A usually routine approval for renewals of privilege licenses to sell beer and wine raised a red flag at today's City Council work session, after Councilman Steve Schewel said that one applicant's owner has been cited for noncompliance with ABC regulations multiple times.

"We ought to be questioning that," Schewel said.

The comment met general agreement, leading to a consensus that the council withhold approval for the Beaver Pond Family Fare at Club Boulevard and Roxboro Street when the license applications come up at the May 21 regular business meeting. The Beaver Pond Family Fare is owned by M.M. Fowler Inc., whose stores, Schewel said, have been found noncompliant six times in the past year.

"When are we going to start sending a new message, an official message, that you can't regularly abuse your ABC license and there are no consequences?" Schewel said.

In the meantime, council members are open to hearing from M.M. Fowler and from the general public on the 303 other establishments making application.

A link to the list is below.

Documents:

With the urging of 23 grownups and a half-dozen children, the City Council approved a $236,000 grant for fixing up the dilapidated Old Y.E. Smith School building to become home for a school again.

The nonprofit Self Help has an option to buy the century-old building on Driver Street, and plans a $10 million renovation before leasing it to the Maureen Joy Charter School.

"Bringing Maureen Joy to East Durham only supports our commitment to all children in our community," said Aliyah Abdur-Rahman, a homeowner across Driver School from the now-vacant building.

Before getting down to business Monday night, Mayor Bill Bell and City Council members honored outgoing Councilman Farad Ali.

Bell remarked on Ali's sense of humor and "booming voice" that "added levity to the council at very important times." To which Ali (right) responded,

"Can I leave now?"

Ali, after serving one four-year term, opted not to run for re-election this year. Just-elected Councilman Steve Schewel took over Ali's accustomed seat between Councilwoman Diane Catotti and City Attorney Patrick Baker.

For his part, Ali remarked on his council colleagues' qualities and quirks: Cora Cole-McFadden's concern for children; Catotti's thorough preparation; Mike Woodard's seeming omnipresence; Eugene Brown for "always showing me there's an argument to an argument."

Howard Clement, whom Ali called the council's "dean" – having held his seat since 1983 – missed the meeting. As for Bell, Ali said, "We didn't always know where he was coming from because we always thought he was playing poker."

Wrapping up, he said, "God bless America, God bless Durham and God bless you, Steve Schewel!"

At the end of Monday night's City Council meeting, Councilman Farad Ali stood and shouted:

"Hallelujah! Halleluja! Hallelujah!"

Monday was Ali's last full council meeting. His term expires when the council members elected Nov. 8 are sworn in Dec. 5 and Ali, elected in 2007, did not run for re-election.

Monday night, spotting incoming Councilman Steve Schewel in the audience, Ali called:

"Mr. Steve Schewel! Come forward! The seat is warm!"

Schewel called back, "I've changed my mind!"

Mayor Bill Bell and City Council aspirant Steve Schewel are the first candidates to file in this year's municipal election.  Filing opened at noon today, and by mid-afternoon both were officially in their races.

Filing is open until noon Aug. 12.

Both Bell and Schewel announced their intentions to run several months ago. No one has announced an intention to challenge Bell, who has been mayor since 2001. Schewel, a former member of the Durham Public Schools board, is one of four who have said they will run for three at-large council seats in this fall's election.

The others are incumbents Eugene Brown and Diane Catotti, and challenger Victoria Peterson.

Steve Schewel has already spent four years on the Durham Public Schools board. Nevertheless, he’s running for a hometown office again.

“I think maybe [because] I love Durham,” he said this week.

Schewel (right) plans to run for an at-large city council seat in this fall’s election. Candidate filing opens July 1.

Three council seats are up for election this year, and incumbent Diane Catotti has said she will not seek re-election. Councilman Eugene Brown has said he will run, while Councilman Farad Ali has yet to announce a decision.

“I came here as a freshman at Duke in 1969 and I loved the place and I’d enjoy another chance to serve,” said Schewel, who is president of Carolina Independent Publications, parent company of The Independent Weekly newspaper.

Schewel said he hasn’t formulated a campaign platform yet, but he is particularly interested in housing, recreation and public-safety issues.

“I don’t want to inflict a campaign on the public” ahead of time, he said. “I’m just trying to continue to learn a lot.”