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Politics & Government

Spiegel Launches Reelection Campaign

Filing deadline for Gaithersburg City Council candidates is Sept. 19

Gaithersburg City Councilman Ryan Spiegel officially kicked off his reelection campaign Sunday afternoon at Griffith Park Pavilion with a crowd of about 30 supporters.

Spiegel, an attorney at Winston & Strawn LLP in Washington, D.C., was elected to his first term on the council in 2007. He was the only winning candidate on a three-person slate focused on fostering a more unified Gaithersburg, and Spiegel said Sunday that he is not running as a part of a slate this election cycle.

Council members serve staggered four-year terms. Council Vice President Jud Ashman and Councilwoman Cathy C. Drzyzgula, both in their first terms, are also up for reelection on Nov. 8. Both attended Spiegel’s campaign kick-off.

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Over the past four years, the council has focused its attention to economic development and achieved many gains, including overseeing growth in the local biotech industry and the starts of several large-scale development projects that stalled during the recession, Spiegel said. Spiegel also said the council has been effective in advocating for its needs at the county and state levels.

“There’s a lot of consensus among the council members. We’ve been able to rack up considerable success given the economic circumstances,” Spiegel said. “…The worst of it is certainly not over but I think we’ve been ahead of the game.”

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The most important issues facing the city over the next four years are economic development and job growth, sustainability, maintaining services for vulnerable residents, responsible budgeting and transportation, Spiegel said.

“We’ve had to make tough cuts but we’ve been able to retain a high level of services that our residents deserve,” said Spiegel, who has a 7-month-old son, Jack, with his wife Rachael.

Spiegel serves as the council’s liaison to the city’s community advisory committee and is a member of the National League of Cities’ Transportation Infrastructure and Services Policy Committee and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Climate, Energy and Environment Policy and the Metropolitan Development Policy committees. He is an alternate member on the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board and a board member at Youth Achieve Inc., a local youth development nonprofit.

“He’s been someone that all of us have realized has the best interests of the city of Gaithersburg at heart,” Mayor Sidney A. Katz said in a speech at the event on Sunday.  

Also in attendance were Gaithersburg Councilman Michael A. Sesma, County Councilman Marc B. Elrich (D-At large) of Takoma Park, Sen. Jennie M. Forehand (D-Dist. 17) of Rockville, Del. Luiz R. S. Simmons (D-Dist. 17) of Rockville, Del. Eric G. Luedtke (D-Dist. 14) of Burtonsville, Del. Craig J. Zucker (D-Dist. 14) of Brookeville and Del. Anne R. Kaiser (D-Dist. 14) of Burtonsville.

Candidates must turn in a petition signed by at least 100 registered Gaithersburg voters and other paperwork by Sept. 19. Candidate’s packets can be picked up between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at City Hall, 31 S. Summit Ave.

As of Sunday morning, Spiegel said he had raised about $3,000 in campaign donations. He collected about $6,000 in contributions in 2007.

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