Jim McNulty launches bid for Montgomery County Council At Large

Gaithersburg City Council Member Jim McNulty filed paperwork Thursday with the Maryland Board of Elections to create a Public Financing Committee as an at-large candidate for Montgomery County Council in next June’s Democratic Primary.

“The County government is at a crossroads,” McNulty said in an email to his supporters, “and we need practical leaders who understand how to work together for the benefit of our community. This election presents a unique need—and opportunity. I have always leaned in when my community needed me, whether at kids’ school, as a little coach, or in my neighborhood.

After much prayer and careful reflection, I have decided that my municipal experience and common sense approach would be a tremendous asset to our County government. So, today I’m proud to announce that I am filing to run for an at-large seat on the Montgomery County Council.”

Three of the four at-large seats on the Montgomery County Council will be vacant in next year’s election, with the retirement of Council Member Gabe Albornoz and two other incumbents seeking to be the next County Executive.

McNulty is already attracting incumbent support, including District 7 County Council Member Dawn Luedtke. “Jim McNulty would bring a steady, pragmatic leadership approach to the Council,” Leudtke said. “I am proud to consider Jim a friend and colleague...”

According to his website, McNulty got into public service after surviving the 2010 terror attack at Discovery Channel, when an attempted suicide bomber took him and two others hostage for several hours before Montgomery County SWAT team members moved in and saved them. McNulty went on to found a PTSD support group in 2012, before being elected to the Gaithersburg City Council in 2021.

McNulty has been a strong advocate for smart growth, pedestrian safety, and transportation improvements during his tenure on the City Council, and pushed hard to improve the Lakeforest redevelopment plans through the public hearing process. He plans to focus his County Council campaign on getting our economy moving again by creating jobs and investing in transportation, making it more affordable to live here by expanding access to attainable housing and getting government to live within its means, and strengthening our communities by closing the vacancy gap at the Montgomery County Police Department, protecting our immigrant communities, and expanding mental health programming.