Burbank, Calif. - Longtime community activist Garen ¬Yegparian has qualified for the ballot in the Burbank City Council's February 24, 2009, election. If elected, he will become the first Armenian-American to serve on Burbank's top elective body.

Mr. Yegparian, 46, is a technical research analyst with the City of Los Angeles. An alumnus of the University of Pennsylvania, he was born in Beirut and raised in New Jersey. He has lived in Burbank for more than a decade.

A former chairperson of the Armenian National Committee of Burbank, Mr. Yegparian said he hopes to hold elected officials more fiscally accountable and help improve livability in Burbank, which has more than 10,000 Armenians among its 100,000 residents.

Mr. Yegparian, who currently serves as chairperson of Burbank's Park and Recreation Board and is on the Transit Services task force, has been a member of several civic bodies including the Burbank Charter Review Committee, the Burbank Campaign Finance Reform Committee, the Burbank Community Development Goals Committee, and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy's Advisory Committee (as Burbank representative).

Mr. Yegparian's service with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is a reflection of his commitment to environmental protection and stewardship. A hiker and a veteran volunteer leader with the Sierra Club, he received a Sierra Club award in 2008, for a series of hikes he led with California's attorney general, various legislators, and municipal officials from Burbank, Glendale, and Los Angeles.

There are three seats up for grabs in Burbank's primary election in February, with 13 candidates vying for the three City Council positions.

"I expect my longtime involvement in Burbank, as well as my platform to continue the high-level of city services, like police and fire protection, will resonate with the voters," Mr. Yegparian said. "I also will fight to enhance our parks and recreational services and provide more cost-efficient public transit."