Rima Shah
With 20 candidates in the running, the City Council race will be the
largest in Glendale's history, officials said.
Two candidates, incumbent Ronald Borucki and Phillip Kazanjian,
also filed papers Thursday to run for the city treasurer's race,
making it the first contested treasurer race in many years. The
council seat vacated by Guz Gomez, who resigned to accept a
judgeship, is one of the main reasons for the high interest in the
City Council race, candidate Pauline Field said.
"A lot of people felt they had a good chance of winning the
elections with the extra seat," she said.
The controversial Americana at Brand project also galvanized the
city and translated into greater political interest, Field said.
Disagreements with the position of current council members and
people feeling they can do a better job is yet another, she said.
The number of candidates running is reflective of the mood of the
city, which demands change, John Drayman said.
There are advantages and disadvantages to the number of people
running for the council for nonincumbent candidates like him, Drayman
said.
Incumbents will have their names easily recognized although the
number of candidates may change the percentage of votes they get, he
said.
"It just means that candidates like me will have to work very hard
to get their voices heard, and I intend to do that," Drayman said. "I
love a good footrace and this is what it is about."
Voters ultimately will be the one at a disadvantage because of the
large pool of candidates, Mayor Bob Yousefian said.
"I really feel sorry for the constituents," said Yousefian, who is
running for reelection. "They're not going to get anything out of the
forums. I hope the people who are really serious turn in their papers
and the ones who are only looking for name recognition stay out of
this. Being a councilmember is serious business."
The field of 20 members is an eclectic mixture, with three
incumbents, several attorneys, a street minister, a former
councilman's wife, a Glendale Community College board trustee and
local businessmen and women.
Each of them has a specific idea about how Glendale can be
improved and what they can do to help it.
Petronilo Pineda, who decided not to run, said he is hopeful that
some people in the current pool will tackle traffic congestion.
"We are going to give them a chance for another two years, but
should there be a stagnation, then people like me will step in for
Glendale," Pineda said.
The deadline for the city clerk race has been extended to Feb. 1.
* RIMA SHAH covers business and politics. She may be reached at
(818) 637-3238 or by e-mail at rima.shah@latimes.com.
