Armenian-American Zareh Sinanyan selected as Glendale mayor

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian-American Councilmember Zareh Sinanyan will serve as Glendale's mayor for the second time after council members appointed the second-term councilman to the helm at the start of Tuesday, April 3's meeting, Glendale News Press reports.

Before handing off the role, outgoing Mayor Vartan Gharpetian received recognition for his service from a representative of Assemblywoman Laura Friedman's office. During the changeover, Sinanyan, who first served in the role in 2014, gave Gharpetian a gavel wall placard.

"You can spend five hours a week on this position or you can spend 50," Gharpetian said when touting his attendance at almost 300 city events and meetings during the last year. "It's up to you. I wanted to be a very involved mayor and be everywhere to represent our city the best that I could."

He went on to repeat many of the same talking points from last week's State of the City address.

"I want to thank my family and their unwavering support in anything I do … my colleagues for giving me the opportunity to serve as mayor … I'm looking forward to working with our new mayor," Gharpetian said.

Sinanyan was elected to his second term as a city councilman in April last year. During his first term, Sinanyan introduced several programs such as the Glendale Tech Initiative and the City Council in Your Neighborhood program.

Sinanyan also served one term as mayor when he replaced former council member Dave Weaver.

He accepted the mayor position for a second time with a look toward developing downtown Glendale as a major business center, a modern mass transit system as well as low-income and workforce housing.

"I will continue to need your advice, help and support as we embark on another year of hard work to promote our city's and our residents' welfare," he said.

Mayors serve one-year terms and are selected by fellow council members. No city code governs the annual process, but members are encouraged to elect someone with experience on council.