INCUMBENTS BACKED VOTERS PICKING SCHOOL, COLLEGE DISTRICT LEADERS.

Byline: Alex Dobuzinskis Staff Writer

GLENDALE - Incumbents Greg Krikorian and Chuck Sambar and a challenger were leading Tuesday in the race for three seats on the Glendale Unified School District board, according to absentee returns.

In the election for three Glendale Community College District board seats, incumbents Anita Gabrielian, Armine Hacopian and Victor King were also ahead of challenger Linda Sheffield.

``I'm very humbled by the community support. By the support not only from parents but from the students and the business community,'' Krikorian said.

Krikorian, 42, who lead all the school board candidates, said his priorities if re-elected include reducing class size and supporting teachers. ``The campaign was a grass roots campaign from all gamuts of the community, all facets of the community,'' Krikorian said.

The second-highest vote getter in the school board race was Nayiri Nahabedian, 35, who teaches at California State University, Los Angeles. During the campaign, Nahabedian said her top priorities include building consensus among parents, teachers, students and board members.

The vacant third seat in the GUSD board race was created by the retirement of board member Lina Harper. Sambar, 65, the incumbent, held a slight lead over substitute teacher Joylene Wagner, 51, in the race for that third seat, according to early results.

Challengers Hasmig Aslanian, Louise Foote, Naira Khachatrian, Sally Nilssen and Maria Prieto Rochart were trailing in early returns.

In the Community College District race, the incumbents said they expect the search for a new president of the college board to be an important part of their job in the months ahead.

King noted that President John Davitt has been at the helm of the college for 20 years, adding that experience and reliability proved to be the key issues in the campaign.

``Because if you're going to change the presidency of Glendale College, and there's going to be a lot of change going on, you want stability. And electing the three incumbents provides stability in a time of change,'' King said.

With the results slow in coming - the Clerk's Office was still counting absentee ballots as midnight approached - Hacopian was pleased with the results.

``I feel great and I'm thankful for our citizens who went out and voted. I'm thankful for their trust for me for another four years and I just have to work much harder and I'm delighted to be of service to my community,'' she said.

Alex Dobuzinskis, [phone]

alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com