Meet Gaithersburg, Maryland Mayor Jud Ashman

Meet Jud Ashman

Jud at the podium at GBF reception 2025

Mayor Jud Ashman and Governor Wes Moore chatting

Jud Ashman with Police after going in the dunk tank

With members of our Police Department after going in the dunk tank to raise money for the Police Foundation.

With my good friend, Del. Ryan Spiegel, at his swearing-in.

Playing with my grandkids, Willow and Westley.

Mayor Jud Ashman speaking at Memorial Day

Speaking at our 2025 Memorial Day observance.

With America's most legendary and beloved humorist Dave Barry.

Mayor Jud Ashman with Mayor Monique Ashton and Councilmember Lisa Henderson

With my good friends Rockville Mayor Monique Ashton and Councilmember Lisa Henderson.

Jud Ashman with Larry Rosenblum and Mike Sesma

At the Kentlands/Lakelands 5K with my good friends, Larry Rosenblum and Mike Sesma (former City Councilmember).

Mayor Jud Ashman interviewed in the wake of the 2024 tornado

Speaking to the media at the scene of the 2024 tornado.

I’m Jud Ashman and I’ve had the honor to serve you as Mayor for the last 11 years, and as a City Council member for 7 years before that. Currently, I’m the longest-serving elected official in Gaithersburg, and the second-longest serving Mayor in Montgomery County.

Experience, Perspective, and Vision

The inspiration for my close-to-25 years of public life has always been the people of our amazing community and the wonderful experience I’ve had living, working, and raising my kids here. My first tangible experience with the City was as a volunteer rec-league sports coach and a member of the PTA at Brown Station Elementary School. And it all grew from there!

Here are some of the roles I’ve played in the community over the years:

Mayor of Gaithersburg: November 2014 – Present
Member, Gaithersburg City Council: 2007 – 2014
Founder and Chair, Gaithersburg Book Festival: 2008 – Present
Coordinator, Quince Orchard High School Cluster of PTAs: 2005 – 2007
President, Brown Station Elementary School PTA: 2002 – 2003
Board Member, Orchard Place Homeowner’s Association: 2007 – 2011
Youth Sports Coach, Gaithersburg Parks and Recreation: 2000 – 2003

Other Current Affiliations:

Board of Directors, Maryland Municipal League
Board of Directors, Montgomery Community Media
Maryland Mayors Association
Manna Food Center, Advocacy Task Force
MML Legislative Committee
Member, Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce
Member, Rockville Chamber of Commerce

Day Job:
I’m the owner of an awesome web design, development, & hosting studio, Web Mobile Image.

Education:

Master’s Degree, Accounting & Financial Management, University of Maryland, Global Campus
Bachelor’s Degree, Journalism and Political Science, University of Miami (FL)
Graduate, University of Maryland, Academy for Excellence in Local Governance

Certifications:

Maryland Open Meetings Act, Academy for Excellence in Local Governance from the University of Maryland
Ethical Leadership Certification, NASBA Center for the Public Trust

Awards and Recognition:

The Montgomery County Executive’s Award for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities
EPIC Award for Excellence & Dedication for Teaching and Sharing the Arts & Humanities

Leadership Philosophy:
I’ve always believed that leadership begins with listening. Then, it comes down to doing your homework, weighing factors/balancing priorities, and making the best decision to serve the interests of the community.

Family:
I live with my wonderful wife, Lee. We don’t have kids anymore; we have adults: our daughter, Jenna, and our son, Jeffrey, and his wife, Brittney, who have given us our first two grandchildren, Willow and Westley.

Pets:
We have a cat and a dog, Cooper and Luna; two granddogs, Bodie and Winter; and two grand-cats, Ellie and Victor. My kids got me a car magnet that says “I love my grand dog.” (Clearly, I need to update it.)

Neighborhood:
Orchard Place, a charming little townhouse community on the west side of NIST, adjacent to the Diamond Farms Post Office.

Original Hometown & Birthplace:
Miami, Florida

Where you’ll find me on Friday nights during the Fall:
Quince Orchard High School football games. Go QO!

Why I believe reading is so important;
The historian, David McCullough, said it perfectly: “You read nonfiction to learn the truth about history, and you read literature to learn the truth about human nature.” I try to do both – and as often as possible. I believe that reading is the most compelling way to see the world through someone else’s eyes. It breeds empathy, and developing our empathy makes us better people.

Some of my favorite books and authors: (just a few… I can go on forever!)
Fiction: ”The Age of Innocence,” Edith Wharton; “All the King’s Men,” Robert Penn Warren; ”Lonesome Dove,” Larry McMurtry; “Sing, Unburied, Sing,” Jesmyn Ward; “The Things They Carried,” Tim O’Brien; “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay,” Michael Chabon; “Homeland Elegies,” Ayad Akhtar

Non-Fiction: “What It Takes,” Richard Ben Cramer; “The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt,” Edmund Morris; “Dreadnought,” Robert Massie; ”Godel, Escher Bach,” Douglas Hofstadter; “Battle Cry of Freedom,” James MacPherson; “The Right Stuff,” Tom Wolfe; “No Ordinary Time,” Doris Kearns Goodwin; “A Bridge Too Far,” Cornelius Ryan; “The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America,” George Packer; “Caste,” Isabel Wilkerson

Favorite Passage from “Hamilton”
“Legacy. What is a legacy?
It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see
I wrote some notes at the beginning of a song someone will sing for me
America, you great unfinished symphony, you sent for me
You let me make a difference
A place where even orphan immigrants
Can leave their fingerprints and rise up
I’m running out of time. I’m running, and my time’s up”
– from The World Was Wide Enough