Meet Ardy

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Ardy moved to Glendale, Calif. with his parents as a young child. The middle child, Ardy grew up in Glendale and attended Glendale public schools. Both of his parents worked tirelessly to provide for their children and achieve the American Dream – a good job, a home, and a better future for their kids. Ardy’s father was a pioneer in the field of environmental chemistry working on ways to clean our contaminated air, water and soil.

He worked on Superfund sites throughout California and the U.S. and taught his children that it is our responsibility to take care of our planet so we pass it on to the next generation. His mother worked for over 25 years as a public school teacher in Glendale teaching chemistry and science. She raised Ardy and his two brothers to always appreciate what they had and work hard to ease the burden on those who had less.

As soon as Ardy was able to work he took a minimum wage job working in retail at the Glendale Galleria while attending UCLA full time to complete his B.A. He worked evenings and weekends to help pay for his tuition. While in college, Ardy began volunteering for local campaigns and became a community organizer.

He worked on voter registration for the elderly, citizens who could not speak English well and younger voters. Fighting to give a voice to underserved groups became a passion for him which sent him on a path to Washington, D.C. where he interned for members of Congress and learned first-hand the importance of having a voice in politics and, most importantly, when and how to use that voice to bring about change.

After working in Washington, Ardy returned to California and worked for a public affairs firm where he met his wife, Courtney. Ardy later worked for the Armenian National Committee of America, Western Region where he worked on policy issues related to immigrant rights, voting rights, genocide awareness and prevention and other issues on the local, state and federal levels of government.

In 2005, Ardy ran for the open Glendale City Clerk seat with the explicit goal of making elections in Glendale more transparent, accessible and secure. The voters of Glendale overwhelmingly voted for him over 8 other candidates making him the youngest person ever elected to a Glendale municipal post in the city’s history. While City Clerk, Ardy was able to continue his formal education, while working full-time, and was accepted to Northwestern University for a Master’s in Public Policy and Administration which he used to learn more about how effective government agencies develop policies and implement best practices across the U.S. Over the years, Ardy has also completed the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government program in addition to the Coro Executive Program.  Today, Ardy shares his experiences and knowledge of government in the classroom as a college instructor teaching political science and introduction to government at Glendale Community College.

As a current Council Member and the former City Clerk, Ardy has proudly served the City of Glendale for almost 20 years. As the elected Clerk from 2005-2020, Ardy focused on issues of good governance, including the use of technology, accountability, improved transparency to increase civic engagement, and building greater trust in our democratic systems of government. Since being elected to City Council in March 2020, Ardy has helped lead the city through its response to the COVID pandemic and continued to put forth policies that help make Glendale a desirable place to live and do business. Achievements through his first term include initiating the establishment of a Glendale Poet Laureate, spearheaded the creation of Sadao S. Munemore Square honoring Munemori, a former Glendale resident and the only Japanese American to be awarded the Medal of Honor for action in World War II. Ardy also serves as chair of the CA Department of Motor Vehicles Board and is a member of the Metropolitan Water District Board. If re-elected to City Council, he will continue to fight for issues that affect every Glendale resident, including opposing overdevelopment, fighting crime, protecting neighborhoods, improving transportation and traffic planning, demanding more affordable housing, promoting the arts, and building more parks and open spaces for families and residents to improve their quality of life in the city we all love.

Ardy lives in Glendale with his wife Courtney who is an educator and administrator.  Courtney went to USC and Ardy is a Bruin but they are still happily married. Their son will have a tough time deciding where to apply to college.