Copyright Baltimore Sun
Democratic mayoral candidate Jared Littmann increased his significant lead in the Annapolis mayoral race following an unofficial results count Thursday that included ballots placed in drop boxes, most mail-in ballots and in-person votes. Democrats were poised to keep control of every seat on the City Council, if the provisional and remaining mail-in ballots are consistent with the latest tally. Littmann had 6,312 votes, or 73.01% of votes counted so far while his competitor Republican Robert O’Shea had 2,305 votes, or 26.66% of votes. One more batch of results will be released Wednesday when officials will count provisional ballots and remaining mail-in ballots that were postmarked by Election Day and arrive before 10 a.m. Wednesday. O’Shea, who is a consultant in the defense and medical industries, called Littmann on election night to concede and congratulate the Democrat’s win. The Republican candidate had campaigned on lowering property taxes and trimming the city’s budget. Barring any significant changes with the remaining mail-in ballots, Littmann will become the next mayor of the city on Dec. 1. He will be replacing two-term Mayor Gavin Buckley, a Democrat, who could not run again due to term limits. Littmann represented Ward 5 on the Annapolis City Council from 2013, when he was appointed to replace Mathew Silverman, to 2017. The expected mayor-elect did not run for reelection in 2017, a decision he attributed to his positions on the True Value Co. board of directors and his own Annapolis Hardware store K&B True Value, now called K&B Ace Hardware. He has campaigned on improving “basic core services” of the city, such as improving the city permit process and parking. Littmann said his campaign was based on “professional anti-chaos.” “I’m going to be working really hard to make sure people are heard whether they voted for me or not,” Littmann said to the Capital Gazette on Tuesday night. “I want to be the mayor for all people in Annapolis.” Littmann’s ability to get his campaign promises done partially relies on the City Council. The Thursday election results show Democrats holding on to every city council position. Ward 1 Incumbent Democrat Ward 1 Alderman Harry Huntley, who is vying for his first elected term on the City Council, is in the lead after Thursday’s count with 976 votes. Huntley, who works in agriculture policy, was appointed to the City Council in September 2024 when the ward’s alderman, Eleanor Tierney, stepped down mid-term. Unaffiliated candidate Tom Krieck, a former business executive and short-term rental owner, had 877 votes. Ward 2 Incumbent Ward 2 Alderman Karma O’Neill, a Democrat and events planner, remained in the lead with Thursday’s results. O’Neill had 876 votes. O’Neill has been on the City Council since 2021 and leads the council’s transportation committee. Republican candidate Kenneth Vincent, a former FBI agent, had 471 votes. Ward 3 Democratic candidate Keanuú Smith-Brown, a Wiley H. Bates Middle School social studies teacher, was still in the lead in the Ward 3 election with 567 votes. The ward’s unaffiliated candidate, engineer Mike Dye, had 164 votes. The current alderman, Rhonda Pindell Charles, did not run for reelection so she could make a mayoral bid during the Democratic primary. Pindell Charles earned support from about 32.9% of voters in the Democratic primary against Littmann. Ward 5 Incumbent Democrat Ward 5 Alderman Brooks Schandelmeier, who works in health policy, maintained his lead Thursday with 597 votes. Schandelmeier has been on the council since 2020, when he was appointed to replace Alderman Marc Rodriguez. Republican candidate Jack Papaleonti, a real estate agent, had 326 votes. Ward 6 Community navigator Diesha Contee, a Democrat, was in the lead for Ward 6 alderman with 403 votes. Republican candidate George Gallagher, who works in biotech, had 158 votes. The ward’s current alderman, DaJuan Gay, did not run for reelection. At 22, Gay was the youngest alderman elected in city history when he was first was elected in 2019. Ward 8 Democrat Frank Thorp, a former U.S. Navy communications officer, maintained his the lead for Ward 8 with 1,043 votes. Unaffiliated candidate William Cunha, the owner of Oscar’s Coffee, had 612 votes. The ward’s alderman since 2007, Democrat Ross Arnett, chose not to run for reelection. Wards 4 and 7 Wards 4 and 7 both did not have competitive elections for their City Council representative. Incumbent Ward 7 Alderman Rob Savidge, a Democrat, will keep his seat and Annapolis political newcomer Democrat Janice Elaine Allsup-Johnson, a former Anne Arundel County government employee, will represent Ward 4. Have a news tip? Contact Katharine Wilson at kwilson@baltsun.com.
