This morning, Council President Pro Tem Lorena Gonzalez issued a statement declaring that she will not seek to be appointed Mayor for the period between now and the end of November.
Her full statement:
“Over the past week, there has been much speculation about whether I would consider serving as the Interim Mayor in the wake of Ed Murray’s resignation from the Office of the Mayor. I do not intend to seek a nomination to be the City of Seattle’s 55th Mayor.
“I remain focused on championing my priorities for public safety, working families, domestic violence and sexual assault survivors and immigrants and refugees through the impending budget season, which will begin in earnest on September 25, 2017.
“The work I was elected to do in 2015 as a citywide Councilmember is now and has always been my top priority. I look forward to working with my Council colleagues, our Interim Mayor and the next Mayor, to continue leading this City through the critical challenges facing our city: housing affordability, homelessness and transportation.”
With Gonzalez taking herself out of the running, that leaves Council member Tim Burgess as the presumptive nominee. That also means that Council member Lisa Herbold will most likely take over the Budget committee as the Council writes the 2018 city budget over the next two months.