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Ryan Spiegel
Spiegel in 2023
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 17th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 6, 2023
Appointed byWes Moore
Preceded byKumar Barve
Member of the Gaithersburg City Council
In office
November 7, 2007 – July 6, 2023
Preceded byJohn Schlichting
Succeeded byYamil Hernández
Personal details
Born (1978-07-06) July 6, 1978 (age 46)
Political partyDemocratic
Children2
Residence(s)Kentlands, Gaithersburg, Maryland, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Maryland, College Park (BA)
Stanford Law School (JD)
OccupationAttorney
WebsiteCampaign website

Ryan Scott Spiegel[1][2] (born July 6, 1978) is an American politician and attorney who is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from District 17 since 2023. He previously served as a member of the Gaithersburg, Maryland city council from 2007 to 2023.[3]

Background

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Spiegel graduated from Pikesville High School in 1996 and later attended the University of Maryland, College Park, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism in 2000, and Stanford University, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree in 2003.[3][4] After graduating, he worked at various law firms, including Winston & Strawn, Potomac Law Group, and Thompson Hine LLP.[3][5]

In August 2005, Spiegel formed an exploratory committee to consider running for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 17.[6] He was defeated in the Democratic primary, placing fourth with 13.3 percent of the vote.[7]

Gaithersburg City Council

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Spiegel was elected to the Gaithersburg City Council in 2007,[8] and was subsequently re-elected in 2011, 2015, and 2019.[9][10]

In December 2013, Spiegel announced his candidacy for the Montgomery County Council in District 3, seeking to succeed Councilmember Phillip Andrews.[11] He was defeated in the Democratic primary, placing third with 22 percent of the vote.[12]

From 2019 to 2020, Spiegel served as the president of the Maryland Municipal League.[13] In this position, he criticized efforts to pass legislation making it easier to install 5G cell towers in the state, calling it a "land grab" by the telecommunications industry and saying that he wanted to "avoid any reasonable regulation of this technology".[14]

In the legislature

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Spiegel shakes hands with Governor Wes Moore, 2023

In May 2023, following the appointment of state delegate Kumar Barve to the Maryland Public Service Commission, Spiegel applied to fill the vacancy left by his resignation in the Maryland House of Delegates.[15][16] On June 12, 2023, the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee voted to nominate Spiegel to fill the vacancy.[17] He was sworn in on July 6, 2023.[3]

Political positions

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Development initiatives

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During his tenure on the Gaithersburg City Council, Spiegel supported smart growth economic development projects,[17] including increased school construction,[18] affordable housing, and green development.[19]

In February 2020, Spiegel expressed frustration with but ultimately voted in favor of a bill providing WRS Inc. with a 90-day extension to buy anchor properties at Lakeforest Mall.[20] He later voted to provide WRS Inc. with another 90-day extension in May 2020.[21] In August 2020, Spiegel voted in favor of a maximum 12-month redevelopment moratorium on Lakeforest Mall, which he said would "prevent development from occurring that is not full-fledged to the best and highest use of the map designation area".[22]

In July 2020, Spiegel voted against a proposal prohibiting rent increases greater than 2.6 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that he favored prohibiting all rent increases during the pandemic.[23] In January 2022, he voted to extend renter protections until May 15, 2022.[24]

In February 2021, Spiegel voted for an amendment to the city's zoning bill that limited where public housing could be built, which was criticized as something that could restrict affordable housing in the city. Spiegel defended the amendment from these criticisms, suggesting that it was "a bit backwards" to say it would undercut the goal of expanding affordable housing in Gaithersburg.[25]

Electoral reform

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In 2013, Spiegel voted to allow write-in candidates to participate in city elections. He later voted in 2020 to eliminate write-ins from city elections.[26]

In January 2021, Spiegel voted against changes to the city's code of ethics that would require candidates for office to disclose conflict of interests relevant to the city.[27] In April 2022, he sought to block a state bill that would require local governments to adopt state-level lobbyist registration standards.[28]

