Carrboro Mayor Damon Seils will not seek reelection after his current term ends in December, according to an announcement on Wednesday.
"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," he said in a press release. "There are many skilled leaders in our community, and I am excited to see who all steps up next."
Seils said he was proud to lead the Town Council of Carrboro during what he called a period of transition. He specifically noted adopting the Carrboro Connects Comprehensive Plan, among other things as part of his tenure.
He added that serving Carrboro was a "great honor, a humbling responsibility and just plain fun."
Seils joined the Carrboro Town Council in April 2013 and was reelected in 2015 and 2019. He ended his council position early to run for mayor in 2021 after former mayor Lydia Lavelle, who served in the position since 2013, did not run again.
In the 2021 election, Seils won all eight precincts that voted in Orange County. He earned 90.25 percent of the vote in the mayoral race.
As a gay man, Seils noted Carrboro's welcoming community.
"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," he said in the press release. "Carrboro has long been a leader in advancing the rights of LGBTQ people, immigrants and refugees, and other perennial targets of political attacks."
Seils also said he was proud of what the community has accomplished together. As a proponent of public transportation, Seils noted his and the council's work with Chapel Hill Transit to implement a new transit plan and bring daily bus service to Carrboro and Chapel Hill.
