Letter: Praise for a blog’s top vote-getter

I would like to thank Council members Laura Friedman, Ara Najarian, Zareh Sinanyan, Frank Quintero, former Councilman Rafi Manoukian, Mayor Dave Weaver, City Manager Scott Ochoa and the official voice of our city, Sgt. Tom Lorenz, for paving the road to winning the “Curbed Cup — L.A. Neighborhood Of the Year” award for the city of Glendale. Winning such an award does not happen by accident or by chance. It happens by a vision put together by the council, a road map created by the city manager, implemented by the city department heads and carried out by our dedicated civil servants.

The blog that is responsible for the award had a questionable tone about the validity of our city being voted the No. 1 neighborhood in Los Angeles. They also hinted at the possibility of a PR firm being hired by the city or by Rick Caruso to garner additional votes. Here we go again with the conspiracy theories. No, it is very simple. People in Southern California are finding out what we have known all along. As Friedman said, we have a diverse community, an excellent school district, a competent local government and the best first responders in the country. Our police officers and firefighters play a major role in maintaining that quality of life. All of the above is reconfirmed by developers who have committed to investing in new development projects in our city.

Throughout the years, I have seen our leaders and civil servants assassinated by the pen and in the opinion section of the News-Press. I think it is just as important to thank and give credit when it is earned. On behalf of the Manoukian family, thank you!

Sam S. Manoukian
Glendale