Citing Health Reasons, Antioch Councilman Will Not Seek Re-Election

During Tuesday night’s Antioch City Council, Councilman Gary Agopian announced that due to health reasons, he has decided not to seek re-election later this year and will not be campaigning.

Agopian stated that he “loved this community” and he will continue to serve until he is no longer able after he had discussions with his wife and family. He will also work in coordination with other City Councilmembers to ensure all meetings are covered by the City Council.

Last September, Agopian announced that he had been diagnosed with brain cancer and would seek immediate treatment which has continued.

Agopian has lived in Antioch since 1995. In 2004, he was elected to the Antioch Unified School District Board of Trustees and was elected to the Antioch City Council in 2010.

Editors Comment:
Our thoughts and prayers are with Gary Agopian and his family this evening as we know this decision could not be an easy one to make and was even harder to publicly announce.  Gary has a love of Antioch that can rarely be matched–if it is even possible to match. He sees positives in his city and sees the potential in the future of Antioch which others may overlook. He realizes that one day a better Antioch will become a reality and continues to work towards his goals. His hope and dedication to doing the right things, even when faced in a difficult situation, is an inspiration to all. We can all learn something from how Gary has treated his community and how he is continuing to serve with honor not knowing what the next day may bring. Most importantly, even in disagreement, he has always been a class-act and treated people with respect. Come November, there will be some pretty big shoes to fill on the City Council.