Lewisville Mayor Rudy Durham has announced that he will not run for a third term in the May 2021 election, marking an end to 27 consecutive years of elected service to the city.
Durham, who first was elected to City Council in 1994, spent two terms as Lewisville’s mayor starting in 2015. He is the 23rd person to serve as mayor since Lewisville incorporated in 1925.
“Serving the people of Lewisville on City Council and as their mayor has been the greatest honor I can imagine,” Durham said. “I love Lewisville. My goal has always been to keep our city moving forward as a premier place to live, work, and play. We’ve had great teamwork from excellent council members and city managers to make that happen. Now, it is time for me to pass the reins on to someone else.”
Durham, 64, is a native Texan and fourth-generation Lewisville resident. He graduated in 1974 from Lewisville High School, where he was part of the 1972 state finalist football team, qualified for two state meets in shot put, and was a member of the National Honor Society. He is one of five Lewisville High School graduates to later serve as the city’s mayor, and is a member of the LHS Hall of Fame.
After high school, he earned a bachelor’s degree in real estate at North Texas State University in Denton. He worked as a broker and appraiser, retiring in December 2019 as Chief Appraiser of the Denton Central Appraisal District.
He was a member of the Planning & Zoning Commission when he first ran for city council in 1994. Then, in 2015, he ran for mayor and won the first of two three-year terms in that office. Durham has never lost a Lewisville election.
Durham, who has two daughters and 10 grandchildren, has not announced his future plans but pledged his continued support to the community.
“I love this city. It has been my home pretty much my entire life. I’m not going anywhere. There are many other ways to serve besides elected office,” he said.
Councilman TJ Gilmore has announced that he will run for mayor this May. By law, he will have to resign from his current Place 3 seat to run for mayor but must continue to serve until replaced. When that happens, the City Council will have to call a special election to fill his Place 3 seat. Tentatively, that special election also would happen on May 1.
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