GCC Economics professor Dan Brotman won a seat on the Glendale City Council  when the results were finally announced on March 27. Of the eight candidates for three seats, Brotman came in third place, edging out the incumbent Vartan Gharpetian by a substantial margin; with Paula Devine in first place and City Clerk Ardy Khassakian in second.

City councilman will be Brotman’s first political office after a long career as an economist during which he worked with the FED and in the private sector in Asia for many years before settling down in Glendale to teach economics at GCC.  Brotman became an environmental activist and co-founder of the Glendale Environmental Coalition, which was instrumental in deterring Glendale from opening the dirty gas Greyson Power plant and replacing it with a renewable energy plan that saved the city $174 million.

“I have a deep admiration for people from all places and all walks of life. I believe everyone deserves a roof over their head and access to basic education, healthcare, and nutrition. We all are better when the least well off among us are provided for. I also believe we are responsible for leaving behind a healthier and more stable world than the one we inherited,” Brotman stated on his campaign web page.

He has plans for a greener Glendale that includes more trees, fewer cars, and more mass transit and housing options. Because his new job will keep him busy, Brotman told El Vaquero he plans to continue teaching no more than one class per semester at GCC.

A. Heimer can be reached at [email protected]