Mike Sesma Will Not Seek Council Reelection This Fall

GAITHERSBURG, MD — Council member Mike Sesma will not seek reelection after four terms on the Gaithersburg City Council, he announced at the council’s meeting Monday night.

“I will finish my fourth term in November,” said Sesma. “After 16 years representing you and using my best judgement and acting in the best interest of our city and our residents and our businesses, I think it’s time to hand it off to the next person with great ideas.”

Sesma said he wants to dispel any rumors that he isn’t seeking reelection because he plans to run for a county or state office.

“The only elected office I’ve ever aspired to is the Gaithersburg City Council,” he said.

Sesma was the first Hispanic person on Gaithersburg’s council when he was elected in 2005. His main focuses while in office have been affordable housing, responsible fiscal management, sustainable economic development, environmental stewardship and government transparency, his council member biography says.

Sesma works at the National Institute of Health as a health scientist administrator for federal biomedical and behavioral research, research training, career development and diversity programs at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and National Institute of Mental Health.

There are now two council seats up for grabs in the Nov. 2, 2021 election. All city councilors are "at-large," meaning that there are no districts within the council. The city will also vote for its next mayor. Two people — Dave Belgard and Jim McNulty — have announced they will run for city council.

Belgard has been a Montgomery County resident for more than 30 years and attended Montgomery County Public Schools. He has served as a member of a committee to design a new park and in the Community Advisory and Police Advisory committees.

Belgard’s key focus areas are in diversifying job growth, engaging the community, focusing on the environment, and increasing housing affordbality.

McNulty moved to the DMV area in 1997. He is the chair of the Olde Town Advisory Committee, a subcommittee of the Economic and Business Development Committee.

McNulty is a former president of the Saybrooke Homeowners Association, is active in St. Martin’s Parish in Old Towne, serves on the School Advisory Board and Finance Committee for St. Martin’s Catholic School, and lectors at Sunday Mass. He founded The Upper Room PTSD Support Group for survivors of trauma at St. Patrick’s Parish in Rockville.

His priorities include:

• Fast Track Lakeforest Redevelopment
• Help Local Businesses Recover from the Pandemic
• “All of the Above” Transit & Transportation Solutions
• Increased Mental Health Services
• Ensure Educational Resources Keep Pace with Development
• Increase Representation from East of I-270

Candidate packets were released on May 6, and the filing deadline for new candidates is Aug. 19. Anyone who wants to run that has not attended a mandatory candidate training session will have one last opportunity to do so on Aug. 10.