Three City Council seats are up for grabs at the City of Gaithersburg’s 2023 elections on Nov. 7. Those who are elected will serve four-year terms on the council.
On Aug. 28, the Gaithersburg Board of Supervisors of Elections certified the six candidates running for City Council: Neil Harris, Yamil Hernández, Daniel Lukomsky, Shanika Whitehurst, Omodamola Williams and Robert Wu.
While five council members usually serve on the Gaithersburg City Council, currently there are only four members. In June, former council member Ryan Spiegel was selected by the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee to fill a vacant seat in District 17 of the Maryland General Assembly House of Delegates, leaving one seat open.
Incumbent councilmembers Harris and Wu are seeking reelection this year.
About the candidates
Harris, 68, is a 35-year Gaithersburg resident who has served on the City Council since 2014, according to his candidate profile. He is a senior program manager for Amazon Web Services and serves on the Metropolitan-Washington Council of Government’s Transportation Planning Board.
Hernández, 46, has lived in Gaithersburg for seven years and has worked on the Animal Control Board and Business Development Committee for the city, according to his candidate profile. He served on the U.S. Coast Guard and is now the chief business officer and co-founder of ExeGi Pharma, a life sciences company based in Rockville.
Lukomsky, 48, is a six-year Gaithersburg resident and is currently the vice president of portfolio management at Homes for America, a non-profit housing development company based in Annapolis. He also writes about local issues on Patch.com.
Whitehurst, 45, has lived in Gaithersburg for five years and is one of the founders of the East Gaithersburg United community group, according to her candidate profile. From 2008 to 2023, she worked as an environmental scientist for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is now the associate director of product sustainability, research and testing team for Consumer Reports.
Williams, 36, is a five-year Gaithersburg resident and a community activist who helped advocate for the passing of rent stabilization in the county, states his candidate profile. He is a board member of Young People for Progress and is now a community organizer for the Montgomery County Racial Equity Network.
Wu, 46, has lived in Gaithersburg for 11 years and served on the City Council for eight years, according to his candidate profile. He is senior corporate counsel at Northrop Gruman and a chief international law officer in the Army reserves, per his LinkedIn profile. If elected this would be his third term on the City Council.
More information about the city council candidates is available on the City of Gaithersburg website.
How to vote
Gaithersburg will use a hybrid voting process consisting of mail-in and in-person voting. On Sept. 8, all residents who are registered voters will receive an application in the mail that they can use to apply for a mail-in ballot.
Registered voters can also request mail-in ballots online; fill out a mail-in ballot application at City Hall during normal business hours after Sept. 8; or request an application by calling 240-805-1010, or emailing cityelections@gaithersburgmd.gov.
Voters with approved applications will receive mail-in ballots starting on Oct. 6, according to the City of Gaithersburg.
Completed mail-in ballots can be returned by mail or dropped off at one of the seven Ballot Drop Boxes located across Gaithersburg. Ballots must be postmarked or placed in the drop boxes by 8 p.m. on Nov. 7.
Ballot Drop Box Locations:
- Activity Center at Bohrer Park – 506 South Frederick Ave.
- Asbury Methodist Village – 201 Russell Ave.
- City Hall – 31 South Summit Ave.
- Crown Farm Community Center – 803 Crown Park Ave.
- Kentlands Mansion – 320 Kent Square Road
- Robertson Park Youth Center – 801 Rabbitt Road
- Spectrum Town Center – 230 Spectrum Ave.
In-person voting will take place only at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park. Early voting is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 29. On election day, the polling place will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for in person voting and dropping off mail-in ballots.
Residents who are registered to vote in Montgomery County are automatically registered to vote in the City of Gaithersburg and will receive a ballot application in the mail. To confirm their address is correct, residents can check on the Maryland State Board of Elections website.
Those who are not registered to vote will be able to register in-person on the early voting day and election day or can register to vote any time. Those that chose to register in-person should bring a valid form of identification.
To register to vote, verify registration, download an application or update voter information, contact the Montgomery County Board of Elections website, or call 240-777-8500 to request registration forms.
In mid-September, Gaithersburg residents will receive a City of Gaithersburg Voter’s Guide in the mail with information about the election and statements from the candidates.
