Nevada ANC Marks 2006 as a Year of Progress and Success
ASBAREZ, 12/29/2006

LAS VEGAS–Bolstered by strong community support and a dedicated team
of volunteers, the Nevada Armenian National Committee (ANC) had a
banner year in 2006. The Silver State’s ANC chapter focused this year
on educating local, state and federal officials on issues of concern
to Nevada’s rapidly growing Armenian American community.

Thanks in large part to the work of the Nevada ANC, the state is home
to a delegation of House and Senate members who have consistently
offered strong support for Armenia in the U.S. Congress. The Nevada
ANC maintains strong and long-term relationships with incoming Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid, Sen.

John Ensign, Representatives Shelley Berkley and Jon Porter and
incoming Gov.

Jim Gibbons. The chapter also has a strong and positive working
relationship with Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and Las Vegas City
Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian, wife of famed basketball coach Jerry
Tarkanian.

"We are pleased with the growth of the Nevada ANC," remarked the
chapter’s co-chairman Ara Shirinian. "Our chapter is committed to
unifying our community around common issues that all Armenian
Americans support. As an example, this year we took some major strides
in working with Las Vegas officials to erect a monument in tribute to
the victims of the Armenian Genocide and worked to introduce a
genocide education curriculum in our public school system," Shirinian
added.

Incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a strong friend of the
Nevada ANC, has played a leading role in blocking the nomination of
Richard Hoagland to serve as America’s next ambassador to Armenia. In
a letter to the Nevada ANC this summer, Senator Reid shared that he
was "extremely concerned" by the reluctance of Richard Hoagland to
acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. Most recently, on December 1st,
Senator Reid called on President Bush to withdraw the Hoagland
nomination and propose a new candidate to serve in this important
diplomatic post. The incoming Majority Leader stressed that, in light
of the broad-based opposition within Congress, the extensive media
coverage this issue has received, and the strong stand of the Armenian
American community against the nomination, "it would serve neither our
national interests nor the U.S.-Armenia relationship to expect
Ambassador-designate Hoagland to carry out his duties under these
highly contentious and profoundly troubling circumstances."

Supporters of the Nevada ANC hosted a number of fundraisers in support
of area politicians. In July of this year, ANC supporters in the Las
Vegas area sponsored a fundraiser for Republican U.S. Senator John
Ensign. Ensign has emerged as a vocal proponent of U.S. recognition
of the Armenian Genocide and introduced an Armenian Genocide
resolution in the recently concluded 109th Congress. Also in 2006,
Nevada ANC supporters hosted a fundraiser for Congresswoman Shelley
Berkley, a member of the powerful House International Relations
Committee and an active member of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian
Issues.

"I believe the growth in Nevada’s Armenian American community has
provided a positive opportunity for our ANC chapter to grow as well,"
commented Nevada ANC co-chairman Dr. Armen Hovanessian. "And with the
recent changes in Washington, our good friend Senator Reid is now the
majority leader of the U.S.

Senate. All of this, the growth in our community and the change in
Washington, presents a golden opportunity for Nevada’s Armenian
American community to play a major role in advancing the Armenian
Cause," Hovanessian added.

During the course of the year, the Nevada ANC joined together with
other community organizations in participating in an April 24th
ceremony that drew over 400 participants. Among the public officials
who attended the ceremony were incoming Governor Jim Gibbons,
Congressmembers Shelley Berkley and Jon Porter and candidate forNevada
Secretary of StateDanny Tarkanian. Supporters of the Nevada ANC also
hosted a successful fundraising event for the ANCA at the home of
Dr. Armen and Lena Hovanessian.

The ANCA is the largest and most influential Armenian American
grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a
network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the United
States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA
actively advances the concerns of the Armenian-American community on a
broad range of issues

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress