Gaithersburg City Elections: Candidates

City resident: Three years

Experience: Member of the Disabled American Veterans since 2006

Profession: Founder and owner of a small defense contracting firm in Bethesda

Top three issues: Ali would like the city to implement a policy of reaching out to and spotlighting veterans more; reducing crime by boosting the city police force by 10 percent, or about five officers as is authorized; and maintaining fiscal responsibility with a balanced budget and ensuring taxes are not increased.

Education: Bachelors degree in information systems management from the University of Maryland; masters degree in network security from Capitol College, Laurel.

Family: He lives with his wife Fatema and his two young children in Quince Orchard Park.

For more: ahmed1919@gmail.com

Shawn Ali

Age: 33

City resident: 12 years

Experience: Member of Gaithersburg’s Technology and Innovations Committee since 2003.

Profession: Information technology consultant

Top three issues: Ali seeks to curb crime by bolstering neighborhoods’ sense of community by improving infrastructure such as better street lighting and litter cleanup, and encouraging less vocal residents to speak up; to focus attention on neglected traffic issues and encourage the extension of Midcounty Highway and Metro’s Red Line from Shady Grove to Germantown; and to oversee a smart growth approach to development guarding against school overcrowding and other breakdowns that could be minimized through development fees.

Education: Bachelors degree in geographic information systems from Salisbury State University and a masters in information technology from the University of Maryland.

Family: Unmarried and a 12-year resident of Woodland Hills.

For more: shawn.shawnali@gmail.com

Jud Ashman

Age: 36

City resident: 10 years

Experience: Member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Election Participation, 2007; coordinator of the Quince Orchard school cluster since 2005; chairman of Citizens for Smarter Growth, 2001-2003

Profession: Owner of a small direct mail business in Washington, D.C.

Top three issues: Ashman wants to keep the government process open, citing a lack of transparency in recent issues including the day laborer center; advance the much needed revitalization of Olde Towne, including the clock tower; and help deter crime by hiring more city police officers and creating smaller neighborhood beats.

Education: Bachelors degree in communications and political science from the University of Miami.

Family: He lives with his wife Elizabeth and their two teenagers in Orchard Place.

For more: www.judandcathy.com

Cathy Drzyzgula

Age: 51

City resident:18 years

Experience: Member of the Gaithersburg Historic Preservation Committee since 1997 and the Gaithersburg Greater Historic District Committee since 2000; coordinator of Olde Towne Neighborhood Watch since 2006.

Profession: Stay-at-home mom who home schools her daughter.

Top three issues: Drzyzgula believes the city government needs to be more open and points specifically to this year’s near budget collapse that was avoided by a behind-the-scenes deal; she said growing and maintaining the city police force should be a priority and that retaining experienced officers is key to reducing crime; and she’d like to expand the city’s environmental focus to include water quality by installing filters to remove trash and other debris from storm drains.

Education: Bachelors degree in economics from Yale University.

Family: She lives with her husband Bob and their teenage daughter in Olde Towne.

For more: www.judandcathy.com

Wilson Faris

Age: 61

City resident: 29 years

Profession: Salesman and substitute teacher

Top three issues: Faris says it is vital the city adopt term limits — two four-year terms — for all elected officials to combat what he calls complacency and over confidence. Immigration tops his list and says he wants the county’s day-laborer center at Crabbs Branch Way to be shut down and city police to be trained by federal immigration agents so that they can conduct background checks of immigrants arrested in the city. And he believes there was been an erosion of the county standards for secondary education and wants city leaders to be aggressive in lobbying for an improvement.

Education: Bachelors degree in political science from the University of Richmond.

Family: The father of five lives with his wife Julie in the West Riding neighborhood.

For more: www.standwithme.net

Carlos Solis

Age: 48

City resident: 20 years

Experience: Member of Gaithersburg’s Police Chief’s Advisory Council since 2003 and the Mid-Atlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce since 2004.

Profession: Office manager

Top three issues: Solis says the city’s crime rate is too high and could be reduced with a larger police force possibly as large as 100 officers, along with pay, benefits and equipment at least equal to the county’s police department; he would promote a city program to encourage teachers to stay after normal classes to assist students and parents and to offer more after school programs at youth centers that could improve communication among the city’s ethnic communities; and he opposes enacting legislation to restrict public services to legal residents saying it could cause irreparable damage to the city’s harmony.

Education: Has not earned a college degree.

Family: Lives with his wife Lourdes and two children in Audubon Square.

For more:carlosfdg@verizon.net.

Ryan Spiegel

Age: 29

City resident: Two years

Experience: Member of Gaithersburg’s Education Committee since 2006, and a member of the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee.

Profession: Attorney

Top three issues: Spiegel believes the city should have passed an adequate public facilities ordinance before this year and pledges to toughen guidelines to ensure that new development doesn’t over burden school capacities; he is troubled by a rise in street crime and would seek to hire more police officers to help reverse the trend; and to maintain fiscal responsibility as the city grows, he favors ending Gaithersburg’s longstanding pay-as-you-go policy of funding projects to take on loans for capital projects such as the $25 million Aquatic and Recreation Center.

Education: Bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and a law degree from Stanford University.

Family: Spiegel lives in the Kentlands with his wife Rachael.

For more: www.ryanspiegel.com