Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.
Steve Schewel
Steve Schewel was the Mayor of Durham in North Carolina. Schewel assumed office on December 4, 2017. Schewel left office on December 6, 2021.
Schewel ran for re-election for Mayor of Durham in North Carolina. Schewel won in the general election on November 5, 2019.
Although mayoral elections in Durham are officially nonpartisan, Schewel identifies as a member of the Democratic Party.[1]
Schewel previously served as an at-large member of the Durham City Council. He served from 2011 to 2017.[2]
Biography
Steve Schewel earned a bachelor's degree in English from Duke University, a master's degree in English from Columbia University, and a doctorate in education from Duke University.[2] Schewel's professional experience includes working as the president of The Independent Weekly and as a visiting assistant professor for the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. He has served as the chair of the Durham Tech Community Foundation, the vice chair of the Durham Public Schools Board of Education, the founder of Crayons2Calculators, and as a member of the boards of the Durham Arts Council, the Durham Public Education Network, the Rural Advancement Fund, and the Urban Ministries of Durham. Schewel was elected as mayor of Durham, North Carolina, in 2017, and previously served as a member of the Durham City Council from 2011 to 2017.[2]
Elections
2021
Steve Schewel did not file to run for re-election.
2019
See also: Mayoral election in Durham, North Carolina (2019)
General election
General election for Mayor of Durham
Incumbent Steve Schewel defeated Sylvester Williams in the general election for Mayor of Durham on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Steve Schewel (Nonpartisan) | 83.3 | 29,063 |
 | Sylvester Williams (Nonpartisan) | 16.0 | 5,568 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.7 | 248 | ||
| Total votes: 34,879 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Schewel was endorsed by the Durham People’s Alliance Political Action Committee.[3]
2017
Durham, North Carolina, held a general election for mayor and the Ward 1, Ward 2, and Ward 3 seats on the city council on November 7, 2017. A primary election was held on October 10, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 21, 2017.[4] Steve Schewel defeated Farad Ali in the general election for mayor of Durham.[5]
| Mayor of Durham, General Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Steve Schewel |
59.45% | 21,362 |
| Farad Ali | 40.22% | 14,451 |
| Write-in votes | 0.34% | 121 |
| Total Votes | 35,934 | |
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "11/07/2017 Official Municipal Election Results - Durham," accessed November 22, 2017 | ||
The following candidates ran in the primary election for mayor of Durham.[5]
| Mayor of Durham, Primary Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Steve Schewel |
51.04% | 12,998 |
| Farad Ali |
29.14% | 7,421 |
| Pierce Freelon | 15.94% | 4,059 |
| Sylvester Williams | 1.33% | 338 |
| Kershemia Ramirez | 1.16% | 296 |
| Tracy Drinker | 0.99% | 251 |
| Michael Johnson | 0.40% | 101 |
| Total Votes | 25,464 | |
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "10/10/2017 Official Primary Election Results - Durham," accessed October 27, 2017 | ||
| Click [show] on the right for information about other elections in which this candidate ran. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015The city of Durham, North Carolina, held elections for mayor and city council on November 3, 2015. A primary took place on October 6, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 17, 2015.[6][7] The candidates for the three at-large city council seats were: incumbent Steve Schewel, John Tarantino, Robert T. Stephens, Charlie Reece, Ricky L. Hart, Michael Shiflett, Philip Azar, Sandra Davis and Jillian Johnson. Six candidates advanced from the primary election on October 6, 2015.[8] Schewel, Johnson, Reece, Shiflett, Hart and Stephens faced off in the general election. Schewel, Johnson and Reece won in the general election. Incumbents Diane Catotti and Eugene A. Brown did not run for re-election.[9]
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Steve Schewel did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Schewel's campaign website stated the following:
| “ | The issues we need to advance together to realize our shared vision for Durham.
|
” |
| —Steve Schewel’s campaign website (2019)[11] | ||
2017
Schewel's campaign website highlighted the following issues. Click "show" on the boxes below for more information about his positions.[12]
| HOUSING |
|---|
| "We are finally making some real progress on affordable housing but there is so much to do - here are some of the priorities I will focus on as Mayor: We must double our local expenditure on affordable housing this year from $2.75 million to $5.5 million. We must support the redevelopment of the aging Durham Housing Authority units that serve 6,000 of our most vulnerable residents. We must leverage publicly owned land downtown to build affordable units. We must support our local non-profits as they build new units and preserve the affordability of older ones. We can do all of this and much more." |
| IMMIGRANT RIGHTS |
|---|
| "Our Latino community now makes up 15 percent of Durham’s population and nearly 25 percent of our school children. We must advocate and stand in solidarity with these neighbors and friends. We must reach out to these residents by providing access to City spaces in Spanish and by encouraging Latino residents to get involved in civic life. We can’t prevent ICE’s presence in Durham, but we can do everything within our limited power to protect our neighbors." |
| LGBTQ RIGHTS |
|---|
| "When the state legislature seeks to diminish the rights of LGBTQ+ people, we must stand as a united community to vigorously defend those rights. But in Durham, we must defend and embrace as well the liberation of our LGBTQ+ friends and neighbors that goes far beyond the essential but narrow guarantees of rights. We must nourish the strength of LGBTQ+ institutions and support a flourishing LGBTQ+ culture.
