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Ardashes "Ardy" Kassakhian is the Glendale City Clerk since 2005, an elected office, and is a Democratic Party candidate for the 43rd State Assembly District of the State of California in the November 8, 2016 election. He is opposed by another Democrat, Glendale City Councilwoman, Laura Friedman.

Early Life
Ardy Kassakhian was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1976. His father, Dr. Garabed Kassakhian, was a graduate student and lecturer at Harvard University's Chemistry department, and later was an environmental scientist and analytic chemist. Dr. Kassakhian and his mother Loussik Kassakhian, a career Glendale public school science teacher, moved to Glendale when Ardy Kassakhian was small child years. Ardy Kassakhian attended John Marshall Elementary School, R.D. White Elementary School and Woodrow Wilson Junior High School in Glendale. . Ardy attended Glendale High School, where he was involved in student government and journalism and graduated in 1994.

Education
As a student at University of California, Los Angeles where he studied History, Kassakhian participated in the University's Center for American Politics and Public Policy Program in Washington, D.C. While in Washington, Kassakhian interned in Congress for both Republican and Democratic Congressional offices. Also as a student leader at UCLA, Kassakhian led the grassroots effort to oppose the establishment of a Turkish studies chair by the Republic of Turkey. The decision was a watershed victory for Armenian-Americans who were concerned about the corruption of American academia by the government of Turkey and its agents of Genocide denials. Ardy studied history with a special emphasis on Armenia and the Near East, and completed the UCLA Center for American Politics and Public Policy Washington, DC program. Ardy also served as the summer internship coordinator of the Armenian Assembly of America in Washington, DC.

Career
In 2000, Kassakhian joined the public relations firm of Stoorza, Ziegaus & Metzger, California’s second largest independently owned firm, which specialized in government relations and public affairs. At Stoorza Kassakhian worked on a variety of issues for both public and private sector clients including Fortune 500 companies and employee unions. During his professional career, Kassakhian has run a number of local, state and federal campaigns to register voters and Get Out The Vote. Kassakhian was the Executive Director of Western U.S. offices of a local non-profit which specializes in voters’ rights, advocacy and public policy (Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region). During the last 8 years, Kassakhian has helped educate non-English speaking citizens in Glendale about the voting process. He has been a poll worker in Glendale and implemented policies that increased voter participation in Glendale and surrounding areas. Ardy Kassakhian has lectured on the importance of civic responsibility to numerous college campus groups and teaching a class in Government and Political History at a private school in Hollywood, California. Kassakhian became a candidate for City Clerk on November 24, 2004 campaigning on voter outreach, education, affordable housing and public safety.

2016 Election
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, Congressman Brad Sherman (CA-30) Congresswoman Jackie Speier (CA-14),Congressman Eliot Engel (NY-16), Congressman Frank Pallone (NJ-06) the Armenian National Committee of America and the Armenian Assembly of America, the Stonewall Democratic clubs, labor unions.

Public School Privatization Controversy: Ardy Kassakhian opposes the privatization of California's public schools by private charter schools. The California Charter School Association, EdSource, and private lobbying firm "Parent Teacher Alliance" oppose Ardy Kassakhian and have spent $1.5 million in negative advertisements against Ardy Kassakhian's candidacy.