Annapolis mayoral candidates debate Sept. 12 in East- port. From left, Republican Frank Bradley; Bevin Buch- heister and incumbent Josh Cohen, both Democrats; GOP runner-up Bob O’Shea. Republican nominee Mike Panteli- des not shown.  (Photo/Bevin for Mayor of Annapolis)

Will face political neophyte in November
 
Maryland’s capital city, Annapolis, which has reelect- ed only three mayors in more than half a century, nominated Democratic incumbent Joshua J. Cohen Tuesday to run against a political neophyte in the city’s general election Nov. 5.

Cohen defeated challenger Bevin Buchheister, an attorney and downtown civic activist who is president of the city’s Ward One Residents Association, by a vote of 1774 to 1332, or 57 to 43 percent.

On the Republican side, political neophyte Michael J. Pantelides overwhelmed Robert A. O’Shea Jr., a consultant for defense firms and medical companies, 808-410, with Frank Bradley, a retiree best known for playing Santa Claus at Christmastime, finishing a distant third with 41 votes, or 3 percent.

Pantelides took 64 percent of the GOP vote to O’Shea’s 33 percent.

Pantelides is an at-large member of the Annapolis Republican Central Committee and president of the Germantown-Homewood Civic Association who has served as campaign manager for two GOP candidates in the past.

A 2007 graduate of West Virginia University, he briefly sold advertising for The Annapolis Capital and Baltimore Sun and currently works in sales at Vocus, a Beltsville-based cloud marketing software firm. His father is local land development consultant John S. Pantelides.

Cohen, who by all accounts had been considered politically vulnerable, won handily over Buchheister.

However, unlike Baltimore, where Republicans rarely ever get elected — the state’s largest city has had only one GOP mayor since the 1930s — Annapolis often elects its mayors irrespective of political affiliation, so winning the Democratic primary there, despite the overwhelming registration, is not a guarantee of victory in November.

Cohen, who cites accomplishments including balancing the city’s budget and inaugurating a Circulator shuttle bus — which has failed to attract riders and is a financial burden on Annapolis taxpayers — acknowledges that voters disagree with some of his initiatives.

However he maintains he’s tried to bring residents with differing opinions together and has refused to cater to what he calls “the ‘no’ crowd.”

Not surprisingly, the four mayoral challengers all say Cohen is not running the city well.

Discord over City Dock; support for the concept of Crystal Spring, a proposed major redevelopment; and the struggle to reopen Annapolis’s downtown Market House are the most frequently cited criticisms of the incumbent mayor.

Buchheister, who decided to “jump in” and offer her services to the city, said she had become “increasingly frustrated” with the way Annapolis is run.

Apparently the majority of Democratic voters Tuesday did not agree with her.
 
— Alan Z. Forman
 
alforman@voiceofbaltimore.org