Annapolis Election Final Results: Buckley Wins 2nd Term, Democrats Sweep City Council

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Gavin Buckley (D)* won a second term as the mayor of Annapolis, election officials announced Tuesday.

Democrats also swept every council race. This is the first time that one party has held every city hall position since Annapolis expanded to eight wards in 1950, Capital Gazette journalist Brooks DuBose tweeted.

The city council previously had one Republican, but he did not seek another term. Every incumbent on the ballot was re-elected.

The mayoral and aldermanic victors will be sworn in on Dec. 6 at 10 a.m. Their four-year terms will start on Dec. 13.

These were the winners in each ward. The names of incumbents are bolded and starred.

• Ward 1: Elly Tierney (D)*
• Ward 2: Karma O'Neill (D)
• Ward 3: Rhonda Pindell Charles (D)*
• Ward 4: Sheila Finlayson (D)*
• Ward 5: Brooks Schandelmeier (D)*
• Ward 6: DaJuan Gay (D)*
• Ward 7: Rob Savidge (D)*
• Ward 8: Ross Arnett (D)*

Residents can see which ward they live in by using this search engine. A map of each district is available here.

Annapolis posted a 40 percent voter turnout. That's up from 36 percent in 2017 and 31 percent in 2013. Ward 8 saw a 50 percent turnout this year.

Buckley's Vision For Annapolis

Buckley declared victory last Wednesday, saying he got a concession call from challenger Steven Strawn (R). The incumbent led Strawn by nearly 2,500 votes at that point, but there were still about 3,700 ballots left to count. Tuesday's final tally formalized Buckley's win over the conservative who advocated for greater fiscal responsibility and public safety.

Strawn's promise to reduce crime appealed to some voters, as the city has seen a spate of violence in recent months. Shots were fired in Annapolis three separate times on Friday, and police charged two suspects with murder the day prior.

"It is now time for our community to come together to best serve the needs of the residents of our wonderful City of Annapolis," Buckley said last week in his victory declaration. "I look forward to serving over the next four years and turning today’s challenges into tomorrow’s successes."

The immigrant restaurateur was born in South Africa and raised in Australia. Buckley moved to Annapolis in 1992 with $200 in his pocket. He eventually opened these West Street eateries: Lemongrass, Metropolitan Kitchen & Lounge, Sailor Oyster Bar and Tsunami.

Buckley was first elected mayor in 2017 when he defeated incumbent Michael Pantelides (R). The Democrat carried 61 percent of the vote in that election. He won 73 percent this time around.

In his second term, Buckley hopes to fight climate change and improve Annapolis' infrastructure. The mayor is pushing for a City Dock redesign to improve its resiliency against rising sea levels. He also wants to demolish and reconstruct the frequently-flooded Noah Hillman Garage, located at 150 Gorman Street.

Buckley additionally sued more than two dozen gas companies to hold them accountable for their effects on climate change. He similarly announced plans to build 13 electric vehicle charging stations, extend Poplar Trail from downtown to Parole and erect a new Public Works facility.

"We will continue to work together towards greener solutions that will help our Environment and keep Annapolis thriving," Buckley wrote in a Patch candidate survey. "Finding solutions to our Environmental issues we are experiencing today and being able to foresee their outcomes for our future, aids our City in becoming more resilient."

Other Race Summaries

The city reported election results in three waves based on when judges received each mail-in or in-person ballot.

Ward 2 was the lone area where the officeholder did not run for re-election. Alderman Frederick Paone (R)* currently represents this district, but he is passing the baton.

In the battle for the open spot, Scott Gibson (R) held a preliminary edge over O'Neill on election night. O'Neill pulled ahead in the second count and then clinched victory with the third ballot drop.

The Ward 2 match-up was the only one with less than 100 votes separating the candidates heading into the last tally.

In Ward 4, Finlayson beat challenger Toni Strong-Pratt (D) by five votes in the Democratic primary. Strong-Pratt requested a recount because of the slim margin. The second tally yielded the same results, sending Finlayson on to the general election without a Republican opponent.

Strong-Pratt then sought election by write-in vote. For Strong-Pratt to win the race, the number of write-in nominations for her must have exceeded the number of votes for Finlayson.

Residents could write in whoever they wanted, however. That means there is a chance that not every write-in vote went to Strong-Pratt. The names of write-in candidates are not yet available, but Finlayson still got more votes than all the write-ins combined.

Arnett was the only incumbent who trailed after the first vote count. The alderman surpassed newcomer Rock Toews (R) in the second tally and sealed the deal in the final canvass.

The races for Wards 1, 3 and 7 were uncontested.

Vote Counts

Here are the final vote counts in every race.

Each candidate's name is linked to more information about them. The names of candidates who completed Patch's election questionnaire are linked to their unedited responses. The names of the other candidates are linked to their campaign websites.

The City of Annapolis Board of Supervisors of Elections posted more details at annapolis.gov/elections.

Counting The Ballots

The city mailed a ballot to every registered voter by Oct. 12. This was the first general election in which Annapolis sent a ballot to all voters. A lawsuit challenged this decision, but a court rejected the appeal and let the city mail its ballots.

Locals could mail their completed ballot back to the indicated address. Officials counted every ballot that was postmarked by the end of Election Day, which was on Tuesday, Nov. 2

Voters could also submit their ballot by placing it in one of eight dropboxes until polls closed.

Residents who preferred to vote in person disregarded the ballot mailed to them. They voted at their assigned precinct on Election Day. Anybody in line by 8 p.m. was allowed to vote. The polls were at the same locations as the dropboxes.

Annapolitans had to register to vote at this link by Oct. 4. Locals can check if they are registered by clicking here.

Leaders uploaded the first ballot tally on election night to annapolis.gov/elections. This batch only counted the in-person votes cast on Election Day.

The Wednesday, Nov. 3 report included all the dropbox and mail-in ballots received through Thursday, Oct. 28.

Officials certified the final results on Tuesday, Nov. 9. The remaining dropbox, mail-in and provisional ballots were be added up here.

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