Glendale City Council candidates' Q&A

One way to attract new businesses into Glendale is to actively seek and work with interested businesses and provide them with a representative from the city who will work with them from the onset to bring and set up a business in Glendale. This liaison would be the point of contact for the prospective business, guiding them through each step until the business is open. Further, this person would provide an entry into a network of similar businesses in order to establish a repertoire among those in a designated geographic area.

Upon taking office, what would your top two priorities be, excluding the budget issue?

My first priority would be to reduce the transfer of funds from Glendale Water & Power to the general fund, and then reduce the utility rates charged to the ordinary citizens of this city.

Second, I would request to meet with various merchant associations to develop a comprehensive plan to retain and attract small businesses to Glendale. Our citizens and our business community are the backbones of this city.

BIO BOX

Name: Aram Kazazian

Age: 62

Education: Cal Poly University San Luis Obispo, architectural degree

Occupation: licensed architect in California

Family: wife, six children

ARAMAZD STEPANIAN

How will you pull the city through the economic downturn and resulting budget gaps?

By designating certain areas of the city as shopping/manufacturing/service areas for unique/one-off businesses that no other city and surrounding areas have. Glendale Boulevard and a section of Hyperion Avenue in Atwater offer a much more interesting array of businesses and stores than Glendale.

I would push for substantial charges on items that are wasteful and harmful to the earth, like a 25-cents surcharge on all large bottles of water, 50 cents on the smaller bottles. Each Styrofoam item sold or given away in any establishment in the city must carry a city charge.

Introduce a business tax.

I would encourage the opening of new entertainment businesses, strongly suggest existing cinemas to diversify the type of movies they show, and encourage buskers and other street performers to come to Glendale.

I'd organize festivals for theater, music and dance, and car- and science-related exhibitions.

I would also encourage the sale and use of local products, such as food and manufactured goods, and discourage importation of any items from far, distant places that are prepared or harvested by cheap, exploited labor.

Explain your position on Measure U.