At Swearing In, Jenny Durkan Promises She's 'Not Of City Hall'

SEATTLE, WA - At about 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jenny Durkan officially became Seattle's 56th mayor and the first woman to hold the office in 92 years. Durkan took the oath of office at the Ethiopian Community Center in the Rainier Beach neighborhood, proving, as she told the crowd, she would be a mayor "not of City Hall but of the people."

The stop in Rainier Beach was Durkan's first on Tuesday. She had similar events lined up in West Seattle, the International District, and Phinney Ridge later in the evening.

Durkan's inauguration speech was was short on specifics, but she did address some of Seattle's biggest problems including homelessness, and housing affordability. She said she wants to "rebuild Seattle for the generations to come."

"There are no easy solutions," she said, "If there were, Seattle probably would not have elected a woman."

Durkan was scheduled to sign several executive orders Tuesday: one on rent vouchers, the other on race and social justice. Before her inauguration, she was at South Seattle College announcing the creation of the Seattle Promise program, a campaign promise Durkan made to allow Seattle public school graduates to attend community colleges free.

Along with Durkan, new City Councilwoman Teresa Mosqueda was sworn in at Seattle City Hall. She is taking the seat vacated by outgoing mayor Tim Burgess.

Burgess looked on smiling as Durkan took the oath and gave her speech. He said he was "delighted" she was taking the reigns.

Image by Neal McNamara/Patch