Social issues

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In February 2011, Spiegel said he supported legalizing same-sex marriage in Maryland, saying it was "the right thing to do from an economic standpoint".[29]

In February 2020, Spiegel embraced criticism of Flatiron Books's rollout of American Dirt, a novel about a Mexican bookseller who is forced to flee as an illegal immigrant to the United States that was later criticized for perpetuating stereotypes about Latino immigrants, after the book was selected as part of Gaithersburg's citywide reading program. However, he warned city residents against "embracing any message of so-called cancel culture".[30]

In June 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, Spiegel requested a review of the city's monuments to determine and remove any Confederate monuments in the Gaithersburg.[31] Spiegel later supported renaming streets named after enslavers, including Benjamin Gaither and Frederick A. Tschiffely, in the city.[32]

Taxes

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In November 2018, Spiegel pushed for a state bill to allow Gaithersburg to levy hotel taxes at a rate of 2 percent.[33]

Personal life

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Spiegel and his family at a Hanukkah event hosted by Governor Wes Moore, 2024

Spiegel lives in the Kentlands community of Gaithersburg, Maryland.[4] He is married and has two children.[5] He is Jewish.[34]

Electoral history

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Maryland House of Delegates District 17 Democratic primary election, 2006[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Luiz R. S. Simmons (incumbent) 6,744 25.0
Democratic Kumar P. Barve (incumbent) 6,439 23.9
Democratic James W. Gilchrist 4,108 15.2
Democratic Ryan Spiegel 3,589 13.3
Democratic Laura Farthing Berthiaume 2,549 9.4
Democratic Elbridge James 2,385 8.8
Democratic Cory Siansky 1,165 4.3
Gaithersburg City Council election, 2007[35]
Candidate Votes %
Cathy C. Drzyzgula 2,418 24.2
Jud Ashman 2,241 22.4
Ryan Spiegel 2,000 20.0
Carlos Solis 993 9.9
Wilson Lee Faris 982 9.8
Ahmed Ali 917 9.2
Shawn Ali 460 4.6
Gaithersburg City Council election, 2011[36]
Candidate Votes %
Ryan Spiegel (incumbent) 2,156 26.6
Jud Ashman (incumbent) 1,969 24.3
Cathy Drzyzgula (incumbent) 1,856 22.9
Tom Rowse 1,134 14.0
Paula Ross 1,001 12.3
Montgomery County Council District 3 Democratic primary election, 2014[37]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Sidney A. Katz 6,089 41.0
Democratic Tom Moore 4,920 33.1
Democratic Ryan Spiegel 3,341 22.5
Democratic Guled Kassim 494 3.3
Gaithersburg City Council election, 2015[38]
Candidate Votes %
Ryan Spiegel (incumbent) 2,581 26.9
Robert T. Wu 2,511 26.2
Neil H. Harris 2,383 24.9
Laurie-Anne Sayles 2,105 22.0
Gaithersburg City Council election, 2019[39]
Candidate Votes %
Robert T. Wu (incumbent) 2,021 37.8
Neil H. Harris (incumbent) 1,672 31.2
Ryan Spiegel (incumbent) 1,658 31.0

