Incumbents Re-elected to City Council

All three incumbents in the Gaithersburg City election tonight kept their seats, defeating two challengers.

Ryan Spielgel was the top vote-getter, racking up 26 percent of the vote.

Jud Ashman received 24 percent of the vote, and Cathy Drzyzgula about 23 percent of the vote.

Tom Rowse came in fourth, with 14 percent of the vote, and Paula Ross earned just 12 percent.

"I'm disappointed," Rowse said after the results were read. "This doesn't bode well for the city."

Ross declined to comment.

The incumbents were overjoyed despite the low turnout.

"The turnout was disappointing, but it's what we expected," Drzyzgula said.

Spiegel said he was proud to have received the most votes out of all the candidates.

"I'm honored to have been re-elected," he said. "All the candidates fought hard. I'm glad the voters felt my hard work and commitment to them warranted a second term."

Ashman was also appreciative of the voters.

"I'm so honored to have once again the trust of the residents," he said, adding that he also wasn't surprised at the low voter turnout.

"It's usually driven by a mayoral race or a hot issue. But when people are generally satisfied they don't come out as much."

Low turnout was the theme of the day, as clear skies and temperatures in the high 60s couldn't be blamed for keeping voters away from the polls.

According to the city website: "2,895 voters cast ballots out of 31,137 registered voters, or 9.30%.  Voter turnout in the 2009 City of Gaithersburg election for Mayor and two City Council members was 12.92%."

There were few issues at the polls, election officials reported, other than an early morning dispute over