For eight years, Annapolis had Gavin Buckley, the swaggering Australian restaurateur, as mayor.
Buckley liked to make decisions fast and described himself as “anti-establishment.” His tenure included “deputizing” his own boat and pushing to overhaul City Dock in the historic part of town.
Now comes Jared Littmann, who was sworn in Monday as Annapolis’ 138th mayor.
Littmann has worn many hats: engineer, lawyer and hardware store proprietor. He also served on the City Council for a term, from 2013-17, before announcing a bid for mayor and campaigning for 22 months.
Brooks Schandelmeier, a Democrat who was just reelected as Ward 5 alderman, called Littmann “studious and methodical.”
The new mayor acknowledged that his governing style is different from Buckley’s. Littmann, 53, said someone described him as a businessman and Buckley as an entrepreneur. Same profession but different styles.
“I think having someone like Gavin, who is a ‘break it’ kind of guy — breaking up the status quo, envisioning economic investment in our community, building new capital assets — is important in a city’s life cycle,” Littmann said.
After such a mayor, he said, it makes sense to have someone “focused on how we’re going to rebuild in a productive way that’s efficient [and] responsive to constituents.”
In an interview before he left office, Buckley described Littmann as a friend, adding that he was one of his favorite council members before he himself served.
Littmann cruised to victory last month, winning more than 73% of the vote against Republican Bobby O’Shea.
At his swearing-in Monday, Littmann thanked his family and personally administered the oath of office to eight council members, breaking into a grin as some were interrupted by applause.
He reiterated that he intended to make city government work for everyone. He encouraged those in attendance to get more involved in their communities.
Littmann, who will make $120,000 a year as mayor, pledged to continue progress on big projects such as the City Dock overhaul to protect against flooding from climate change. He also intends to maintain a focus on public safety and to connect with city department heads and employees.
The mayor appointed Neilye Garrity, his campaign manager, as chief of staff.
Littman said he intends to tell department heads he’s not somebody who “needs to make change just for change sake.”
But he added, “We’re at a natural point where there will be some inherent change,” including with the role of city manager, a job that’s been filled by Victoria Buckland in an acting capacity since May.
“There’ll be some other positions shuffling,” Littmann said, “but not everybody.”
Schandelmeier, who represents the ward that Littmann once did, called Buckley a bit of an “improviser.” He said Littman’s more reserved approach will help the city complete major projects.
“We’re facing some challenges that we need a very structured, methodical way to get us through going forward,” he said. “I think this change in managerial style will be very useful.”
Road to mayor’s office
A New Jersey native, Littmann graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in environmental engineering before attending the University of Maryland’s law school. He worked for four years in the Montgomery County attorney’s office and later as a director in the True Value Cooperative.
Littmann met his wife, Marlene Niefeld, over a game of pool in 1999.
“I had the game of my life that night,” he said.
The two started dating shortly afterward and were married in September 2001. They moved to Anne Arundel County in 2004 and to Annapolis six years later.
As alderman, he chaired the city’s Environmental Matters Committee. He stayed active after leaving office, serving on the board of the Resilience Authority of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. He also spent about two years on the trial board of Anne Arundel County’s Police Accountability Board, finally getting to be part of a trial shortly after he was elected mayor.
Aside from public service, Littmann said, his main focus is his family.
He and his wife, an Annapolis native, have two children. Until recently, they ran K&B Ace Hardware together. Niefeld will run the store as Littmann focuses on mayoral duties.
“No. 1, I try to be a good husband and a good father,” he said. “She’s my rock and my partner in everything. And I love being a father.”
The family likes to go on hikes, Littmann said, and he enjoys discussing fantasy football with his son. Littmann is also a card player.
“I have two friend groups that we get together, way too infrequently, to play poker,” he said.
Littmann said he reads every night to help fall asleep. His nightstand is filled with books on leadership and management. But he’s also a huge fan of murder mystery novels and Tom Clancy books.
His family supported his decision to run for mayor, Littmann said, though he acknowledged concern about “bringing this thing to their lives that they didn’t ask for.”
“I worry about physical safety. Especially as a Jewish family, I worry about whether I’m inviting trouble,” he said.
Littmann said being Jewish is part of his identity, though he stressed that the religious values imparted to him are “not unique” to that faith.
“It’s about giving back to the community,” he said.
At Monday’s swearing-in, U.S. Rep. Sarah Elfreth, a Democrat who represents Annapolis, welcomed the new mayor and council to “Team Maryland.” She said she wanted to remind them that other government officials were around to help, and she referenced an ancient Jewish text as a way to reassure those gathered that, though the work may be hard, stress isn’t necessary.
“You are not obligated to complete the work,” she said, “but neither are you free to abandon it.”
A few days later, Littmann said it was nice to feel so much support at the ceremony. It also came with an “awesome sense of responsibility” to focus on fulfilling his campaign promises — and to carry on the day-to-day work of running a city, he said.
Although the ceremony — hosted at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, with the State House dome visible in the background — was “wonderful,” Littmann said, that’s not what he wants to be remembered for.
Rather, he wants to look back on his time in office and identify people or groups who feel their lives were made better.
“I’m not worried about name recognition,” Littmann said. “I want to do the job.”
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