Gavin Buckley

Gavin Buckley
Mayor of Annapolis
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 December 2017
Preceded byMike Pantelides
Personal details
Born (1963-02-08) 8 February 1963 (age 61)
Boksburg, South Africa
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Julie Williams
​
(m. 1997)​
Children2

Gavin Buckley (born 8 February 1963) is a South African-born Australian-American[nb 1] politician and former restaurateur who has been the mayor of Annapolis, Maryland since 2017. Born in South Africa and raised primarily in Perth, Western Australia, he moved to Annapolis in 1992, eventually opening multiple bars and restaurants in the city.

A Democrat, he was elected mayor in 2017, his first bid at elected office, defeating incumbent Republican mayor Mike Pantelides.[2][3] He was re-elected in 2021.[4]

As Annapolis Mayor, Buckley convened the City Dock Action Committee[5] to crowdsource resiliency solutions to flooding at Historic City Dock (Annapolis' main harbor, which is operated by the City). His administration has undertaken numerous infrastructure projects, including HUD's Choice Neighborhood Initiative (CNI), a partnership with the Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis to revitalize distressed public housing properties at Eastport Terrace and Harbour House.[6] In 2021, the City received upgraded financial ratings from all three ratings agencies, which Moody's said "reflects the city's sizable, diverse, and growing tax base with institutional presence, above-average demographic profile, manageable debt burden, and elevated pension burden."[7] Buckley was in office during the Capital Gazette shooting on 28 June 2018, and has advocated for stricter gun control laws in its wake.[1]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Knott 2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Gavin Buckley elected Mayor of Annapolis after jibes about his Australian background, by Zoe Daniel, abc website.
  3. ^ Inauguration day in Annapolis: Introducing Mayor Gavin Buckley, Danielle Ohl, Capital Gazette, 4 December 2017.
  4. ^ DuBose, Brooks; Conaway, Donovan (3 November 2021). "Republican Steven Strawn concedes to Democrat Gavin Buckley in Annapolis mayoral race". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  5. ^ "Vision of City Dock: Action committee focuses on need for financing authority". Capital Gazette. 28 July 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  6. ^ "Annapolis housing authority receives $450,000 grant for housing redevelopment". Capital Gazette. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  7. ^ "Annapolis bond score upgraded to second-highest rating by outside company". Capital Gazette. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2024.


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