Two candidates have filed to run in the June 2026 Republican primary for the District 3 Carroll County Commissioner seat, which includes the City of Westminster.

Incumbent Tom Gordon III has filed for reelection and will again face former Carroll County school board member Marsha Herbert.

Gordon won the 2022 Republican primary with 1,710 votes to Herbert’s 1,511. Gordon defeated Democrat Zach Hands in the general election in November 2022. Hands was the only Democrat on the Carroll County ballot in November 2022.

“I got in this job to be an asset to the community,” said Gordon, 49, of Westminster. “I’ve always served the community and I’ve always been part of the community, both in Westminster and the county.”

Herbert has not formally announced her candidacy but has filed paperwork with the Maryland State Board of Elections, according to its website.

Gordon said he is excited to continue his commitment to strong leadership, public safety, economic development, and quality education for all residents. Though he represents District 3, he said his job title is county commissioner, meaning he serves the entire county.

Gordon was born and raised in Carroll County. He is a graduate of Westminster High School and McDaniel College and is a small business owner in antiques and collectibles. He served on several nonprofit governing boards including the Carroll County Land Trust, the Historical Society of Carroll County and the Boys & Girls Club of Westminster.

Gordon describes being a commissioner as a “job that changes from day to day.” He points to the catastrophic damage to Route 140 in Westminster following a severe storm in August of 2023, and efforts to stop the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, a proposed 70-mile high-voltage transmission powerline that would run through Carroll, Frederick and Baltimore counties, as two difficult issues commissioners have faced during his term of office.

“There’s also a lot of wonderful things in the community, and a lot of positive things,” he said.

Gordon said one such special moment was in June 2023, when he was at the bedside of George Thomas Keeney, a Vietnam War veteran when he received a long-delayed Air Medal, a military decoration awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Keeney died at his New Windsor home two months later from heart failure and prostate cancer at the age of 76.

“It was one of my top moments, and great closure for him before he passed away,” Gordon said. “The annexation of the Ellsworth Cemetery into the city was another.”

In February 2023, Gordon testified before the Westminster City Common Council requesting that the city annex Ellsworth Cemetery, a historic Black cemetery that has been located just outside city limits for nearly 147 years. In June 2023 the Westminster Common Council approved the annexation.

Gordon is looking ahead to a second term, pointing to the continuing work to establish the county’s first Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services. Building the county’s business and industrial base, advocating for public schools and partnering with educators and families will continue under his leadership, he said.

“I’m honored to serve this community and excited to continue the work we’ve started,” Gordon stated on a Facebook post. “My priorities remain clear — keeping our neighborhoods safe, growing our local economy, supporting our valuable agriculture industry, and ensuring our schools are equipped to prepare the next generation for success.”

Gordon’s board colleague, District 1 Commissioner Joe Vigliotti, has also filed for reelection. District 2 Commissioners’ President Ken Kiler, when contacted Monday, said he plans to run for another term as well. District 4 Commissioner Michael Guerin has not announced his plans.

District 5 Commissioner Ed Rothstein will finish his second and final term on the board at the end of 2026 and is not eligible to run again.

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