O'Shea Concedes To Littmann In Annapolis Mayor's Race

Last updated Wednesday at 11:10 pm.

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Consultant Robert "Bobby" O'Shea (R) conceded late Tuesday night to businessman Jared Littmann (D) in the race for Annapolis mayor, Patch confirmed on Wednesday. The Capital Gazette was first to report the news.

"About 10 minutes after we got the results[,] I gave Jared a call and congratulated him and conceded the election," O'Shea told Patch in a statement. "The spread was large enough that it would take literally all of the mail-in ballots to change the results and I wanted Jared to be able to enjoy the evening with his supporters."

Littmann said O'Shea called him around 10:40 p.m. Tuesday.

"He was very gracious and I did my best to be gracious in return," Littmann told Patch in a statement. "I told him that it is tough for anyone to put themselves out into the public spotlight to run for office, and that I appreciated that he did that and raised issues that are important to the residents of Annapolis."

Littmann leads O'Shea by 2,493 votes in the contest to succeed term-limited Mayor Gavin Buckley (D), who could not run for re-election. That gives Littmann about 70% of the in-person vote that was tallied immediately after Tuesday's general election.

There are, however, thousands of ballots that still need counting.

The city issued 3,423 mail-in ballots. That included 2,263 for Democrats, 587 for Republicans and 573 for unaffiliated voters. The mail-in and drop box ballots will be counted starting Thursday, but the final results won't be certified until at least Nov. 12.

"I felt that Jared and I ran a good race," O'Shea wrote in his statement. "We dealt with the concerns of the city of Annapolis and we didn't get in to anything that didn't have to do with either one of us trying to make this city a better place to live."

Littmann stated, "Looking back, I’m so proud of the campaign that we ran."

"We stayed true to the values our core team shared - honesty and integrity, being positive and focused on how we can do better, and including a variety of voices that we sought and listened to for advice," Littmann's statement said. "We were all people who had been active in the community and had owned, created, and run businesses, with minimal political experience, and we succeeded in creating a campaign that was well staffed, funded, organized, and effective in addressing issues that resonated with residents."

Voters also cast their ballots for the next eight aldermen on the city council.

The Ward 1 race is the city's closest. Unaffiliated Thomas Krieck leads current Alderman Harry Huntley (D) by 10 votes. This is Huntley's first time seeking election, as he was appointed to the office when former Alderwoman Elly Tierney (D) retired in September 2024.

Democratic incumbents Karma O'Neill (Ward 2), Brooks Schandelmeier (Ward 5) and Robert Savidge (Ward 7) are all vying for another term. O'Neill and Schandelmeier are both leading their challengers.

Savidge does not face an opponent. The city's only other uncontested candidate is Janice Elaine Allsup-Johnson (D-Ward 4). Savidge and Allsup-Johnson just needed one vote to clinch their seats.

The preliminary vote tallies from in-person voting on Election Day are listed below. Voters can see which ward they live in by using this tool.

Mayor

• Jared Littmann (D): 4,291
• Robert O’Shea (R): 1,798

Ward 1

• Harry Huntley (D): 566
• Thomas Krieck (Unaffiliated): 576

Ward 2

• Karma O’Neill (D): 623
• Kenneth G. Vincent (R): 379

Ward 3

• Keanuú Smith-Brown (D): 417
• Michael Dye (Unaffiliated): 128

Ward 4

• Janice Elaine Allsup-Johnson (D): 343

Ward 5

• Brooks Schandelmeier (D): 447
• Jack Papaleonti (R): 285

Ward 6

• Diesha Contee (D): 302
• George M. Gallagher (R): 110

Ward 7

• Robert Savidge (D): 552

Ward 8

• Frank Thorp (D): 679
• Will Cunha (Unaffiliated): 499

City Dock Among Top Priorities

Voters are most concerned about the forthcoming City Dock Park, taxes and business development.

City Dock Park, an elevated green space intended to protect downtown from flooding, broke ground on Monday. The $71 million facility should open in summer 2027.

Most voters agree that the flooding has to stop, but they disagree on whether the park should have all the frills or just the necessities.

"Let's get it done," said Carter Law, a public school teacher who lives downtown in Ward 1. "The plan I love, but why are we spending millions of dollars on excess things?"

Law is tired of the "pandering" and "local politicians doing the bare minimum ... when their job is to be the voice of the people."

"I feel like Annapolitans are fed up," Law said.

Law voted for O'Shea, a business consultant in the defense and medical industries.

"He is willing to listen to both sides as well as get to the source of the problem," Law said.

Ward 1 resident Mike Adams is worried about the price tag of City Dock Park.

"It's concerning how that's all going to get paid for," he said.

