Annapolis mayor will seek a second term to see through major city infrastructure projects

Six weeks after the midpoint in his first term, Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley confirmed Friday he will be running for a second term in office in part to see through the completion of several major infrastructure projects that have been put in motion this year.

The announcement comes as Buckley’s office released a mid-term progress report that highlights his achievements during his first two years in office.

Buckley, whose first term ends in 2021, handily defeated incumbent Republican Mayor Mike Pantelides two years ago, aided in part by supporters who were drawn to his promises of bringing new ideas to the city. Many of them are still with him, but his critics say he falls short in delivering on those promises.

The most significant of those projects is an estimated $50 million redevelopment of City Dock that is set to begin with the demolition and reconstruction of Hillman Garage. Buckley has called it the largest municipal project the city has ever taken. The city is currently fielding proposals from firms for the job. The project is expected to be completed by spring 2024, a little more than halfway through Buckley’s second term if he won re-election.

“Of course, I would like to be around for them. And there’s so much to do,” Buckley said of the projects. “I don’t think it’s possible to get it done in one term. So I’m going to run for another term.”

The report highlights other major projects like the construction of a new Truxtun Park Pool that is currently underway and the acquisition of a $2.2 million plot of land where a new public works building is to be built. Other projects, like the new Annapolis library, is expected to open in late April or early May.

It also lays out efforts to combat climate change, improving waterways, increasing energy efficiency as well as the implementation of a styrofoam ban in the city in September. The mayor has also emphasized public safety with the hiring of new Annapolis Police Chief Ed Jackson and Annapolis Fire Chief Doug Remaley as well as the creation of the Office of Emergency Management as a stand-alone department with Director Kevin Simmons at its helm. The full report can be read on the city’s website.

“I feel we’ve achieved a ton in the first two years, and nobody’s just been sitting around,” Buckley said. “I’m really proud of what we’ve done so far. And I think it’s a lot and even if it’s not done, it’s in motion to be done.”

But before any of these major projects could get off the ground, the first step was to shore up the city’s finances, an effort spearheaded by outgoing City Manager Teresa Sutherland, Buckley said.

Sutherland helped make corrections and increase transparency and under her inspection, the city has improved its bond rating, Buckley said. The city has used tactics like monitoring budget to actual expenditures throughout the year, employing more efficient budget software, and using cost-saving measures such as leasing police and fire vehicles and eliminating take-home vehicles for city employees, among others.

Sutherland will step down Feb. 1 after less than two years on the job. Public Works Director David Jarrell will take her place.

“You can’t venture out and do new things until you have a solid foundation,” he said. “And once that was done, and you know, we laid a lot of groundwork through the first couple of years. I took a bunch of hits here and there, but it was all really for 2020, where you’re going to see these things materialize. And so there’s gonna be physical evidence of what we’ve been doing.”

But to accomplish some of his goals, Buckley had to raise taxes. He was criticized for the 8.9-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. Buckley also ran into trouble early in his tenure when he proposed a temporary bike lane on Main Street that received pushback from some business owners.

Despite that failing, the report highlights successful alternative transportation solutions like the installation of several bike-share stations in the city, acquiring grants to paint sharrows, or shared lane markings, on roadways and expand bike trails.

Buckley, who regularly rides his bike to work, said he sees more people walking and biking around town than ever before.

“I do think subtly, we’re making a difference in how people move themselves around the city,” he said. “And as we create more infrastructure to make that safer, we’ll have more people doing what I do, which is ride my bike to work quite often.

“And I think that if any of us care about the planet, we’re going to have to start to change our habits and make sure that we are burning less fossil fuel and we are driving electric cars and we are thinking using public transportation.”