Michael Kiaman
The historic demography of the city of Glendale has seen many shifts in its lifespan. Inherently with those shifts has come underlying competition between those who consider themselves natives and those that are part of newer ethnic groups. In recent years this undertone has crippled opportunities of working collectively towards the betterment of the city. The 2007 election cycle and the resent dispute about the highly controversial absentee ballot application ordinance outline a turbulent time that has sent the city into uproar and drawn lines between groups. If this current trend is to continue, it is sure to result in no winners, only losers.
The election cycle in 2007 sent chills down the spines of many at the polarization of our community. I’ve lived in Glendale and Burbank for nearly 19 years and have been on the forefront of many community efforts. In 2007, I continued my willful way and actively worked as a community organizer and field operator for local campaigns. I’ve never worked for a candidate based on his ethnicity; instead, I’ve always comprised my ideologies based on how well I anticipate a leader serving the best interests of a community. Even today, we see the overhaul and smear of 2007 play its role in breaking down the characters of those who are courageous enough to put their personal lives out there for the purpose of public service. Mind you, the brash of most of these falsehoods falls on former members of the council as much as the current members. Perhaps this is the finest illustration of the “permanent campaign”.
I suppose the reason I’m so confident that most of the stories were inaccurate was because I was so deeply involved in the process and knew what was true and what was a political ploy. However, we have seen some bright spots of hope, most of which are illustrated with the more cordial debates we see in our council chambers that don’t always catch our attention. I have particular respect for those who have had disagreements in our community and have expressed them not only with respect but more importantly, accuracy that is seldom found with some of the blind rage we see frequently.
Aside from the smear, the lowest point for me during the campaign trail was hearing some of the resentful and racist comments made by people living in our community. The classic, “I won’t vote for him because he is an Armenian” sounded just as derailed as “I won’t vote for him because he is NOT Armenian” commentary I had heard in conversations with some of my friends. Since when does the country you are from make a difference in the traits we look for most in our candidates; judgment, morality and leadership? In 2007, Manoukian got the short end of a stick and after eight years of hard work his seat was up for grabs during a time that ourcommunity was more polarized than ever.
In 2008, I don’t think the city council helped the situation much by bringing forth a controversial ordinance that was sure to draw fire and create a greater aura of tension. The absentee ballot initiative took a bad situation and made it worse for reasons that are yet to give merit to the destruction it caused to the community. An ordinance that is going to divide the community as it did based on presumptions instead of assertions is an ordinance that should never have been considered. Working in the trenches, I know what helps and hurts voter participation and what the dangers of voter fraud really are; this ordinance helped address neither issue.Nevertheless, we have been handed the scenario and we need to start moving towards unity again, and in the spirit of the recent Presidential elections, remember that a “house divided cannot stand”. The heaviest burden to unite the community falls on those elected and politicizing the shortcomings in uniting our community is just as damaging. Our city council chambers need to return to being a forum for dialogue between city officials and residents instead of a spot to launch candidacies in upcoming elections. If we can overcome these challenges, and I believe we can, it will allow us to turn up the heat on the political melting pot and get our city working together again.
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