A native of Baltimore, Callahan was mayor of Annapolis and director of the Recreation and Parks Department of Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
The general election winner, Republican John R. Leopold, appointed Callahan chief administrative officer of Anne Arundel County, a position he held at the time of his death.
The plan called for tearing down most of a horse farm and building ball fields over the land, leaving limited space for a community equestrian center.
However, it was only after the Critical Area Commission ruled that plans for the park would have to be severely curtailed that Anne Arundel County backed out of the proposed development.
On September 15, 2002, a fight broke out in the parking lot between the two competing football teams, the Cape St. Claire Cougars and Riviera Beach Buccaneers.
The officials lifted the two-game suspension, however "members of the football association said that Callahan, who is a friend of Harris, intervened in the appeals process.