Risam reminded the council that April 22 is Earth Day – “A reminder of our shared responsibility to care for the environment.”

At a special meeting Tuesday afternoon, the council approved a budget for FY26 for the Greater Downtown Glendale Association community benefit district of $1,828,844.39, funded by assessments on participating downtown businesses.

The council will meet next on Tuesday, April 21 at 6 p.m.