{"id":553,"date":"2018-11-19T20:50:29","date_gmt":"2018-11-19T20:50:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=553"},"modified":"2023-08-17T16:30:24","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T16:30:24","slug":"in-the-midnight-hour-the-nocturnal-email-habits-of-durhams-mayor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2018\/11\/19\/in-the-midnight-hour-the-nocturnal-email-habits-of-durhams-mayor\/","title":{"rendered":"In the midnight hour: The nocturnal email habits of Durham\u2019s mayor"},"content":{"rendered":"
Mayor Steve Schewel has a werewolfish habit of staying up late into the night answering emails.<\/span><\/p>\n While most of the city is asleep, he sends messages on subjects ranging from \u201cDowntown Post Office Parking\u201d to \u201cDemilitarize Durham.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n In fact, Schewel sends more emails between 11:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. than any other time of day, according to an analysis by The 9th Street Journal.<\/span><\/p>\n We looked at more than 4,000 emails sent by Schewel since he was elected mayor in November last year and obtained by The 9th Street Journal through a public records request. Among the findings:<\/span><\/p>\n By day, he attends city meetings, reads materials prepared for the City Council, and presides over ribbon-cutting ceremonies, leaving little time to respond to emails.<\/span><\/p>\n At night, he becomes a ferocious emailer. He says he stays up late because he needs to respond to his constituents. \u201cPeople have really important problems, even if some of them are small problems. It might be a pothole \u2026 or an issue about rezoning or affordable housing,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s important to them, and I\u2019ve got to respond. I think that\u2019s part of the job.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n