Copyright Baltimore Sun
Diesha Contee spends her time making sure the members of her community have the resources they need to thrive. Now, she wants to continue that work on the Annapolis City Council. “What you need the most when you’re going into a job like this is a sense of knowing how to deal with people, and not just people that live on your street … everybody,” Contee said. “I can relate to people, and I’m present.” Contee, who will be 40 on Election Day, is running as a Democrat against Republican George Gallagher, who works in the biotech industry, to be the next representative for Ward 6 on the Annapolis City Council. The ward’s current alderman, Democrat DaJuan Gay, chose not to run for reelection. The candidate is a lifelong resident of Annapolis and currently lives in public housing. She worked as a nursing assistant in nursing homes in the region for about 20 years, Contee said. When Contee moved to Eastport in 2017, she said, she didn’t see a lot of engagement opportunities for kids. So, she started working on hosting events around holidays — including Halloween, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas — and while doing so, she heard concerns of community residents. The now-candidate also learned during this time that she was good at helping people get their needs met and get connected to services. She left nursing during the COVID-19 pandemic, worried about exposing her premature-born son and her grandmother to the virus. Since she left nursing, Contee shifted her career to serving her Annapolis community full time. Contee is a community navigator for the Eastport United Methodist Church, where she helps the community connect to resources like the Eastport Community Food Pantry. She also works as a community impact specialist for Charting Careers, focused on Eastport and Annapolis Gardens. Charting Careers is a group geared to connecting Annapolis’ young people to opportunities and mentorship. https://www.capitalgazette.com/2025/10/28/annapolis-voter-guide-2025-mayor-and-city-council-races/embed/ Her work often involves helping families understand the process for getting financial resources and filling out paperwork. “Things that we would consider little things are big things to them. If I’m with somebody that’s in crisis mode … having somebody that’s there to support them with doing like the paperwork, or knowing exactly what they’re going to need to have as supporting documents is a big help,” Contee said. “That’s what I do.” Her policy priorities, she said, include getting and improving recreation centers open near public housing units, improving public safety, promoting environmental justice and making housing more affordable. She said she wants specific housing assistance programs for first responders, teachers and city employees. Regarding environmental justice, Contee said she wants to help the lower class by addressing disproportionate flooding, poor air quality, lack of green spaces, and access to climate resiliency grants. She also wants to see city-wide improvements of more bike lanes and electric vehicle charging stations, and to start educational programs on how to better protect natural areas in Annapolis. Contee is advocating for the police department to foster better relationships with communities and to be more involved in programs made to prevent crime. She also wants to promote better training in the police department to address mental health calls and people with intellectual disabilities. She said she does not have a stance on any changes related to property taxes. One of her main goals, Contee said, is bringing her ward together. The area includes multiple public housing facilities as well as better-off neighborhoods, groups she believes she can bring together to help one another. “We have a very large, diverse community, and what I like to do most is to bring people together,” Contee said. “I want to say over these four years that I helped my ward network and collaborate with one another.” Toni Pratt has known Contee since she was a kid, and is the mother of one of Contee’s childhood friends. She has seen Contee’s community work, including organizing yearly braid-a-thons and volunteering in the ward, and said she would be an advocate for people living in public housing. “She’s in tune to what people are dealing with in the city,” Pratt said. “I’m proud to see people who come from our communities and come from our city willing to step up when they think they can, and to really show others that there is hope.” When her competitor, Republican Gallagher, was asked about what makes the two candidates most different, he pointed to his time in working in another city’s government. Contee noted her connection to the community and her knowledge about how to help people. The current alderman salary is about $18,500, but the current City Council has raised alderman salaries to $32,000, starting for the next council. Contee’s campaign has raised $2,695 as of Oct. 5 from donors. Have a news tip? Contact Katharine Wilson at kwilson@baltsun.com. Annapolis election Go to capitalgazette.com to read more candidate profiles and to view a voter guide.