His wife, Donna Adams, is eager to stop the flooding.

"Something has to be done," Donna Adams said. "It's so unfair to the businesses downtown."

Economic development is another priority for Donna Adams. She is saddened "seeing the empty storefronts downtown."

"I don't love seeing businesses that have been here for a while shutter their doors," she said.

The property tax rate is another frustration for the couple.

"It seems to be going up and up," Mike Adams said. "I'm not seeing a reflection in the services for the city of Annapolis."

Mike and Donna Adams both voted for Littmann, a lawyer and an engineer who owns K&B Ace Hardware with his wife.

"His experience as a business owner, that was impressive," Mike Adams said.

Mayoral Candidates On City Dock

If elected, Littmann would pursue the full scope of City Dock Park as it's currently planned. He called the downtown waterfront "the economic engine of our city."

"If we lose the City Dock to sea level rise and we just give up on that area, we are a far less attractive city to visit, do business in," Littmann said. "We have the maritime industry there. We have businesses there. We have the tourism industry there."

Littmann has followed the plan closely as a member of the Resilience Authority of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. Though some balk at the construction cost, Littmann reminds constituents that the flood mitigation doubles as a passive recreation space.

Littmann contends that the benefits are two-fold, making the budget more palatable. He also argues that losing downtown businesses to flooding would be detrimental to taxpayers citywide.

"If you take away those businesses and you still have the expenses of running a city and that whole downtown is now not contributing to tax revenue, that puts a far larger burden of tax revenue on everybody else," Littmann said.

O'Shea said he decided to run because "Gavin tore down the harbor master house without the funds and literally with another lawsuit still there."

"Do we need to do something with City Dock? 100%," O'Shea said. "We need to take care of the flooding issue, but the thing about it is you have to do it responsibly."

O'Shea worried that focusing on the bells and whistles would drive up the bill.

"You can't make it that all of a sudden you're halfway into it and you have no more funding," O'Shea said. "[Then,] the only way to fund it is to come to the taxpayers and say, 'I'm sorry, but I have to raise taxes, but you're going to like it that it's not flooding anymore.'"

O'Shea's detractors note that one of his campaign donors is C. Edward Hartman III, a lawyer who tried to block the City Dock project. Hartman contributed $2,500, the maximum personal donation in a city election.

O'Shea, however, thinks the donation shows he has support from a prominent local family with deep nautical roots.

"The people that are endorsing me are people that live in this city. The Hartman family have busted their asses for this town. They were the people involved with the boat shows that brought $500,000 a year, minimum, to this city. They were involved with Watermark."

Littmann also has donors who contributed the maximum allowed, including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

"We're not talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars of contributions from any one entity," Littmann said, adding that he has donors from several industries because of his varied background. "A $2,500 contribution is not going to change my influence on anything."

Candidates Outline Visions For City

Littmann was also the Ward 5 alderman from 2013 to 2017. Littmann, the first candidate to enter the race, bills himself as a savvy businessman with a passion for environmentalism. He defeated Rhonda Pindell Charles, an attorney and the current Ward 3 alderwoman, in the September primary election.

"The cost of living and working and doing business in Annapolis, affordability is tough," Littmann said.

Littmann also wants to improve customer service for city residents.

"It's hard to work with our city government," Littmann said. "People tell me it takes way too long to get responses from emails and calls, trying to get permits. Even very simple things like a rotted wood porch to get a permit to just replace the wood. It takes months and months and months."

O'Shea paints himself as an outspoken critic of the status quo. He aspires to protect historic charm and cut wasteful spending.

"A lot of the older voters are really concerned about the taxes," O'Shea said. "They're literally saying they're getting taxed out of their houses."

When To Expect Results

The City of Annapolis will release tallies Tuesday evening from in-person voting on Election Day. Unofficial results will be counted at City Hall. Poll watchers are welcome to attend and watch the process as election judges report out the preliminary totals from in-person voting.

It will take longer, however, to tabulate all the mail-in and drop box ballots.

Beginning Thursday, the Annapolis Board of Supervisors of Elections will convene at the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections offices at 6740 Baymeadow Drive in Glen Burnie to begin the official canvass. Candidates and poll watchers are welcome to attend and watch the process.

Once complete, the city will announce vote totals from:

• Drop box ballots.
• Verified provisional ballots.
• Mail-in ballots received to date.

By law, mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day and received by 10 a.m. on Nov. 12 will be counted as part of the official vote total. At that time, all counted votes will be certified.

Anybody with issues can contact the Elections Hotline at 410-263-7929.

For more details on voter registration deadlines and polling locations, visit annapolis.gov/2125/2025-Elections-Information.