08-04-09, Mike Mohill’s Oral Communications Commentary before the Glendale City Council, “Racial Insensitivity”

When I read the city council report in the GNP blog by new city council reporter Melanie Hicken (Council members take aim at gadfly’s racial insensitivity), I did not know how to react. Should I ignore her remarks or fight back? I have chosen to fight back.

It is obvious that Ms. Hicken does not understand the city politics and why Councilman Drayman attacked me. Glee was in the eyes of Councilman Weaver and Mayor Quintero, too. I was also a little disappointed in the remarks by Councilman Najarian.

To call me “racially insensitive” is a very sinister attack. Need I go before council with my “ethnically diversified” friends from our local World Gym or my equally “ethnically diversified” neighbors who thanked me for getting the city, after years of neglect, to take care of the “pot holes” along East Glenoaks Blvd.?

What I said the other afternoon at the city council was that the city needed more parks and soccer fields in the southern part of Glendale. Our councilmen knew without me saying a word that the large open space areas of the city and soccer fields are in the northern part of the city, in areas where the voters turn out in great numbers compared to the southern voters. These are also the voters who give the most amount of campaign money to council candidates.

What I said was “Armenians like soccer, right Councilman Najarian?” “Hispanics like soccer, right Mayor Quintero.” That was labeled racism by Councilman Drayman and Najarian.

I ask the citizens of Glendale, is that statement racism? All one has to do is check out any sports page regarding soccer and note the participants by far are not Anglos. Neither are the kids who primarily play soccer in Glendale.

So, who is a racist?

In the evening council session I brought out the point that back in 2007, when I did not know the council candidates or city issues, I did not want to see another Armenian on council. So I voted for Drayman and Weaver’s ethnic backgrounds and not character and their record. Councilman Najarian found my statement insulting as an Armenian. For that I apologized to the public.

I ask the citizens of Glendale how many times have you voted for someone because they were your own ethnic background, religion, sex or etc., and not on one’s character and record?

Looking back, I think it takes a “bigger man” who is not a politician to admit when he is wrong, as I did, and tell the world rather than hide in the closet like a coward.

Mike Mohill, resident

818 383 5001