Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan won’t run for re-election
In this Sept. 2, 2020, file photo Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan addresses a news conference about changes being made in the police department in Seattle.[AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File]
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said Monday she will not run for re-election following a term beset by the pandemic and policing protests.
Durkan made the announcement in a video message to supporters, saying she wanted to focus on recovering from the pandemic and other challenges.
Durkan, a longtime lawyer and former U.S. attorney in Seattle, is in her first term in office. In her message, she said Seattle has led in making COVID-19 testing free citywide, imposing a moratorium on evictions and on protecting small businesses, immigrants and workers.
But she has also been criticized over the Seattle Police Department’s response to protests over the spring and summer when officers sometimes used tear gas, pepper spray and other less-lethal weapons indiscriminately.