Durham Mayor Schewel will not seek re-election in ‘rough and tumble political town’

Durham Mayor Steve Schewel announced Thursday he will not seek a third term.

Calling Durham the best city in the world, Schewel, 70, said being mayor has been a hard job and he is looking forward to being able to have dinners at home with wife Lao and time with a new grandchild.

Asked for advice to whoever succeeds him, he thought a moment.

“Durham is a rough and tumble political town,” he said. “And you really have to be able to roll with it.”

Schewel ran for mayor in 2017 after serving six years as member of the City Council. He won a second two-year term in 2019.

While campaigning, he talked about Durham becoming a “progressive beacon in the South,” a home for immigrants, refugees, and transgender and gender-nonconforming people.

As he prepares to leave office, Schewel said his immediate goal is to see the city budget passed for the new fiscal year, which begins July 1. It creates a new community safety department, has new positions to help people facing evictions and immigration challenges, and will begin implementing the city’s $95 million affordable housing bond.

Long term, he said, Durham’s greatest challenges remain gun violence — 319 people were shot in the city last year, up from 189 the year before, he said — and gentrification.

The proposed city budget has money for tax relief, he noted, but added the qualities that make Durham great are also what keep people moving here.

Former school board member, IndyWeek founder

He had previously sat on the Durham school board for four years, with two years as vice-chair.

Residents may also know him as the former president of IndyWeek, which he founded in 1983 and published for 30 years, before selling it in 2012. He also co-founded Hopscotch Music Festival in 2010.

As mayor, Schewel advocated for the affordable housing bond, the largest in North Carolina’s history, which 76% of Durham voters approved in 2019.

He also pushed to develop a light rail transit plan to span Durham and Orange County, a $2.7 billion project that failed in 2019 after Duke University raised objections.

Seats up for election this year

The mayoral seat and three City Council seats are up for election in November.

The three City Council seats are currently held by DeDreana Freeman, Mark-Anthony Middleton and Pierce Freelon.

Council members had appointed Freelon in 2020 after Vernetta Alston left the position to serve in the N.C. House of Representatives, The News & Observer reported.

This story was originally published May 27, 2021 at 2:17 PM.