Glendale council elects Ara Najarian mayor after contentious nominations session

The Glendale City Council elected Councilmember Ara Najarian mayor on April 15 after a contentious public meeting that included repeated calls for unity and lengthy public comment.

Councilmembers voted by roll call to name Najarian mayor. The vote, taken after a period of nominations and debate, was recorded as five yea votes and no nays. Councilmember Dan Brotman nominated Najarian; other nominations were made and recorded during the meeting but the roll call returned unanimous support for Najarian.

Council members debating the mayoralty repeatedly referenced an existing council ordinance intended to set a predictable rotation for the position and a court decision last year that upheld council discretion in mayoral selection. Councilmember Hakim Kasakhian said he would not seek the mayorship this term and reiterated a prior decision to focus on family; Councilmember Vartan Garpetian said he believed the ordinance left him next in line but accepted the council process after debate. Several councilmembers urged the council to repair public trust and move on to substantive city work.

The session included extended public comment, with speakers expressing both support and opposition to the nomination. Supporters pointed to Najarian's long record of service; critics raised concerns about prior public statements Najarian made about the Glendale Unified School District. Several councilmembers who had opposed Najarian last year said they had discussed matters privately and now supported his nomination.

Najarian gave prepared remarks after his election, saying the city had endured a year of “deep, and filled with intolerance” criticism and that he condemned “vile, profane, misogynistic, hateful, racist, bigoted, and demeaning” statements directed at anyone in the community. He acknowledged earlier misstatements he made about schools, said he did not have evidence that schools were administering hormones to students, and apologized for remarks that may have contributed to division. Najarian said he would work to foster constructive dialogue between parents and school officials.

City staff and the city attorney also noted the legal and procedural background: the council discussed the 2021-2022 amendment to the city’s mayor-selection process, a court judgment issued in October and finalized in December that found the council had discretion to select the mayor, and the subsequent motions over costs that were recently resolved.

The council convened other business after the election, including appointments and project approvals. Councilmembers repeatedly asked staff to bring back proposals to revise the mayoral selection ordinance and to consider timing that aligns with election cycles so newly elected councilmembers have a chance to serve as mayor.

The vote closed a highly visible item on the agenda; several councilmembers called for renewed collaboration on budget, housing, and public safety matters going forward.