We particularly must stand against the recent attacks on the transgender community, both by our state and our national government. Recent action by the state legislature on HB2 allows for continued discrimination against our trans residents. We must speak out and stand together against the recent threats on a national level to the rights of transgender individuals to have basic protections in our schools and the ability to serve in all areas of employment, including the armed forces. On a local level, Durham must continue to be a leader in supporting our LGBTQ+ community, including reinforcing our city-wide anti-discrimination policies, supporting the school board in increasing protections for our transgender children, and making sure all of our residents feel safe and celebrated in our city. We must make it breathtakingly clear to the people of Durham, to North Carolina and to the world that in Durham, all love is beautiful. In Durham, LOVE WINS." |
| TREES & TRAILS |
|---|
| "Steve is committed to expanding Durham's green spaces that can be enjoyed by everyone. Durham lags far behind our neighboring cities when it comes to trail miles - funding and building them in all parts of town is something Steve constantly works to drive forward." |
| JOBS |
|---|
| "Everyone in Durham should be able to make enough to support themselves and their families. While the legislature prohibits us from enacting a City-wide livable wage standard, there is much we can do right here in Durham. We can support the Living Wage Project’s recruitment of businesses to voluntarily comply with the $15 minimum. We can work with the schools and Durham Tech to make sure that our young people are educated in the skills they need to get the great jobs available in Durham. We can ensure that the City’s job training programs are effective and that our NCWorks career center does a great job connecting job-seekers to local employers." |
| POLICE REFORM |
|---|
| "Durham needs strong council and community oversight of our police force to ensure that everyone lives free from fear. I support Chief C.J. Davis’ reform of our police department and her emphasis on de-escalation and racial equity training. I will continue to work towards a police force that effectively fights violent crime while actively seeking to build the trust of our entire community and enforcing the laws free from racial discrimination." |
| TRANSPORTATION |
|---|
| "Durham needs a mobility strategy for the next 50 years. I am proud to have led our region’s support for the 18-mile Durham-Orange light rail project, and this year we must push it over the finish line for federal funding. We must also provide an expanded, efficient bus network for our 22,000 daily riders—and it’s time to begin the work to make the system fare-free." |
| TRASH |
|---|
| "Steve believes we can find opportunities in trash. In the Age of Trump, it is imperative that cities lead on climate change, and one of our best opportunities lies in diverting more recyclable material from landfills. Steve has been a relentless proponent of new recycling initiatives—especially the recycling of organic material—and is pleased that the City is initiating a pilot food recycling program this year. This has enormous promise. We should turn our attention to other waste categories as well, including textiles which make up 10% of our waste stream." |
2015
Schewel's campaign website highlighted the following campaign themes:
| “ |
Equality |
” |
| —Steve Schewel's campaign website, (2015)[13] | ||
Noteworthy events
Events and activity following the death of George Floyd
Schewel was mayor of Durham during the weekend of May 29-31, 2020, when events and activity took place in cities across the U.S. following the death of George Floyd. Events in Durham, North Carolina, began on Saturday, May 30, 2020, near the Durham County Courthouse.[14] No curfews were issued. The national guard was not deployed.
| To read more about the death of George Floyd and subsequent events, click [show] to the right. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
Endorsements
2017
Schewel received endorsements from the following in 2017:[21]
- The Independent Weekly
- AFL-CIO
- City Worker's Union
- Equality North Carolina
- Muslim American Political Affairs Council
- People's Alliance
- Sierra Club
2015
Schewel received endorsements from the following in 2015:[22]
- Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People
See also
2019 Elections
External links
|
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ The Durham Maroons, "Steve Schewel," October 5, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Durham, North Carolina, "Steve Schewel," accessed October 4, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia's Elections Team, “Email communication with Margaret Clemen," September 16, 2019
- ↑ Durham County Board of Elections, "2017 Election Schedule," accessed July 5, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Durham Board of Elections, "Candidate Detail List," accessed July 21, 2017
- ↑ Email correspondence with Michael E. Perry, Durham County Director of Elections on September 16, 2014.
- ↑ Durham County Board of Elections, "Election Schedule for 2015," accessed June 8, 2015
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Unofficial primary election results," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ Durham County Board of Elections, "Official candidate list," accessed July 27, 2015
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Steve Schewel’s campaign website, “Issues,” accessed August 25, 2019
- ↑ Steve Schewel for Mayor, "Issues," accessed October 4, 2017
- ↑ Steve Schewel for City Council, "Home," accessed August 20, 2015
- ↑ The News & Observer, "Marchers in Durham protest George Floyd’s death," May 30, 2020
- ↑ Washington Post, "The death of George Floyd: What video and other records show about his final minutes," May 30, 2020
- ↑ The New York Times, "8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody," May 31, 2020
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 USA Today, "Medical examiner and family-commissioned autopsy agree: George Floyd's death was a homicide," June 1, 2020
- ↑ Associated Press, "Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death," April 20, 2021
- ↑ CNN, "Protests across America after George Floyd's death," accessed June 2, 2020
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedchi1 - ↑ The Chronicle, "'Durham is an Endorsement Town': Mayoral Candidates Prepare for Election Day," October 27, 2017
- ↑ The Herald Sun, "DCABP Announces Election Endorsements," August 16, 2015
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bill Bell |
Mayor of Durham 2017-2021 |
Succeeded by Elaine O'Neal |
| Preceded by - |
Durham City Council, At-large 2011-2017 |
Succeeded by NA |
| |||||||||
 |
State of North Carolina Raleigh (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
