In 2005, Ardashes Kassakhian ran for the open Glendale City Clerk seat with the explicit goal of making elections in Glendale more transparent, accessible and secure. He was the youngest person ever elected to a Glendale municipal post in the city’s history. In 2020 Kassakhian ran for Council becoming the first City Clerk to be elected to Glendale’s City Council. And as of April 2022, it became his turn to take the reins, as the Mayor for the City of Glendale. We spoke with Mr. Kassakhian just before he was appointed Mayor to discuss the challenges of the Armenian community and the importance of activism. From ANCA-WR Director, to Glendale Mayor, Ardashes has been representing and fighting for the Armenian-American community for quite some time, and we were honored to hear his story and to share his experiences and wisdom with all of us.