References

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  1. ^ "MSBA Member Directory". Maryland State Bar Association. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  2. ^ "Ryan Scott Spiegel". Martindale.com. Martindale-Hubbell. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "Members - Delegate Ryan Spiegel". Maryland General Assembly. July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Ryan Spiegel". The Washington Post. August 31, 2006. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Pollak, Suzanne (June 14, 2023). "Gaithersburg Councilmember Ryan Spiegel Chosen as Delegate in District 17". Montgomery County Media. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  6. ^ Craig, Tim (August 25, 2005). "Younger Democrats Are Primed to Run". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Official 2006 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for Legislative District 17". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  8. ^ "Democrats Make Gains In Virginia Senate, House". NBC News. November 6, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  9. ^ Schere, Dan (August 23, 2019). "Five File for Three Council Seats in Gaithersburg". MoCo360. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  10. ^ Schere, Dan (November 5, 2019). "Three Incumbent City Council Members Reelected in Gaithersburg". MoCo360. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  11. ^ Davis, Jenn (December 11, 2013). "Spiegel will roll out campaign in weeks ahead". The Gazette. p. 1. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  12. ^ Metcalf, Andrew (June 25, 2014). "Berliner Wins Convincingly; Incumbents Hold in Tight At-Large Race". MoCo360. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  13. ^ Pollak, Suzanne (July 5, 2019). "Maryland Municipal League names Gaithersburg's Spiegel as new president". The Montgomery County Sentinel. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  14. ^ DePuyt, Bruce (January 21, 2020). "Lawmakers Sidestep Push to Speed 5G Towers". Maryland Matters. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  15. ^ Bixby, Ginny (June 2, 2023). "Democratic committee to consider one of its own to fill District 17 delegate vacancy". MoCo360. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  16. ^ Bixby, Ginny (June 9, 2023). "Democratic Central Committee member, others make case for District 17 delegate seat". MoCo360. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Kurtz, Josh (June 13, 2023). "Central committee nominates Gaithersburg city councilmember to replace Barve in the House". Maryland Matters. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  18. ^ St. George, Donna; Turque, Bill (May 11, 2014). "Montgomery candidates grapple with school concerns". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  19. ^ Turque, Bill (June 17, 2014). "Democrats try to stand out from crowd in Montgomery County Council primaries". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  20. ^ Schere, Dan (February 24, 2020). "Gaithersburg gives developer extension on Lakeforest Mall purchases". MoCo360. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  21. ^ Schere, Dan (May 19, 2020). "Gaithersburg gives developer 90 more days to acquire Lakeforest Mall anchors". MoCo360. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  22. ^ Schere, Dan (August 18, 2020). "Gaithersburg imposes moratorium on Lakeforest Mall site". MoCo360. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  23. ^ Schere, Dan (July 23, 2020). "Gaithersburg approves emergency rent relief during COVID-19 pandemic". MoCo360. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  24. ^ Schere, Dan (January 5, 2022). "Gaithersburg City Council extends emergency rent relief in split vote". MoCo360. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  25. ^ Schere, Dan (February 3, 2021). "Gaithersburg approves amendment clarifying where public housing may be built". MoCo360. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  26. ^ Schere, Dan (August 6, 2020). "Gaithersburg ends write-in candidates in city elections". MoCo360. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  27. ^ Schere, Dan (January 7, 2021). "Gaithersburg changes its ethics code". MoCo360. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  28. ^ DePuyt, Bruce; Gaskill, Hannah; Leckrone, Bennett; Kurtz, Josh (April 8, 2022). "Legislative Roundup: Baltimore Transit, Pay Increases, Women's Caucus Leadership, Political Wrangling and More". Maryland Matters. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  29. ^ Wagner, John (February 8, 2011). "Same-sex marriage has good chance of approval, Maryland Senate leader says". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  30. ^ Schere, Dan (February 13, 2020). "Locally, a divide over 'American Dirt' as group read underway in Gaithersburg". MoCo360. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  31. ^ Peetz, Caitlynn (June 16, 2020). "Council wants to rename streets, buildings that honor Confederate soldiers". MoCo360. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  32. ^ Schere, Dan (July 9, 2020). "Gaithersburg reviewing streets, other memorials named after those with ties to slavery". MoCo360. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  33. ^ Schere, Dan (November 19, 2018). "Montgomery County Delegation Receives Wish List". MoCo360. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  34. ^ "G'burg council member asks for briefing on MCPS' Holocaust curriculum". Montgomery County Sentinel. April 20, 2017. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  35. ^ "Gaithersburg City Council Results". The Washington Post. 2007.
  36. ^ "Certification of Election Results". Gaithersburg, Maryland. November 8, 2011.
  37. ^ "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for Montgomery County". Maryland State Board of Elections.
  38. ^ "Certification of Election Results". Gaithersburg, Maryland. November 3, 2015.
  39. ^ "Certification of Election Results". Gaithersburg, Maryland. November 5, 2019.
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