Jud Ashman, who won a third full term as Gaitherburg’s mayor Tuesday, has signaled interest in running for Montgomery County Council — well before his mayoral term is up.

His opponent in the mayor’s race, Tiffany Kelly, had tried to make a campaign issue of the possibility he would run for the District 3 council seat in 2026.

Ashman told The Banner in a recent interview that people “throughout the district” have encouraged him to run for it.

“I’m not ready to make any announcements,” Ashman said in a recent interview. “Wherever I land, the bottom line is, I want to do what’s best for Gaithersburg.”

Ashman won Tuesday’s election with 74% of the vote, while Kelly, a federal employee, secured 26%.

If Ashman, a Democrat, runs for council, he will face at least two other Democrats who have announced runs for the District 3 seat: Rockville City Council member Izola Shaw and former USAID employee Allison Eriksen. Republican Ricky Mui, a Navy veteran and businessman, is also running.

The rules of succession

Under Gaithersburg’s charter, the city does not have to hold a special election for a mayor or council member in the event of a midterm vacancy.

Instead, the remaining members of the council “shall elect some qualified person.” The appointee can stay in office only until the next general election — 2027 in this case — unless they are elected by voters for a full term in that year.

There’s another way to fill the seat: City residents, according to the charter, can petition for a special election — 20% of registered voters would trigger a special election.

Ashman became mayor due to a vacancy.

Sidney Katz served as Gaithersburg’s mayor before voters elected him to the council’s District 3 seat in 2014, in the middle of his mayoral term.

Ashman, a City Council member at the time, was appointed by his colleagues to fill the vacancy until the next election. In 2015, voters elected Ashman to his first full mayoral term.

Katz on Wednesday said he had no qualms about leaving the mayor’s office to join the council.

“I knew I was leaving Gaithersburg in good hands,” he said.