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Congressman Engel endorses Armenian for Assembly

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f574542b3d939f_574542b3d93d5.thumbArdy Kassakhian announced on May 23 that Congressman Eliot Engel (NY-16) has endorsed his campaign for Assembly District 43, Asbarez reports.
A member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 1989, Engel has served as the Ranking Member of the powerful Committee on Foreign Affairs and is a member of the Congressional Armenian Caucus.

“I’m proud to join my colleagues in endorsing Ardy Kassakhian for California State Assembly,” stated Congressman Eliot Engel. “Ardy stands out for his extraordinary commitment to public service. I particularly value his strong understanding of critical issues not only at the local and state levels but also at the national level.”

Engel is the fourth member of Congress to endorse Ardy Kassakhian, joining Congressman Brad Sherman, who sits on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Financial Services, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, who serves as a Senior Whip in the Democratic Caucus, and Congressman Frank Pallone, who is the Ranking Member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

The official candidate of the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley, Ardy Kassakhian has demonstrated broad community support. Since launching his campaign last year, he has raised more than $600,000 and received endorsements from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, State Treasurer John Chiang, Secretary of State Alex Padilla, State Superintendent of Instruction Tom Torlakson, and a broad coalition of labor unions, including the California Labor Federation, the Los Angeles Police Protective League, IATSE Local 80, Teamsters Joint Council 42, Painters and Allied Trades District Council 36, and the Glendale City Employees Association.

Ardy Kassakhian grew up and attended public schools in Glendale. He was first elected Glendale City Clerk in 2005. As Clerk, he has reduced government waste by introducing environmentally sound practices, made election information easier to access and worked to increase voter participation. Ardy graduated from UCLA and the Executive Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He lives with his wife Courtney and their young son in Glendale.

Ardy Kassakhian is running to represent Assembly District 43, which includes the communities of Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta-Montrose and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz and Silver Lake. The primary election will be held on June 7, 2016. To learn more about ArdyKassakhian, visit his website at www.ArdyforAssembly.com or follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Congressman Engel: Turkey must acknowledge crimes of its forefathers

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May 2, 2014 – 13:42 AMT

178536Upon his return from Armenia which marked the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, U.S. Congressman Eliot Engel wrote a letter to The Riverdale Press.

The letter said, “I just returned from Armenia as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation and had the opportunity to mark the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Yerevan. This horrific chapter in the bloodiest century in history, which began in 1915, resulted in the slaughter of 1.5 million innocent Armenians.

These murders were a terrible tragedy for the Armenian people. They still bear the scars today, and the barbarity inflicted on the Armenians also led to a century of genocide and ethnic-cleansing.

When Hitler sneered, “Who after all speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?,” we see the link between indifference to the Armenians and the murder of six million Jews. This same mindset has influenced too many thuggish leaders over the past century —leaders convinced that they can kill and brutalize their peoples with impunity.

“We owe it to history and to humanity to remember the victims of the Armenian Genocide – for their sake, and for the sake of all of us.”

Turkey needs to, at a minimum, apologize to Armenians and acknowledge the crimes of its forefathers. By offering his condolences for those who died, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken a welcome step forward — but his words fall far short of an official apology.

Turkey owes that to itself, too, for Turkish society will be stronger for having acknowledged the truth.

I want to express to the Armenian people my great sorrow and deepest condolences. And I say to them, as we say regarding the Holocaust, “Never again”,” the Congressmen stressed in his letter.