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ZAREH SINANYAN KEEPS SEAT FOR NOW
Glendale News-Press (California)
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
March 13, 2013 Wednesday
by Brittany Levine, Glendale News-Press, Calif.
March 13--Under pointed questioning before the City Council he is
campaigning to join, city commissioner Zareh Sinanyan on Tuesday
refused to deny that he was the author behind threatening and racist
comments posted online under his name, saying only that they do not
reflect him as a person.
"The words attributed to me are not me. They do not represent who I
am as a person," he said. "They do not reflect my values, my ideals."
Sinanyan, a Community Development Block Grant Advisory Committee member
who is considered a front-runner in the City Council race, called
a proposal to strip him of his commission seat a well-orchestrated
smear campaign because of the comments.
Councilwoman Laura Friedman, Councilman Ara Najarian and Mayor Frank
Quintero asked for the discussion to be brought before the council
last week. Friedman and Najarian are both seeking to keep their seats
in the April 2 election.
When asked point blank whether he wrote the comments -- which on
YouTube referred mostly Armenia's geopolitical enemies as "lazy,"
"degenerate thieves," "dirty" and more vulgar terms -- he refused,
adding that he had not seen the comments council members were
referring to.
"Saying that they don't represent you is very different than saying
that you didn't write them," said Friedman.
Sinanyan went on to say: "I'm investigating this issue and trying
to understand."
Since news of the comments broke, Sinanyan has lost several
high-profile endorsements, including Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank),
Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian, and both Los Angeles
mayoral run-off candidates, Eric Garcetti and Wendy Gruel.
The comments were attributed to Sinanyan through a web of online
profiles that allegedly lead back to the YouTube comments from two
to five years ago made under his name.
The comments, which Quintero described as hate speech, lead to a
YouTube profile made by the username "gazanutyun," but that profile
at one time listed a "Zareh Sinanyan" as the user. It has since been
changed back to "gazanutyun."
As soon as some of the comments were linked to a Glendale News-Press
story online, many were deleted.
Sinanyan also called someone "idiotic" and dropped an ethnic slur
against Mongolians via a personal Facebook profile in 2012.
While the council discussion was focused on Sinanyan's commission seat,
Sinanyan's supporters quickly turned the public comment period into
an attack on Friedman, who first introduced the motion. The crowd of
about 90 heckled her several times during the proceeding.
"I'm disappointed that I would be attacked for bringing up hate speech,
very serious, very disturbing hate speech," Friedman said.
At one point, in response to her claim that she was not responsible
for the reaction to the alleged comments, Sinanyan got out of his
seat and whispered to his supporters: "She's lying."
In the end, the council unanimously decided to take no action, and
tabled stripping Sinanyan of his commission seat.
"The election will decide everything," Councilman Dave Weaver said.
Glendale News-Press (California)
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
March 13, 2013 Wednesday
by Brittany Levine, Glendale News-Press, Calif.
March 13--Under pointed questioning before the City Council he is
campaigning to join, city commissioner Zareh Sinanyan on Tuesday
refused to deny that he was the author behind threatening and racist
comments posted online under his name, saying only that they do not
reflect him as a person.
"The words attributed to me are not me. They do not represent who I
am as a person," he said. "They do not reflect my values, my ideals."
Sinanyan, a Community Development Block Grant Advisory Committee member
who is considered a front-runner in the City Council race, called
a proposal to strip him of his commission seat a well-orchestrated
smear campaign because of the comments.
Councilwoman Laura Friedman, Councilman Ara Najarian and Mayor Frank
Quintero asked for the discussion to be brought before the council
last week. Friedman and Najarian are both seeking to keep their seats
in the April 2 election.
When asked point blank whether he wrote the comments -- which on
YouTube referred mostly Armenia's geopolitical enemies as "lazy,"
"degenerate thieves," "dirty" and more vulgar terms -- he refused,
adding that he had not seen the comments council members were
referring to.
"Saying that they don't represent you is very different than saying
that you didn't write them," said Friedman.
Sinanyan went on to say: "I'm investigating this issue and trying
to understand."
Since news of the comments broke, Sinanyan has lost several
high-profile endorsements, including Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank),
Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian, and both Los Angeles
mayoral run-off candidates, Eric Garcetti and Wendy Gruel.
The comments were attributed to Sinanyan through a web of online
profiles that allegedly lead back to the YouTube comments from two
to five years ago made under his name.
The comments, which Quintero described as hate speech, lead to a
YouTube profile made by the username "gazanutyun," but that profile
at one time listed a "Zareh Sinanyan" as the user. It has since been
changed back to "gazanutyun."
As soon as some of the comments were linked to a Glendale News-Press
story online, many were deleted.
Sinanyan also called someone "idiotic" and dropped an ethnic slur
against Mongolians via a personal Facebook profile in 2012.
While the council discussion was focused on Sinanyan's commission seat,
Sinanyan's supporters quickly turned the public comment period into
an attack on Friedman, who first introduced the motion. The crowd of
about 90 heckled her several times during the proceeding.
"I'm disappointed that I would be attacked for bringing up hate speech,
very serious, very disturbing hate speech," Friedman said.
At one point, in response to her claim that she was not responsible
for the reaction to the alleged comments, Sinanyan got out of his
seat and whispered to his supporters: "She's lying."
In the end, the council unanimously decided to take no action, and
tabled stripping Sinanyan of his commission seat.
"The election will decide everything," Councilman Dave Weaver said.