Outside group works to get immigrants to the polls in Gaithersburg

‘‘Our goal is to get our members — and get people — involved in a municipal election where traditionally turnout is low,” said Jaclyn Lichter, political director of the Service Employees International Union Local 500. ‘‘We are looking to have our members have a stronger voice in their community.”

SEIU Local 500 represents more than 17,000 workers in Maryland and Washington, D.C.; 250 of them are residents of the City of Gaithersburg, Lichter said.

The Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans, the Montgomery County Government Employees Organization and Progressive Maryland are the other regional groups making up One Gaithersburg, which has endorsed Carlos Solis, Ahmed Ali and Ryan Spiegel over four other candidates.

One Gaithersburg is also made up of local activists and business owners and claims to represent more than 1,000 Gaithersburg voters.

Gaithersburg’s elections traditionally draw about 10 to 12 percent of the roughly 27,700 registered city voters. In the last city election in 2005, 2,678 residents cast votes.

One Gaithersburg representatives have been going door-to-door in the city, making phone calls, sending out fliers and posting signs in recent weeks to mobilize voters around their platform of affordable housing, education, healthcare and keeping city services open to all residents.

The attempt of organizations based outside Gaithersburg to influence the city election is unprecedented, said Assistant City Manager Fred Felton. In all past elections, groups supporting and spending funds on behalf of candidates have been directly affiliated with candidates, he said.

Campaign finance reports filed thus far do not show any contributions to the three candidate’s campaigns from One Gaithersburg or its member groups.

In Gaithersburg, a candidate cannot accept more than $500 from any individual or organization. Political action committees are permitted to spend $500 per candidate.

In the case of One Gaithersburg, each of the four groups under the umbrella of the coalition can spend $1,500 each — or $6,000 collectively — in support of the three candidates without making direct contributions to their campaigns. Candidates with knowledge of the in-kind spending are required to report the indirect contribution, Felton said.

The final deadline for campaign filings is Dec. 31.

Although Solis, Ali and Spiegel have told the city Board of Elections that they are not directly affiliated with One Gaithersburg, it has raised questions for at least one council candidate, Cathy Drzyzgula, as to whether the funding is appropriate.

‘‘I’m very concerned that these candidates are not following campaign finance rules,” said Drzyzgula. ‘‘Not one of them reported this money in their finance reports.”

‘‘They’re getting some kind of in-kind donations,” said Susan Searles, Drzyzgula’s campaign treasurer. ‘‘Their campaigns are being advanced by people or groups they’re not listing on their financial reports.”

One Gaithersburg spokeswoman Jeanne Ellinport did not return repeated calls from The Gazette.

One Gaithersburg’s efforts have included reaching out to immigrants through churches.

The Rev. David Rocha has been using his pulpit at Camino de Vida, a Methodist congregation made up of mostly Latinos, to get the word out in support of Solis, Ali and Spiegel. Rocha came to the forefront in city politics through Gaithersburg’s years-long struggle with day laborers.

‘‘The experience with the Day Laborer Task Force showed us that we need to have a seat at decision-making tables,” he said Thursday night as he prepared to appear on Montgomery Cable’s Spanish-language news show. ‘‘This is a grassroots effort. It’s not about PACs or lobbyists; it’s about letting the community of Gaithersburg know how important this election is.”

Some have placed the election in Gaithersburg alongside those in Prince William and Arlington counties in Virginia as especially important to the future of immigrant communities.

The National Capital Immigration Coalition, an organization that connects about 40 agencies in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area that educate and mobilize civic participation, believes that recent outreach will be enough to tip the polls in their favor and could win a majority three seats on a five-seat Gaithersburg council, said executive director Pedro Aviles.

They have been getting the word out through Spanish-language newspapers, radio stations and television stations, which have given heavy play to Solis, Ali and Spiegel.

The other candidates are Drzyzgula, Jud Ashman, Wilson Faris and Shawn Ali.

‘‘We want them to vote for those individuals that are stating that they will promote pro-immigrant measures and policies within the counties,” Aviles said. ‘‘It is my understanding that if our community is able to mobilize about 4,000 voters we can win some of those seats,” in Gaithersburg.

NCIC’s board of directors includes leaders of three Maryland organizations that address immigration issues: Casa of Maryland, the African Resource Center and the League of Korean Americans, he said.

‘‘Casa de Maryland is one of our organizations that is especially working to mobilize voters in Gaithersburg,” Aviles said.

Casa of Maryland’s Doris de Paz, in the department of community organizing and political action, did not return two calls from the Gazette.