In a state of six million, the Armenian community can count on three individuals that constitute their political voice in the state's legislative bodies. The senior ranking Armenian American official, Senator Linda Melconian, has over three decades of political experience and is the highest-ranking female legislator in the state. Two other Armenian Americans, Representatives Rachel Kaprielian and Peter Koutoujian, have joined her within the last decade on Beacon Hill.
SENATOR LINDA J. MELCONIAN, MAJORITY LEADER OF THE HOUSE
Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, Linda Melconian's major break came in 1971 as an aide to House Majority Whip Rep. Thomas "Tip" O'Neill (D-MA). She became the first woman to have access to the floor of the House as a professional member of the leadership staff.
She greatly respects O'Neill's legacy in American politics, "If he believed something was wrong, he was not afraid to comment and to question it."
As Rep. O'Neill's aide, she worked tirelessly and assumed countless responsibilities including writing House floor statements, maintaining contact with Democratic representatives and keeping her boss abreast of new developments. She also planned for the future by enrolling in law school part-time and maintained ties to her alma mater by working as Washington director for her college's internship program that placed prospective candidates in positions throughout the government and press.
In 1976, Robert A. Kaloosdian of the Armenian Assembly approached Linda Melconian with a vision to create a political internship program for students of Armenian descent. He asked Melconian if she could arrange to place Armenian interns at congressional offices. Melconian jumped at the idea and was successful at placing four interns in O'Neill's office during the program's inaugural year. To date the Assembly's internship program has hosted over 700 students.
Her boss soon became Majority House leader and later Speaker of the House—the third most important politician in the nation. Throughout this period, the desire to run for office slowly germinated in the young aide's mind until 1982 when she was first elected to the State Senate as a representative for her home district in western Massachusetts.
Through the decades, she rose through Democratic Party ranks to become Assistant Majority Leader in 1996 and Majority Floor Leader of the Massachusetts Senate two years later. She sponsors an annual golf tournament that has raised more than $180,000 for battered women's shelters in her district and is a fierce advocate for women's issues. Her advocacy work is equally impressive in the field of children's and seniors' issues, criminal justice and health care.
Always conscious of her Armenian heritage, she attended the Third International Armenian International Women's Association's conference in Yerevan last year as a participant on a panel titled, "Women and Politics."
"It was very memorable and great fun. I enjoyed networking with women from around the world. I found many things unsettling in Armenia and it was evident that the Republic needs an infusion of Western dollars. The people were wonderful, eager to work and wanted to move forward. They have their freedom but now they need to concentrate on the economy," she says of the unique opportunity to share her political experience.
STATE REPRESENTATIVES PETER J. KOUTOUJIAN AND RACHEL KAPRIELIAN
In the nineties, two other Greater Boston natives have become vocal advocates for Armenian Americans in the State's House of Representatives, Rachel Kaprielian and Peter Koutoujian.
Rep. Kaprielian is only 32 and already a veteran with a decade of political experience. Elected in 1990 to the Watertown City Council, she became State Representative for Watertown and parts of Newton at the age of 26.
A native of east Watertown's Armenian community she understands the city's special place in the heart of Armenians.
"I love Watertown because it's a mosaic of different cultures and experiences. We had cultural harmony before it was a cool thing. My grandfather arrived here in 1921 and my grandmother around 1915. They both lived into their nineties and their adult lives were spent within five or six blocks of east Watertown," she says of her family's history in the region, "Watertown is a little pocket, I'm not sure what created that but part of it is the ethnic feel."
She attributes her entry into politics as being very much 'a Watertown thing.' After returning home from college she worked on her predecessor's State Representative campaign and thoroughly enjoyed it. Her father suggested she run for office and after she exhausted all possible reasons not to take the challenge, she set her sights on the city council.
As city councillor, she tackled the problems of recycling, senior services and the fiscal restructuring of Watertown. As State Representative, she was fully a generation younger than most legislators, "I didn't have any peers. The next youngest woman was 35 and was at a different point in her life than I was. Many members had never dealt with a young woman who was not in a supporting or clerical role."
Always committed to her constituents, she holds open office hours twice a month in the Town Diner. She received the John F. Kennedy Library's Fenn Award for Political Leadership, publicly advocates a closer look at older women and poverty and is a strong proponent of public education.
She credits her American mother for her involvement in the Armenian community, "My mother grew up in rural Georgia, met my dad and visited Watertown. She thought it was the coolest place and began taking Armenian cooking and language classes. She was the reason I went to Armenian school."
Rep. Peter J. Koutoujian's Irish mother was equally supportive of his Armenian heritage, "My mother drove me to Armenian school. When I went to high school it was my mother along with other parents who gathered enough signatures so that Armenian had to be offered by law in Waltham. She thought it was important that I know my culture and my people. I truly feel like I am 100% Armenian and 100% Irish."
Rep. Koutoujian's entry into politics was not as direct as his Watertown colleague's. Soured by his early exposure to state politics, he chose law and established an office out of his dad's small real estate office. Later, he was fortunate to be chosen as an assistant district attorney and taught law part-time at the Massachusetts School of Law in Andover. After four years, he realized it was time to leave the D.A.'s office and make his entree into politics.
"I thought I could do a better job and I campaigned harder than anyone I know. I knocked on more doors, I returned more phone calls and I ran a very smart campaign," he remarks about his early success.
His election would be a source of pride in the community and he welcomed the challenge, "I saw it as an opportunity to be more involved in Armenian issues and causes. I've been involved with a number of organizations, sponsored bills and have been active lobbying Congress. Often Armenians feel more comfortable calling an Armenian in order to access their government because they don't feel connected otherwise."
Representing the district of Waltham, he never shies away from speaking up for his cultural community. When the Armenian Parliamentary assassinations occurred in 1999, the House was in session and Rep. Koutoujian remembers taking the floor to express his pride in the strides the young Republic had made and his sadness at the fatal incident. "The House was hushed and there was a moment of silence. Many colleagues came up to me to give their condolences," he remembers.
He is a champion of cancer issues, the rights of the disabled and many women's issues. He has also put forth legislation to create an Armenian Genocide memorial in the heart of Boston as part of the Great Artery Project, commonly called the 'Big Dig'—one of the most expensive highway projects in the history of the world.
"Someone in Boston spoke to me about the fact that there is an Irish Great Hunger Memorial, a Jewish Holocaust Memorial and could we create an Armenian Genocide Memorial. I knew that the Holocaust Memorial was part of the project 10 years ago when there were more funds for beautification projects. I approached the administration of the Big Dig with the idea that if we could get the money to build it we wanted some space. I drafted legislation and now they are looking into site issues and a private-public partnership," he notes.
The memorial received a boost when an anonymous donor came forward to donate one million dollars to the project. Now that money issues are no longer a concern, the project that is co-sponsored by Rep. Kaprielian is a step closer to reality.
In fact, both Kaprielian and Koutoujian have found they have a number of things in common and together penned an op-ed article that appeared in December 3rd's Boston Herald denouncing the U.S.'s memory hole in regards to the Armenian Genocide. They are also working to ensure Armenian American political voices are heard in the future. "It hasn't been easy because Armenians culturally don't become political as an entire body. We don't tend to go towards public service but to private mercantilism," says an optimistic Koutoujian, "I see the wall between different groups coming down. There's a strong young Armenian community but they've drifted to a degree. I hope to bring them back to associate with other young Armenians."
