Seattle Mayor Should Resign Due To New Sex Abuse Allegation, Seattle Councilwoman Urges

SEATTLE, WA - Seattle Councilwoman M. Lorena Gonzalez, long an ally of Mayor Ed Murray, said Monday morning that Murray should "consider stepping down" as mayor in light of a Seattle Times report that revealed Murray may have molested his foster son in the 1980s. According to the City Charter, the City Council has the power to essentially impeach the mayor for "willful violation of duty, or the commission of an offense involving moral turpitude."

The Seattle Times on Sunday published documents that show an Oregon child-welfare investigator found reason to believe Murray had molested his then-foster son, Jeff Simpson, in 1984 in Portland, Ore. A Multnomah County prosecutor declined to press charges at the time, but Murray was banned from being a foster parent.

In her statement, Gonzalez essentially gives Murray a deadline of July 24 to decide whether to step down - if not, Gonzalez says, the Council will likely form a committee to explore his removal.

Here's her full statement:

I am however, now deeply concerned about this mayor's ability to continue leading the executive branch in light of the recently released documents. While the caseworker's report is not proof of criminal guilt, the gravity of the materials in the findings and the continued attention these issues will receive, raise questions about the ability of the mayor, his office, his department heads and senior management to remain focused on the critical issues facing our city. As a result, I am asking the mayor to consider stepping down as mayor and to work collaboratively with a subcommittee of the City Council to craft an executive leadership transition strategy.

"If the mayor continues to serve as mayor then by no later than July 24, 2017, the City Council should convene its own committee to determine if a transition in executive leadership is merited under these circumstances.

"A collaborative approach is my preferred approach but the leadership of this city, including the mayor, must proceed in a manner that will balance the ongoing need to effectively govern while acknowledging the grave harm caused by proceeding with a status-quo mentality. This situation is unprecedented in our city's history. We cannot pretend otherwise."

If Murray does step down, Council President Bruce Harrell, who represents South Seattle, would become mayor, but he also has the option of declining the role. Two-thirds of the Council would have to vote to impeach, however, and comments made during a Monday morning meeting of the Council did not appear entirely supportive of Gonzalez.

Harrell said that he wants to consult with the city law department first, and that he doesn't think Murray should be judged on something that happened 33 years ago. Councilman Tim Burgess pointed out that Seattle will have a new mayor in January, anyway.

Murray has said that the documents revealed by the Times on Sunday actually vindicate him. Murray says that, if he had committed a crime, the prosecutor would have pressed charges.

However, the revelation follows another recent lawsuit brought against Murray over sex abuse. This spring, Delvonn Heckard, of Kent, sued Murray alleging that the mayor had raped him in the late 1980s. At the time, Heckard was working as a prostitute. Heckard has since suspended his lawsuit, which appeared to vindicate Murray, who had said that Heckard's lawsuit was politically timed to prevent Murray from running for reelection.

Candidates running to replace Murray have called for Murray to resign, including Mike McGinn, Jessyn Farrell, and Cary Moon.

Candidate Jenny Durkan, who Murray endorsed following Heckard's suspension of his lawsuit, has not asked Murray to resign, but has said she's "deeply troubled" by the Seattle Times' report.

On Monday afternoon, Durkan was interviewed on the KUOW show The Record. Host Bill Radke asked her directly: Are you asking for Murry to resign? Durkan did not give a "yes" or "no" response, but instead said that all the records released to the Seattle Times should be reviewed before making judgments.

Image via City of Seattle