Carrboro Mayor Damon Seils will not seek reelection

GOVERNMENT

By Carl Blankenship
Editor

CARRBORO — Carrboro Mayor Damon Seils intends to bow out of town government after a decade of public service.

Seils announced Wednesday he will not seek reelection to his seat on Nov. 7. He was elected to his first term as mayor in 2021, but served on the town council prior. Seils has seven months left in his term.

He is an open member of the LGBTQ community and counts himself among the small number of LGBTQ elected officials in the state.

“Arriving at this decision was difficult,” Seils wrote in a letter announcing his decision not to run. “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.”

Seil intends to focus more of his attention on his personal and professional life, 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 wrote. “There are many skilled leaders in our community and I am excited to see who all steps up next.”

Seils highlighted some of the town’s recent accomplishments, including the hiring of Town Manager Richard White, the town’s most recent comprehensive plan and  a transit plan that has brought weeklong bus service to Carrboro and Chapel Hill. He also pointed to reforming the town’s police force “with the aim of keeping people out of a criminal legal system that has such devastating impacts on communities of color, poor people, and other marginalized groups.”