After serving one full term, Carrboro Mayor Damon Seils will not seek re-election this fall.
Seils shared the news on Wednesday afternoon, saying he is preparing to transition away from the town’s elected office after marking his tenth anniversary since joining the Carrboro Town Council.
“Arriving at this decision was difficult,” he wrote. “Serving on the Town Council as both a council member and your mayor has been a great honor, a humbling responsibility, and just plain fun.
“As I reflect on the past decade,” Seils continued, “I feel more and more that it is time for me to return some of my attention to my personal and professional lives and perhaps to explore new opportunities. This decision may come as a surprise after a single term as mayor, but 10 years of combined leadership feels like the right time for a transition.”
Seils joined the Carrboro Town Council in April 2013 via a special election, before being re-elected for a full four-year term in 2015. He earned re-election in 2019 as well, cutting his term short to run for mayor in 2021 after Lydia Lavelle ended her tenure in the role. In the 2021 cycle, Seils earned more than 90 percent of the vote in the mayoral race and his seat was filled by Eliazar Posada through a special election. The seat will be up for election again in the 2023 local election cycle.
As part of his statement, the outgoing mayor wrote about his pride and excitement about what the Town of Carrboro has accomplished during his decade as an elected official — especially in recent years. Beyond the local response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the local government hired a new town manager in 2021 and gathered input to inform and adopt a new comprehensive plan in 2022. Seils also pointed to the work to strengthen the town’s relationship with Chapel Hill Transit, increase the government’s activity in advancing racial equity, and reimagining the role of public safety.
“On these issues and many others, work remains to be done,” he wrote. “In the seven months left in my term as mayor, I will be working hard with my colleagues to address these challenges and continuing to represent Carrboro well in the region.”
Carrboro Mayor Damon Seils (left) speaks with Rep. Allen Buansi at a ceremony honoring Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten on January 5, 2023. (Photo via the Town of Carrboro.)
Seils’ ten years with the town has also come during a turbulent period for LGBTQ+ rights in the United States and specifically in North Carolina. As a gay man, he said he holds a special gratitude for Carrboro being a “famously welcoming” community and backing it up with its policies at the local government level.
“I have been proud to serve as one of the small number of LGBTQ elected officials in North Carolina, and the even smaller number of LGBTQ mayors,” said Seils. “Carrboro has long been a leader in advancing the rights of LGBTQ people, immigrants and refugees, and other perennial targets of political attacks. Let’s keep working hard for our amazing town and make sure Carrboro remains a welcoming home and inviting destination for everyone.”
Seils will remain in the mayoral role through the end of the year, meaning his last day will be when a new mayor is sworn in this December. Election Day for town governments is set for November 7, 2023.
“There are many skilled leaders in our community,” Seils said in his release, “and I am excited to see who all steps up next.”
Photo via Damon Seils for Carrboro.
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