Politics

Alex Coolman GLENDALE -- Strong roots and a balanced view: they're the qualities Larry Miller said set him apart from the pack. The City Council candidate has lived in Glendale for more than four decades, and he brings the perspective of that time to bear in his analysis of today's politics. He listed his affiliations like a parent pulling out a thick wad of photographs: small businesses, schools, the Chamber of Commerce, the library, and so on. "I can see things from all those perspectives, and I'm not really agendized to any one particular group."

Zarian to host student leaders Representatives of the Glendale Community College student body association are scheduled to appear live on ?The Larry Zarian Show? Thursday to discuss politics at all levels and how the recent historic presidential election has affected student participation. Student body President/Trustee Ovsanna Khachikian and her vice-president of finance, Marian Mikhail, will discuss how campus politics have been affected by the political triumphs and turmoil of the last six months, and how that might translate to Glendale?

Polet Bagatorian, 17, earns prestigious honor of National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist. LA CRESCENTA -- Boundless energy, ceaseless dedication and a razor-sharp wit earned Polet Bagatorian a spot as a National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist. The Crescenta Valley High School senior is one of only 16,000 students nationwide to qualify for the honor, which is based on their PSAT scores. They qualify to become finalists by writing an essay and forwarding other extra-curricular participation to the national committee that awards college scholarships to about 8,200 finalists annually.

About Gus Gomez, our beloved mayor of Glendale: Cut Gus some slack. He made his decision to lower the American flag on April 24 to recognize the Armenian Genocide, and he's sticking by it. So let it be written, so let it be done. We wanted a mayor with political savvy. And we got it. Sure, votes are important, but more important is how well could he perform his office on other issues. Especially if a large portion of the community hated his guts because he did not lower this flag.

The debate about the absentee ballot requests (“Application ordinance passes,” Wednesday) could be framed as an old television beer commercial. Is it “less filling” or does it “taste great”? We could shout our position until we are blue in the face and it won’t convince the opposition — guaranteed. The sorry state of local politics did not improve Tuesday. There was no prose or poetry. There was no jingle or melody, only the harsh accusations that are making Glendale politics more divisive and less amicable.

I’m writing to you about the trash that is being left behind on the Brand Park hiking trails by hikers. I’m a Boy Scout with Troop 127, and all Boy Scouts know the motto of leave no trace. Whenever we go out in the wilderness, the rule is to never leave a trace — that means trash and food. I have been hiking up in the trails for many years, and every time I go, I always see trash, and I pick it up if I can. I would go up in the trails and see fire pits that I would say were not in the right place and even see cigarette butts on the ground.

Josh Kleinbaum In its first week of official duty, the city's Commission on the Status of Women received an interesting introduction to local politics, complete with a close-up look at the city's rumor mill. Chairwoman Maria Rochart and Vice Chairwoman Raana Hasnat deflected rumors that they plan to run for the City Council and are using the commission as a steppingstone to higher office. Pauline Field, another commissioner, has already said she would consider a council run. The commission's four other members -- Lena Bozoyan, Karen Compton, Karla Kerlin and Nayiri Nahabedian -- have not been the subject of such speculation.

Josh Kleinbaum Vrej Agajanian's first political lesson came from excerpts printed in an Iranian newspaper in 1960. Agajanian, then a 9-year-old boy living in Tehran and already fascinated with politics, remembers reading quotes from the presidential debates between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. From reading the excerpts, he believed Nixon won the debate, making better arguments on the issues. But Agajanian remembers that most people who watched the debate on television gave the edge to Kennedy.

Darleene Barrientos Residents throughout the state are becoming familiar with a face already well known in Glendale. Sandra Fink, a physical education teacher at Mark Keppel Elementary and the most recent former president of the Glendale Teacher's Assn., has been appearing in commercials sponsored by the Alliance for a Better California. The alliance, a group of nurses, firefighters, police, prison guards and teachers, was formed to campaign against the governor's "Live Within Our Means Act," which will culminate in a Nov. 8 special election.