Tom Sells says he is running to be Ward 1’s next alderman.

Sells, a business development principal at Pure Storage, a data storage company headquartered in California, announced his candidacy in a phone interview with the Capital Gazette on Monday. He has yet to file the appropriate paperwork with the city but says he plans to do so in the next two weeks.

Sells, who has no prior political experience, said the resignation of Ward 1’s former alderwoman Elly Tierney, also a Democrat, inspired him to launch his campaign.

“I started to reflect and think about all the things that we have going on in Annapolis right now, and just how consequential this time is for what’s happening in Annapolis right now and then, what Annapolis is going to look like in the future,” he said.

Sells was among five candidates who vied to replace Tierney on the City Council in September. Ultimately, the Annapolis Democratic Central Committee — the body tasked by city code to choose Tierney’s replacement — picked Harry Huntley, the organization’s former treasurer, to succeed Tierney for the remaining 14 months of her term.

Sells is the third Democratic candidate to enter the race for Ward 1. Ron Gunzburger, a member of former Gov. Larry Hogan’s administration, launched his campaign in August. Harry Huntley filed last week to retain his position on the council.

However, that isn’t discouraging Sells from running in 2025.

Sells, 34, has lived in Annapolis since 2018 but grew up in Severna Park. He graduated from Severna Park High School and the University of Maryland, College Park, majoring in economics. He believes his background in government IT will help him stand out from his opponents.

“I’ve worked with state and local governments and federal government, our federal government and state and local governments across the country, to see how they function, to see how they get things done, and just really having that perspective of being in business in the private sector, to just really have a sense of how to bring people together, how to get things done, how to solve some of the most challenging issues these governments face,” he said.Sells works with video surveillance data and how it is stored and used by government entities both domestically and internationally. He said that one of his goals is to improve the city’s software to provide “visibility insight” into the government business process such as tracking the progress of permit applications.Moving the City Dock resiliency project forward and working toward its completion are at the top his priority list as well as being a “very clear and transparent” voice for the project.

Asked if he supported Annapolis officials’ recent trip to Sweden to study the possible use of electric ferries and other issues, he said that he does not oppose the trip. Understanding the financial implications of buying and using one will be important to him as a council member. That said, he supports making Annapolis’ waterways more accessible.

Right now, Ward 1, Ward 2 and Ward 7 are the only Annapolis jurisdictions with candidates who have either publicly declared their candidacy or have been verified through the city’s Board of Supervisors of Elections. Gunzburger and Ward 2 Alderwoman Karma O’Neill have been verified as official candidates for their respective wards, according to Eileen Leahy, chair of the Board of Supervisors of Elections. Ward 7 Alderman Rob Savidge, a Democrat, publicly declared his intention to run for reelection in August but has not filed yet.

In the mayoral race, Jared Littman and Rhonda Pindell Charles — both Democrats — are the only candidates that are verified so far with the elections board.

Have a news tip? Contact Megan Loock at mloock@baltsun.com or 443-962-5771.