(Glendale, California) — On Thursday, May 25, the Friends of the ANCA Western Region, led by community activist Ronnie Gharibian, organized a welcome reception for the newly-selected Mayor of the City of Glendale, Dan Brotman.

The event was held at the Glen Arden Club in Glendale to warmly welcome Brotman to his new posting, introduce members of the community, and provide an opportunity for ANCA Western Region supporters to meet and greet the many public officials in attendance.

As the city with one of the largest Armenian constituencies in the worldwide Armenian Diaspora, and home of the headquarters of the ANCA Western Region, Glendale serves as a home away from home for many Armenian community members as City leaders consistently and ably serve their needs both locally and globally. The ANCA Western Region and its local chapters work closely with the City to address issues ranging from the need to combat Armenophobia to standing in strong solidarity with Artsakh facing the threat of genocide and ethnic cleansing at the hands of the genocidal regime in Baku, in addition to finding ways to build on the sister city relationship between Glendale and Martuni to deliver tangible results to both cities and communities.

The event was organized to express gratitude to the City of Glendale for providing a safe haven for many of our community institutions and organizations to thrive. Nearly one hundred community leaders and organizational representatives attended the event to show their support and appreciation including the Western Diocese, Western Prelacy, Armenian Cultural Foundation, Armenian American Museum, Armenian Consulate, Armenian Educational Foundation, Hamazkayin, Homenetmen, St. Mary’s Church, Chamlian Armenian School, and numerous ACF and ANCA Western Region local chapters. ANCA Western Region’s Coalition and Community Development Director, Edward Barsoumian, kicked off the evening with a welcome address and thanked attendees.

“It’s an incredible honor to be Mayor of a city that has such a rich Armenian community. I’ve made many friends, and hope to deepen my ties to the community in this coming year”, said Mayor Brotman, after being introduced by Ronnie Gharibian, Friend of the ANCA Western Region.

Dan Brotman was first sworn in as a Glendale City Council Member in April 2020. Brotman has over twenty years of professional experience, first as an economist at the Federal Reserve and then for 16 years in various finance roles at Cisco Systems. Brotman first moved to Glendale in 2015 to teach economics at Glendale College and has since been involved in several community organizations. He co-founded the Glendale Environmental Coalition and was Chair of the SoCal 350 Climate Action Legislative Committee, and was most recently selected as Mayor of Glendale on April 4, 2023, succeeding former Mayor Ardashes (Ardy) Kasshakian.

The reception also honored Kassakhian’s decades of involvement, service and dedication to the Armenian-American community and to the City of Glendale during his mayoral term. He was introduced and thanked by his colleague, attorney and Glendale’s Civil Service Commissioner, Garo Ghazarian. “Thank you for honoring me with the privilege to serve the city I grew up in and love. I will continue to work with you (the residents of Glendale) to make Glendale the best city that it can be, and I’m ready to support our new mayor in every way possible to make sure that his successes are our collective successes,” said Kassakhian.

Friend of the ANCA Western Region, Ayana Z. Hamamjyan, introduced Glendale’s new executive leaders, including Chief of Police Manny Cid, and Fire Chief Timothy Ernst who were also welcomed to the City at the reception and were given well-wishes by community members, organizations, and officials for a long, fruitful career serving the residents of Glendale.

The event was well-attended by city leadership including the entire Glendale City Council, Glendale Community College Board Members, Glendale Unified School District Board Members, as well as the City Manager, City Clerk, Glendale Police Department Deputy Chief, GUSD Superintendent, and GUSD President.

Glendale is home to the largest Armenian community in Los Angeles County, and is the vibrant central hub of Armenian-American culture, with many businesses, schools, churches, and organizations that serve the needs and interests of the Armenian diaspora.