As Annapolis awaits the official results of last week’s Democratic mayoral primary, the Capital Gazette looked into each candidate’s major donors.
Jared Littmann, a former alderman and hardware store owner, has a significant lead after the in-person vote count on election night. About half of the primary votes are expected to come from the mail-in, drop box and provisional ballots, which are set to be counted Tuesday.
In the in-person vote count, Littmann had 1,371 votes and Rhonda Pindell Charles, the current Ward 3 alderman, had 771 votes.
Littmann has greatly out-fundraised his competitor, Pindell Charles, throughout the campaign. His campaign brought in about $191,500 since his campaign began in January 2024 through contributions, while Pindell Charles has earned $36,600 in contributions.
The winner of the Democratic primary will go up against Republican Bob O’Shea, a business consultant in the defense and medical industry. O’Shea, who did not have a primary competitor, had raised $5,610 in contributions by Sept. 17. The largest campaign donation received by O’Shea in the election so far was $2,000 from former Ward 2 Alderman Fred Paone’s campaign account. Paone confirmed the donation but did not want to comment further to the Capital Gazette.
Top donors for each candidate in the Democratic primary donated $2,500. Littmann had at least 23 donors who sent in that amount, while Pindell Charles had three such donations, excluding a self-donation.
Pindell Charles’ top donors were all relatives, including her husband, according to the candidate.
Littmann’s top donors, who all donated $2,500, spanned a wider mix of business owners, renewable energy supporters, Annapolis residents and donors from outside the city.
Two of his donors, according to campaign finance reports, were brothers Alexander and Eric Smith, the owners of Baltimore-based Atlas Restaurant Group, who donated to the campaign in 2024.
The restaurant group has five locations on Annapolis’ City Dock, including four restaurants and a wedding venue.
Ego Alley Ventures, LLC, which is connected to Alexander Smith, also donated $2,500 to the campaign. The area is undergoing significant redevelopment as part of the City Dock Resiliency Plan.
Littmann, when asked about these donations, said that like all donors, they “must appreciate that I have the ability to carry through on what my campaign has been about,” adding “I give the same campaign speech and highlights of my background, my interests, and my plans to everybody, and whether it’s people who have funds to donate to campaigns or people who have no funds to donate.”
Alexander Smith is listed on Littmann’s campaign website as an endorser.
“As a business owner in Annapolis, I understand how crucial good governance and public safety are for the success of our community,” Alexander Smith wrote on Littmann’s campaign site. “Jared Littmann deeply appreciates these values and has a clear plan to ensure our city remains safe and well-governed.”
Alexander Smith and his brother Eric Smith, an Atlas co-owner, are nephews of Baltimore Sun and Capital Gazette co-owner David Smith, who is a partner in some Atlas restaurants.
The Smith brothers and Atlas did not respond to multiple requests for comment in time for this article’s publication.
Littmann’s top donations also included $2,500 from Annapolis-based Dock Street Trading, the owners of which are personal friends and former business partners, according to Littmann.
Other recognizable top donors included former Annapolis Ward 1 Alderman Joseph Budge and former green energy investment group Hannon Armstrong CEO Jeffrey Eckel.
“I talked about environmental resilience a lot, and that has certainly resonated with people who are in that space,” Littmann said. “He’s someone who had the ability to put a financial support behind somebody who believes in the importance of environmental resilience.”
Budge, Eckel and Dock Street Trading did not respond to a comment request for this story.
As of the last campaign finance report through Sept. 7, Littmann had about $60,000 cash on hand without any debt, and Pindell Charles had $7,300 remaining with nearly $50,000 in outstanding obligations.
The next mayor of Annapolis will hold a key leadership position as term-limited two-term mayor Gavin Buckley steps down and at least half of the city council will be new, as four current aldermen did not run for re-election. The city is facing growing pressures to deal with increased flooding, handle short-term rentals concerns, and improve city services.
Have a news tip? Contact Katharine Wilson at kwilson@baltsun.com.
