Tim Burgess Is Seattle's New Mayor, The Third Since Wednesday

SEATTLE, WA — Councilman Tim Burgess became Seattle's 55th mayor on Monday afternoon, the third Seattle mayor since last Wednesday. Burgess became mayor in a brief ceremony at City Hall, giving few details about what he plans to do with his 71-day mayoral term.

The swearing in ceremony gave Burgess the opportunity to address the manner in which he came into office - on the tails of Ed Murray's child abuse sex scandal. Burgess declared that the scandal had come to a conclusion last Tuesday when Murray resigned, and said in a firm tone "that's behind us now" in reference to it.

Burgess maintained throughout the summer that Murray should serve out his term after two men came forward (following two others in previous years) to accuse Murray of sex abuse. Even this summer after a Seattle Times report showed that an investigator in the 1980s found that Murray had likely molested his foster son, Burgess thought it would be best for Murray to stay in office.

Among sitting Council members, only M. Lorena Gonzalez and Kshama Sawant called for Murray to step down.

Burgess was nominated to become interim mayor at the regular Council meeting Monday afternoon. He was the only nominee, but he was not unanimously approved. Sawant voted against his appointment, and Councilwoman Lisa Herbold was absent.

"Will the person who's appointed act in the best interest of regular working people and the most vulnerable and marginalized in our community?" Sawant asked. "I do not support a mayor who is pro [homeless camp] sweeps as Councilman Burgess has consistently been."

Burgess was seen as a feasible choice for the interim mayor job. According to the City Charter, a member of Council who ascends to become interim mayor has to give up their Council seat. Burgess is a lame duck, so he has no seat to go back to.

Gonzalez, who will likely be reelected in November, was another potential candidate, but she announced Monday morning that she would not seek the job. In fact, it was Gonzalez who nominated Burgess to become mayor.

With the interim mayor in place, the Council will turn to filling Burgess' seat. Former five-term Council member Nick Licata has been talked about as a possibility, but some on Council, chiefly Councilwoman Kshama Sawant, want to open the process up to applicants from the public. The Council has 20 days to fill Burgess' seat.

During public comment Monday, trans rights activist Danni Askini and Socialist Alternative's Philip Locker, among others, asked the Council to consider opening up the vacant Council seat to candidates from the public.

Burgess takes the reigns from Council President Bruce Harrell, who became mayor last Wednesday, but ultimately decided to return to his Council seat.

Burgess held the city-wide position 8 seat on Council, and was first elected in 2007. Either Teresa Mosqueda or Jon Grant will take his seat after the November election. Burgess is a former Seattle police detective and owned an ad firm. Burgess' first task as mayor will be a big one - shepherding the city budget through Council.

After the Council vote, Burgess very lightly touched on Murray's scandal, saying that no one would wish to enter office in the manner he did. Still, at his swearing-in ceremony, Burgess was surrounded by local dignitaries. He received a hearty round of applause after he finished taking the oath, making it hard to tell he was taking office only after Murray's scandal grew too large to be palpable anymore.

Burgess' remarks after the oath didn't mention Murray or the scandal.

"We are united in our desire for Seattle and our region to be a place where you can go to work and return safely to your home, where you can raise a family, where your children can receive the best possible education, where you can start a business and watch it soar, where our employers—from the smallest to the very largest—can thrive and expand our economy for everyone. We want to be a region where our businesses are successful and we recognize the vital role they play in making this area of our country the best for economic growth and prosperity for all," he said. "We are united in our desire for opportunity for all, where children have a strong and fair start, where justice and fairness are acknowledged as our guiding star, and where we care for our most vulnerable neighbors."

Photo: Burgess watches as former mayor Ed Murray shakes hands with Councilwoman M. Lorena Gonzalez.

Image via City of Seattle