Tim Burgess Inaugurated as 55th Mayor of Seattle

Tim Burgess became the 55^th Mayor of Seattle Monday when his City Council colleagues elected him to fill the remaining term of Mayor Edward Murray who resigned Sept. 12.

Mayor Burgess served as a Seattle City Councilmember from 2008 to 2017. He was first elected city-wide in 2007 and won re-election in 2011 and 2015. He most recently chaired the Council’s Affordable Housing, Neighborhoods & Finance Committee.  He previously chaired Council committees overseeing issues relating to public safety and education.

A Seattle native, Mayor Burgess has been involved in local community and government matters for more than 40 years as a radio journalist, Seattle police officer and detective, and small business owner. He chaired his neighborhood community council and served 12 years on the City's Ethics and Elections Commission. He was recently named the Municipal League of King County’s Public Official of the Year for 2017.

On the Council, Mayor Burgess focused his energies on issues related to improving the lives of Seattle’s children. Under his leadership, Seattle became the fourth major U.S. city to fully fund the Nurse Family Partnership, a home visitation program for low-income families that The New York Times calls America's best anti-poverty program. He was the lead architect of the Seattle Preschool Program that will eventually offer high-quality preschool to all of the city's three- and four-year olds.  For more information about Burgess’ accomplishments on the Council, click here.

Mayor Burgess delivered the following remarks prior to his Oath of Office earlier today:

“Good evening. Welcome to all of you.

“This is a time of transition at City Hall, but the people of Seattle need to know that we are open for business.

“I’m joined today by some of my colleagues from the City Council and the King County Council, by King County Executive Dow Constantine, by members of the Seattle delegation to the Washington legislature, cabinet members and the staff of the Mayor’s office. We are united to make certain our governments work well for the people of our region.

“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.

“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.

“This is the city and region we all want and this is the work we will pursue.”