David P. Tikoian is an Armenian-American politician and retired police chief from Smithfield, Rhode Island.

David Tikoian
Member of the Rhode Island Senate
from the 22nd district
Assumed office
January 3rd, 2023
Preceded byStephen Archambault
Personal details
Born (1968-07-09) July 9, 1968 (age 56)
Smithfield, Rhode Island
NationalityArmenian
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materCommunity College of Rhode Island and Bryant University
ProfessionPolice Major
Websitehttps://www.rilegislature.gov/senators/tikoian/Pages/Biography.aspx

Early life and education

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Tikoian was born in Smithfield, Rhode Island on July 9th, 1968. In 1986 he graduated from Smithfield High School. After high school he obtained an associates degree from the Community College of Rhode Island in 1988, and in 1990 he graduated from Bryant University with a BS in Business Administration. He finished his education two years later in 1992 after completing his training at the Rhode Island State Police Academy.[1]

Career

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Tikoian had a long career with the Rhode Island State Police spanning 25 years. In his first 22 years in the force he worked his way to becoming a Major where he oversaw a budget of nearly 100 million dollars.[2] After which he was appointed as Police Chief of North Providence[3] where he turned the department around earning it an accreditation[2]

In 2020 Tikoian Started his political career when he ran for election on the Smithfield Town Council. Tikoian won his bid and served a 2 year term on the Council.[1] After his time on the Town Council Tikoian decided to continue his political career by running for the 22nd district's seat in the Rhode Island Senate. Tikoian successfully won his bid by a margin of 800 votes,[4] and started his 4 year term on January 3rd 2023.

Electoral history

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Sources:[5][6]

Smithfield Town Council Elections, 2020
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Tikoian 5,862 12.6%
Democratic Suzanna Alba 5,574 12.0%
Democratic Sean Kilduff 5,049 10.9%
Democratic T. Michael Lawton 4,934 10.6%
Democratic Angelica Bovis 4,587 9.9%
Republican Marina Emin 4,535 9.7%
Republican Philip Hirons Jr 4,412 9.5%
Republican Rosanne Morales 3,992 8.6%
Republican James Archer 3,989 8.6%
Republican Zofia Grzegorzewska 3,509 7.5%
Other Write-in 75 0.2%
Rhode Island State Senate: District 22 Democratic Primary, 2022
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Tikoian 1,879 63.9%
Democratic Melanie Dupont 1,060 36.1%
Rhode Island State Senate: District 22 Democratic Primary, 2022
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Tikoian 5,869 53.5%
Republican Paul Santucci 5,081 46.3%
Other Write-in 30 0.3%

References

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  1. ^ a b "State of Rhode Island General Assembly". www.rilegislature.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  2. ^ a b Getzoyan, Pauline (2020-12-09). "David Tikoian's latest venture, the political arena". The Armenian Weekly. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  3. ^ Levenson, Amanda (2017-08-29). "Tikoian sworn in as police chief, pledges to be accessible and visible". The Valley Breeze. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  4. ^ Getzoyan, Pauline (2022-11-09). "David Tikoian elected a State Senator of Rhode Island". The Armenian Weekly. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  5. ^ "RI.gov: Election Results". www.ri.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  6. ^ "David Tikoian". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2024-04-16.