Whether to appoint or elect

In response to the Glendale News-Press editorial, “A special election is the right answer,” April 6: The correct question is what process should the city follow to select a person to replace Rafi Manoukian until the special election. According to the city staff report, “The Charter requires that the Council first attempt to fill the vacancy by making an appointment.”

The city’s Charter states, “a person appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve until such time as a successor may be elected at the earliest of the next general municipal election, or the next county or statewide election, with which a city election may be consolidated.”

The next county election is scheduled for November of this year.

As for the process that will be used to select a replacement, I hope the City Council will invite interested citizens to submit applications and select one of them prior to May 27.

I am confident that a majority of the City Council will agree on a replacement by May 27. If they can’t, the Charter requires the Council to schedule a special election.

Berdj Karapetian
Glendale

Editor’s note: The writer is chairman of the Glendale chapter of the Armenian National Committee of America.