This has raised some eyebrows around town. The new candidate has already heard the voices of disapproval from some Glendale Community College faculty members.
Ramona Barrio-Soltillo, the public information officer for the Glendale College Guild, discouraged Agajanian from running for the board, as he had not contacted the faculty members before his registration for candidacy.
“I would hope that he would have considered the cost to the college at the time when he didn’t really take the time or the trouble to get to know us, to even contact the Glendale college faculty,” Barrillo said.
There is nothing wrong with calling a candidate to try to discourage him from running for office. This is as ethical as encouraging someone to run.
Since then, Agajanian has questioned whether Barrillo would ask the other candidates the same questions about their candidacy.
The timing and qualifications of Agajanian have come into question by some. Although Agajanian does not have college experience compared with Ransford, he has argued that he can understand and empathize with community issues.
One would think these are topics that would be discussed during the course of the elections, where candidates will have an opportunity to present to the residents why they can best serve the college and the cause of higher education. But sometimes, election campaigns begin before the official election date.
It is not out of the norm that someone who may seem like a great candidate to many is the least qualified to others. When electing officials to office, smart voters will have to look beyond an individual’s absolute qualifications for office. As voters, we should ask what this particular candidate can bring to the office?
