After defeating Farad Ali in one of the most expensive mayoral races in Durham history, Steve Schewel has won the race to run City Hall. From shaking hands to kissing babies, Schewel has landed himself as the eighth mayor of Durham County.
A resident of Durham for 48 years, Schewel has been very involved in local politics since he was 18. Originally from Lynchburg, Virginia, Schewel came to Durham as an undergraduate at Duke University in 1969 and soon after began working to “make [Durham] a city we love; a city for all.”
[Schewel] was also a Durham School Board member for four years and a city councilmen for six.
After college, Schewel created the INDY week magazine and led it as the editor-in-chief for 30 years. He then taught at Jordan High School, coached youth soccer teams at the YMCA, and even coached Riverside JV boys and V girls soccer teams. He now teaches at Duke’s School of Public Policy.
Schewel has also remained heavily involved in Durham politics. He was also a Durham School Board member for four years and a Durham City councilman for six years.
Schewel has a wife and two boys, one is 27 and the other 31. Both of his sons attended Durham Public Schools and now the youngest lives in Florida and sells real estate while the oldest went to law school, worked as a public defender for three years, and is now a clerk for the federal district court in New York.
(photo courtesy of Steve Schewel)
