Potomac businesswoman Tammy Darvish is considering entering the race for the Democratic nomination for Montgomery County executive in 2018.
Darvish told Bethesda Beat on Saturday that she’s been talking with friends and potential supporters about running and that she will have additional conversations in the weeks ahead. Feb. 27 is the filing deadline for the June 26 primary.
“There have been enough inquiries over the last couple of weeks that it certainly has given me a reason to pause and really think about it,” she said. “I have served the county in many ways over the last 30 years—and to me, being county executive is a very interesting way to continue to serve.”
Darvish would be the seventh candidate and second woman in the Democratic race. The other candidates are County Council members Roger Berliner, Marc Elrich and George Leventhal; businessman David Blair; state Del. Bill Frick; and former Rockville Mayor Rose Krasnow. Robin Ficker is the only announced Republican candidate.
Darvish said County Executive Ike Leggett and his wife, Catherine, with whom she has had a close relationship, “have accomplished many, many things and will be a tough act to follow.” She said she has not talked with the Leggetts about her possible candidacy.
For 30 years Darvish worked at Darcars, her family’s automobile business, which, according to the company’s website, is the 28th largest dealership group in the country. As executive vice president, Darvish was the public face of the company and one of the most senior and well-known female executives in the automobile dealership world.
Darvish’s tenure at Darcars ended abruptly and publicly in 2014 when her father, John Darvish Sr., the Darcars founder, stripped her of her authority and appointed his two sons from a different marriage, John Jr. and Jamie, as successors.
Tammy Darvish filed a lawsuit in 2014 seeking damages equal to one-third of the value of the automotive empire. In 2016, a Montgomery County Circuit Court judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying she did not have a legal claim to a share of the company.
Darvish recently resigned as executive vice president and chief operating office of PenFed Credit Union, a position she had held since January 2015.
Darvish is well known in the county for her volunteer and philanthropic activities. In 2014, she was named Philanthropist of the Year by the Community Foundation for Montgomery County.
