At the two-year mark, mayor praised for big ideas
But some Buckley critics say communication is lacking
In the fall of 2017, Gavin Buckley stood before a packed crowd in his West Street restaurant and promised to bring new ideas to a city that helped make him a successful businessman.
Just over two years later, Buckley has reached the midpoint of his first term as mayor of Annapolis. Many of his supporters are still with him, certain his promise of change will come. His critics say he dreams big, but his delivery on those dreams — and how he communicates them — falls short.
Buckley, an Australian American who has lived in Annapolis for almost 30 years, stormed to victory over incumbent Republican Mayor Mike Pantelides, riding a national wave of discontent among Democratic voters.
Buckley campaigned on fiscal responsibility and environmental protection under the banner of One Annapolis, an effort to provide the same opportunities for all residents.
In his first two years, Buckley has held true to some of those promises. He successfully sought to clean up the city’s finances under the exacting eye of City Manager Teresa Sutherland, and those efforts will continue despite Sutherland’s plans to resign her post in February.
“I plan on having a AAA rating before the next election,” he said.
But to accomplish some of his goals, Buckley had to raise taxes. He was criticized for the 13-cent property tax increase during his first budget cycle, the first in the city since 2014.
The move is still a sore spot for some city residents, said Alderman Fred Paone, R-Ward 2. “Water bills are up, taxes are up, and we don’t have anything to show for it.”
Eastport native Frieda Wildey committed to Buckley’s campaign early, knocking doors, planting yard signs and hosting campaign events for him at her house. She was drawn to his One Annapolis message.
“I was very impressed with his energy and enthusiasm to make Annapolis the shining city on the hill,” said Wildey, who has known the mayor since he built a restaurant business on West Street. “He’s had a real vision for Annapolis.”
Buckley should be proud of his efforts to create a more inclusive city, said Ward 1 Alderwoman Elly Tierney, a Democrat who also won election in 2017.
Not everything worked out in Buckley’s favor.
A failed bike lane proposal on Main Street was an early blow to Buckley’s big idea approach. Some local business leaders criticized the rollout for not getting community input, said Ron George, a former Republican state legislator who has owned a jewelry business on Main Street for three decades.
“He said he learned a lot and decided not to do it,” George said. “I admired him for stopping it ... We’re not against biking. It wasn’t what this street was designed for.”
Wildey said she loved the idea of a bike lane and called it “so his style” to introduce the plan so quickly.
The failed plan created mistrust among some residents and business owners, Tierney said.
“The bike lane implementation without prior review created mistrust, justified or not, which has hampered his progress,” she said. “The council gets blamed, but we represent an array of opinions and public stakeholders that we listen to and represent, and they don’t always agree with the mayor. It’s a messy democratic process, but he needs to navigate it to get things done.”
Wildey also recalled Buckley’s swift response to the shooting at The Capital Gazette newsroom on June 28, 2018. The attack claimed the lives of five staffers when a gunman entered the building and opened fire. Gerald Fischman, Wendi Winters, Rebecca Smith, Rob Hiaasen and John McNamara were killed in the attack.
The shooting occurred just six months into his tenure, but it was as one of the best examples of his leadership, Wildey said.
“It was a true tragedy for the city. I loved how he worked hard to bring everyone together,” she said. “That’s something I love about him. He’s not a guarded person. He’s emotional, and I love that.”
As Buckley has become more comfortable, the biggest lesson he’s learned in two years on the job is: “Things take time and you can’t expect things to happen overnight, especially in government,” Buckley said. “We’ve stayed the course on our ideas and they’re materializing now. I’d say 2020 is going to be our year.”
The city is currently in the early stages of its City Dock redevelopment plan. It is an estimated $50 million proposal that would remake the downtown area over the next five years, while protecting it against coastal flooding and rising sea levels. City officials and Historic Annapolis are currently fielding cost estimates to rebuild Hillman Garage, as well as working on a local financing authority to fund the project.
Buckley called the plan the largest municipal project the city has ever undertaken.
“And we are going to get it paid for without going to the local taxpayer,” he said. “It’ll take two terms to do all the things I want. I don’t know how people run mayoral cycles in two years ... We definitely need eight years to accomplish all the things that I am trying to accomplish.”
Another big idea early in the Buckley administration was a controversial land swap that would have allowed the city to build a new public works facility on Forest Drive. Buckley lobbied for the deal for two years before it was recently scrapped in favor of a $2.2 million acquisition of a Hudson Street property for the facility.
Paone sympathizes with Buckley on the city’s lack of expediency in completing some capital projects, but there is a lack of attention to detail at times from Buckley and city staff that hinders the process, Paone said.
“I’m sure he’s frustrated that we haven’t been able to move faster,” Paone said. “You have got to look into the details. How much will it cost, and how long will it take? All of that seems to be terribly lacking. Part of that is inexperience.”
As for environmental protection, Buckley said his administration “has tried more things than have ever been tried before.” He’s started to address resiliency with flood mitigation efforts at City Dock — an issue that will certainly stretch beyond his term.
Buckley has done a satisfactory job so far, said Brooks Schandelmeier, an Annapolis resident and president of the District 30 Democratic Club, but echoed George’s sentiment about improving communication.
It’s Buckley’s job to explain to business owners, residents and his City Council how projects like the City Dock redevelopment will help Annapolis.
“Some are hesitant to change because we are a historical town. He needs to do a good job explaining how this will help our community,” Schandelmeier said. “He comes up with a bold idea, he gets really excited, but he doesn’t explain how he wants to implement it and what it could do for the city. It’s a problem that a lot of us have.”
Despite his efforts to spread the word on certain projects, whether it’s renovating Market House or putting a park on City Dock, it can still shock some people when plans are implemented, Buckley said.
“We try to get everything out there. It could be on the front page of The Capital,” Buckley said. “A lot of things that I’ve been doing, I’ve been talking about since the election ... You can always do better to communicate. And we are definitely working on that for the second half, and I apologize to anyone who didn’t get the message.”
One of his goals the second half of his term is to forge stronger ties with County Executive Steuart Pittman and state legislators who represent Annapolis, including state Sen. Sarah Elfreth and Del. Shaneka Henson and Del. Alice Cain, and who will be integral to help facilitate some of the city’s projects. All three of them are Democrats representing Annapolis.
“I have a great connection with Steuart on the county level, so just making sure we are consistent all the way to the top,” Buckley said. “All of us ran because we didn’t like where the country was going on a national level so we have to stick together on that.”