One of Will Rogers’ questions to city council candidates at yesterday’s forum was open to misinterpretation. I thought I heard him ask, “Should Glendale have an all-male ballot election?” It turns out he was asking if Glendale should conduct its elections only by mail.
Aramazd Stepanian gave the best answer of all candidates, urging people to “Be active! Be on your feet! Show politicians that you are alive and active!” He went on to say that we are all too lazy and we should be getting out and walking to our polling places, that appearing there to vote is part of the show of an election and we shouldn’t give it up. Finally, he turned the joke on himself and commented that walking can help with weight loss.
On the subject of regular transfers from Glendale Water and Power receipts to the city’s general fund, Stepanian found a great hook for another audience-pleasing answer. He said plainly that he had little knowledge about these revenue transfers, then moved on to criticize the bottles of water put out in front of each candidate.
Stepanian said bottled water is wasteful, and that Mr. Yousefian (seated next to him) had assured him Glendale tap water was safe to drink. He then showed the audience that he had brought his own glass full of water to the table.
Stepanian is not a politician, and acknowledged that he doesn’t have detailed knowledge about many city issues. He’s certainly raising the profile of his theatre, the Luna Playhouse, and whatever his reasons for entering the council race, he’s providing a dramatic outlook.