WINCHESTER — David Smith announced in an email to supporters Friday that he will not seek a third term as Winchester’s mayor.
“It’s time for a new generation to take up and lead Winchester into the future,” the Democrat wrote. “I am proud of the work we have done together to make Winchester one of the best places to live, work, invest, raise a family and retire in the Shenandoah Valley and beyond. … I plan to work hard until my last day in office advocating for the policies and decisions that best serve all the citizens of Winchester.”
In an interview Friday afternoon, Smith, whose term ends on Dec. 31, said he and his husband, Joerg Eichmann, have reached the point where they want to slow down and enjoy life.
“I’ve been thinking about it for some time, probably a year, year and a half now,” the 63-year-old Smith said. “I’ve been doing a lot with the city over the past 20 years and I’ve seen a lot come to fruition, but there’s a lot of other people out there with great, bright ideas and I think they will step up into the role.”
Smith did not share the names of any people he would like to seek the mayor’s office. To date, no one has publicly announced their candidacy for the position in the general election set for Nov. 5.
Smith came to Winchester in 2003 when he and Eichmann, who is also his business partner, opened Village Square Restaurant on the Loudoun Street Mall. They went on to own and operate two other Winchester restaurants — Water Street Kitchen and Dan’s Seafood — but sold all three businesses in 2022 and ‘23.
“Since I don’t have the restaurants anymore, it’s time for me to live life a little bit,” Smith said. “I’ve been spending so much time with the city and the restaurants, there was no time for myself.”
Smith stopped short of saying he’s retiring, though, because he still plans on being an active member of the Winchester community and continuing to work with civic and charitable organizations including the Winchester Main Street Foundation and Celebration of Hope.
Smith served on Winchester’s Old Town Development Board from 2004-2010 and the city’s Planning Commission from 2010-2016, and was elected to his first four-year term as mayor in 2016.
Winning the 2016 election made Smith the first openly gay individual and the first Black person to ever serve as Winchester’s mayor. He said on Friday he is thrilled that the community he loves remains progressive in its social and political attitudes.
“Over the last few years, some people have told me that they moved to Winchester because it had an openly gay, Black mayor and they really thought Winchester was a progressive and open city,” Smith said. “I thought I was going to get a lot of flack for it but I didn’t. It’s very heartening and I think Winchester is moving in the right direction.”
He added that he hopes his public service will inspire Winchester’s Black community to get more involved in the city.
“They’ve always felt like they were on the back burner and nothing has happened for them, like there’s been a thumb pressed down on them,” Smith said. “I hope they take that lead and start stepping forward.”
Smith said it’s critical for community-minded people to get involved in local politics, especially with a growing national divide between Republicans and Democrats that he feels is harming the country. He admitted the worsening political and social animosity is one of the reasons he decided to not seek reelection.
“A lot of people aren’t getting into elected positions for the right reasons,” he said. “They’re not getting into it to help their community or state or the nation; it’s all party politics and it doesn’t help anyone. A lot of people are getting hurt by the party politics.”
Smith said he will miss being mayor and a voting member of City Council because he believes he made a positive difference in Winchester.
“The city has become a really nice place and I’m happy,” he said.
Smith and Eichmann own homes in Winchester and West Virginia, and Smith said they’re still trying to decide where to settle in their semi-retirement.
“That’s something else that we need to look at,” Smith said. “But Winchester’s not going to get rid of me. I’ll be around.”
