SEATTLE – Council President M. Lorena González (Position 9, Citywide), Chair of the Governance & Education Committee, issued the following statement in response to Mayor Jenny Durkan’s video announcing her decision against seeking a second term as the Mayor of Seattle:
“I have known Mayor Jenny Durkan since 2007, when we worked together on a police accountability and reform panel under then-Mayor Greg Nickels. As a young lawyer, I followed Mayor Durkan’s career, and I have worked closely with her on many shared legislative priorities during my time on the City Council. These policies include ongoing funding for the immigrant Legal Defense Fund, increased funding for affordable housing, sexual-assault protections for thousands of hotel workers, and voter-approved funding for early learning, K-12 and free college programming for our public school students.
“In 2017, Seattle voters made history when they elected Mayor Durkan as Seattle’s first female Mayor in nearly 90 years. I understand and respect Mayor Durkan’s decision not to seek a second term. During these unprecedented times, the Mayor and I have worked diligently to put City government on a path of productive and collaborative policymaking. Even during Mayor Durkan’s transition year, the Legislative and Executive branches will continue to work together to effectively address the most pressing issues facing the people of our city as we look to recover from COVID-19 and build an equitable, just, and climate-resilient Seattle.
“I look forward to working with Mayor Durkan and my colleagues over the next year to continue serving the people of Seattle as we address the myriad of challenges we face as a City, a region and a nation.”
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About Councilmember M. Lorena González: As one of two citywide representatives and the first Latinx person elected to serve the Seattle City Council, M. Lorena González has over a decade of experience as a civil rights attorney and community advocate. She is a nationally-recognized civil rights leader. Before joining the Council, she was a partner at Schroeter Goldmark & Bender representing people who were victimized by those in authority positions. Born and raised in Washington’s lower Yakima Valley to a Spanish-speaking migrant farmworker family, she moved to Seattle in 2002 to attend Seattle University Law School, where she graduated with honors in 2005. Since moving to Seattle, she has lived in Capitol Hill, First Hill, Ballard, South Park, and White Center. Since being on the Council, she has spearheaded legislation to support immigrants, refugees, sexual assault survivors, small business and workers across the City of Seattle. She currently lives in the West Seattle Junction neighborhood (District 1) with her husband, Cameron, and their infant daughter, Nadia.