Transit, LGBTQ rights advocate Damon Seils wants to be Carrboro’s next mayor
Damon Seils, a member of Carrboro’s Town Council and a public transportation advocate, announced Wednesday his plan to run for mayor, succeeding outgoing Mayor Lydia Lavelle.
Lavelle recently said she will not run for a fifth, two-year term as mayor. The N.C. Central University law professor previously served for six years on the town’s Board of Aldermen — now the Town Council.
If elected, Seils would be the town’s third LGBTQ mayor, after Lavelle, who is a lesbian, and Mike Nelson, who served on the Board of Aldermen from 1995 to 2005 and also was the state’s first openly gay mayor.
Mark Chilton was mayor from 2005 to 2013 before being elected Orange County’s Register of Deeds.
Seils said in a news release announcing his campaign Wednesday that he is “ready to lead Carrboro as we implement a new comprehensive plan, invest in services and infrastructure to support a growing and diverse community, and make decisions that advance racial equity and social justice.”
He was elected to the council in 2013 and represents the town on the Chapel Hill Public Transit Committee and Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization regional transportation planning board, which he led during two terms as chairman.
He has been an advocate for town planning, including through the current Carrboro Connects comprehensive community planning process, and for better public transit, pedestrian and bicycling options.
He recently has led town efforts to improve racial equity and the criminal justice system, including the creation of a task force on public safety and policing.
In addition, he has worked with community groups and other local governments to push for immigrant rights and nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ residents in Orange County.
Before joining the council, Seils served two terms as chairman of the Carrboro Planning Board and chairman of the Orange County Human Relations Commission. He works as a research communications specialist in the medical school at Duke University, where he has been a longtime leader in the campus LGBTQ community.
Lavelle has “set a high bar,” Seils said.
“Always an advocate for Carrboro, she consistently makes time to celebrate the good work and accomplishments of community members, town employees, and her fellow council members,” Seils said. “Her leadership has been a great gift to the town, and her service continues to have statewide impact. I would be honored to build on the foundation she laid and further expand Carrboro’s reputation and impact in the region and state.”
