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GOOD NEWS! MORE TO COME?
by Garen Yegparian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/03/05/good-news-more-to-come/
March 5, 2013
Last week, the City of Burbank held its biennial primary municipal
election. As usual, the Burbank Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA) participated with endorsements, fundraising, and
most importantly GOTV (get out the vote) work. It paid off! However,
there was also a down side.
In the city council race, the top three vote-getters were the
Burbank ANCA's endorsees. Bob Frutos won outright and is now a
councilmember-elect. David Gordon and Jess Talamantes will advance
to the April 9 general election. In the city clerk contest, Zizette
Mullins won. It was a squeaker, but she made it past the 50-percent
mark. These winners owe their success to the Armenian community's
participation, which was at a higher rate than the overall population.
That's something to be proud of. In the school board race, results
were mixed. No one got elected, but only one of the ANCA's candidates,
Larry Applebaum, advanced to the general election. The other, Armond
Aghakhanian, placed fifth and will not advance.
Armond's results are a bitter counterpoint to the otherwise excellent
outcome that shows what working with everyone in the community can do.
Unfortunately, there are sectors of the community that obviously
cannot handle the thought of an Armenian being elected to office
in Burbank. The message left on Armond's campaign voicemail (that I
discussed last week) is abundant proof of this sad and unacceptable
phenomenon.
The other problem is Armenian voter response. Armond was bumped out
of the race by only 119 votes! Well over that number of Armenians
declined to vote. Imagine! What's more, if just 236 more Armenians
had cast their ballots and voted as the Burbank ANCA had recommended,
another endorsed candidate would have been elected already.
There are many people out there who just don't seem to understand how
important it is to vote. A very strong GOTV effort still failed to
overcome these people's inertia. Many vote in "important" elections,
e.g. when a governor or president is being elected, not realizing
how much more impact a city council or school board has on their lives.
>>From the water we drink to our garbage that's hauled off, and from
the quality of our schools to recreational and exercise space, these
"lowly" elected offices really matter. Couple that with the extra
needs a largely immigrant, and as yet not-fully-acculturated and
familiar community has, and the gravity of local elections should
become clear. Everyone should vote.
It's even more heartening that strong bonds of cooperation are
developing between the Armenian and broader Burbank communities,
pointing the way to success in other towns where significant Armenian
populations have resulted in large numbers of Armenian candidates
running for office year after year. Of course, the best example
of this is Glendale where in just over one month, a number of very
strong, committed, and competent members of the Armenian community
will learn if their campaigns were successful. They face stiff
challenges. Fortunately, our best have also been doing their duty
as citizens and residents, working with their neighbors, to build up
their city.
Hopefully, this is the beginning of a string of successes. Burbank
ANCA has also endorsed Measure S, which appears on the March 5 ballot.
Please go vote for it. Please vote in Los Angeles on March 5. Please
vote in Pasadena on March 5. Please vote in Glendale on April 2.
Please keep voting, participating, and building bridges with everyone
wherever you may live.
From: Baghdasarian
by Garen Yegparian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/03/05/good-news-more-to-come/
March 5, 2013
Last week, the City of Burbank held its biennial primary municipal
election. As usual, the Burbank Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA) participated with endorsements, fundraising, and
most importantly GOTV (get out the vote) work. It paid off! However,
there was also a down side.
In the city council race, the top three vote-getters were the
Burbank ANCA's endorsees. Bob Frutos won outright and is now a
councilmember-elect. David Gordon and Jess Talamantes will advance
to the April 9 general election. In the city clerk contest, Zizette
Mullins won. It was a squeaker, but she made it past the 50-percent
mark. These winners owe their success to the Armenian community's
participation, which was at a higher rate than the overall population.
That's something to be proud of. In the school board race, results
were mixed. No one got elected, but only one of the ANCA's candidates,
Larry Applebaum, advanced to the general election. The other, Armond
Aghakhanian, placed fifth and will not advance.
Armond's results are a bitter counterpoint to the otherwise excellent
outcome that shows what working with everyone in the community can do.
Unfortunately, there are sectors of the community that obviously
cannot handle the thought of an Armenian being elected to office
in Burbank. The message left on Armond's campaign voicemail (that I
discussed last week) is abundant proof of this sad and unacceptable
phenomenon.
The other problem is Armenian voter response. Armond was bumped out
of the race by only 119 votes! Well over that number of Armenians
declined to vote. Imagine! What's more, if just 236 more Armenians
had cast their ballots and voted as the Burbank ANCA had recommended,
another endorsed candidate would have been elected already.
There are many people out there who just don't seem to understand how
important it is to vote. A very strong GOTV effort still failed to
overcome these people's inertia. Many vote in "important" elections,
e.g. when a governor or president is being elected, not realizing
how much more impact a city council or school board has on their lives.
>>From the water we drink to our garbage that's hauled off, and from
the quality of our schools to recreational and exercise space, these
"lowly" elected offices really matter. Couple that with the extra
needs a largely immigrant, and as yet not-fully-acculturated and
familiar community has, and the gravity of local elections should
become clear. Everyone should vote.
It's even more heartening that strong bonds of cooperation are
developing between the Armenian and broader Burbank communities,
pointing the way to success in other towns where significant Armenian
populations have resulted in large numbers of Armenian candidates
running for office year after year. Of course, the best example
of this is Glendale where in just over one month, a number of very
strong, committed, and competent members of the Armenian community
will learn if their campaigns were successful. They face stiff
challenges. Fortunately, our best have also been doing their duty
as citizens and residents, working with their neighbors, to build up
their city.
Hopefully, this is the beginning of a string of successes. Burbank
ANCA has also endorsed Measure S, which appears on the March 5 ballot.
Please go vote for it. Please vote in Los Angeles on March 5. Please
vote in Pasadena on March 5. Please vote in Glendale on April 2.
Please keep voting, participating, and building bridges with everyone
wherever you may live.
From: Baghdasarian