There are less than eight months until Gaithersburg’s citywide elections, and three of the incumbents’ seats are up for grabs on Nov. 8.
The first-year Council terms of Jud Ashman, Cathy Drzyzgula and Ryan Spiegel are up for reelection this year, and all three incumbents said they are seeking elected office again.
“I am planning on running for reelection, but don’t expect any official announcement in the near future,” said Drzyzgula in a Feb. 7 e-mail. Council members Ashman and Spiegel also confirmed they are planning to seek a second term.
Deer Park resident and city volunteer Tom Rowse, a regular presence at City Council meetings this year, told The Town Courier he is also running for a Council seat.
Rowse ran in the 2009 election and lost his bid for city office against City Council incumbents Henry Marraffa and Michael Sesma. He received 1,400 votes, or over 22 percent. There were 3,631 ballots cast in the 2009 election.
As of Jan. 31, 2011, there were 30,378 registered voters in Gaithersburg. During the 2009 election, there were 28,098 registered voters in the city. The deadline to register to vote in the November city election is October 24.
At press time, a work session was scheduled for March 14 to discuss some of the upcoming deadlines for the Nov. 8 election.