Schwartz files for County Council District 4 race
Paul Schwartz, a Brookeville resident, has entered the race for County Council District 4.
Schwartz, a Democrat, was a columnist for the Sentinel newspapers and currently serves as a lobbyist in Annapolis, focusing on representing current and retired federal employees.
Schwartz is the third person to enter the race. Maricé Morales, a former state delegate, announced in early June that she was running for the seat, but has not formally filed to run.
Natali Fani-Gonzalez, the vice chair of the Montgomery County Planning Board, has filed to enter the race. District 4 includes Wheaton, Aspen Hill and Olney, among other areas.
Council Member Nancy Navarro, who has held the seat since 2009, can’t run for re-election because of term limits.
Navarro said she is still deciding what her next career step might be and has set a deadline of around September.
Rice named as chair of NACo’s Human Services and Education Committee
Council Member Craig Rice has been named chair of the National Association of Counties’ Human Services and Education Committee.
Rice, who has served District 2 on the County Council since 2010, will lead the committee that focuses on “children’s issues, foster care, public assistance and income support, services to senior citizens and individuals with disabilities, immigration policy, social services, and elementary, secondary and post-secondary education,” according to the organization’s website.
The National Association of Counties includes representatives of counties across the United States, and aims to better county leadership, help craft public policy and provide fiscal management advice.
Biotechnology executive running for Gaithersburg city council seat
Yamil Hernandez, the chief business officer of the biotechnology company ExeGi Pharma, has announced that he is running for a seat on the Gaithersburg City Council.
Hernandez lives in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands development and is chair of the board of trustees of the Kentlands Citizens Assembly, a homeowners’s association.
Hernandez said in a press release announcing his candidacy that he hopes to improve city services and increase transparency, if elected.
Gaithersburg Council Members Laurie-Anne Sayles and Mike Sesma, whose seats are up for election this November, have both announced they are not running for re-election. Sayles is running for an at-large seat on the Council Council in next year’s Democratic primary.
Mayor Jud Ashman is running for re-election.
There are two council seats up for re-election and no incumbents are running. Three other candidates have announced they are running for city council seats in Gaithersburg’s election. They are:
- Dave Belgard, the senior financial compliance officer at the aerospace company General Dynamics Information Technology
- Jim McNulty, who chairs the Olde Town Advisory Committee, a subcommittee of the city’s Economic Development Committee.
- Philip Cook, a data auditor at Vanda Pharmaceuticals.
Gaithersburg will hold its election on Nov. 2, and the deadline for candidates to file is Aug. 19, according to the city’s website. There is no primary.
Steve Bohnel can be reached at steve.bohnel@moco360.media
Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@moco360.media