The Gaithersburg City Council has conditionally selected Council Member Lisa Henderson to serve as the city’s next mayor if current Mayor Jud Ashman is elected to the Montgomery County Council on November 3.
If Ashman wins the District 3 County Council seat, Henderson is expected to be sworn in as mayor during a special session on Monday, November 9. She would serve through Gaithersburg’s next municipal election in November 2027.
Henderson has served on the Gaithersburg City Council since 2021, including a term as Council Vice President from 2022 to 2023. A lifelong Gaithersburg resident, she holds a master’s degree in technology management from Johns Hopkins University and works as a program director for Montgomery County Government.
“I’m truly honored by the support and confidence of my colleagues on the Council,” Henderson said. “Gaithersburg is home. I grew up in this community; I am a product of this community, and I’ve had the privilege of watching Gaithersburg grow and blossom into the vibrant and diverse city it is today.”
Henderson also serves as the city’s liaison to the Senior Advisory Committee and has been involved with the Women’s Democratic Board of Directors and the Montgomery County Chapter of the Maryland Municipal League.
If she becomes mayor, Henderson would serve until the November 2027 municipal election. The mayoral race that year will be for a two-year term, completing the remainder of the four-year term that began in 2025.
Her move to mayor would also create a vacancy on the City Council.
The City received 14 applications for the anticipated opening and selected seven applicants to move forward: Matthew Robert Amon, Alyssa Todaro Krumlauf, Laura Kathryn Winifred Searles, Jayson Leslie Spiegel, Christopher James Thoms, Carla Tanguay White and Shanika Tanise Whitehurst.
The seven applicants are scheduled to give three-minute statements during the October 19 Mayor and City Council meeting and participate in interviews with city officials that week. The Council is expected to select the new member during a closed executive session on October 26.
If the vacancy occurs, the new Council Member would be sworn in alongside Henderson during the November 9 special session and serve until the November 2027 city election.
Under Section 35 of the City Code, the Council may appoint individuals to fill vacancies. Residents may also petition for a special election following an appointment if a petition containing signatures from at least 20% of Gaithersburg’s registered voters is submitted within 30 days.
