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Seattle Mayor Ed Murray stepped to the podium, glanced at his
notes, then raised his eyes to face a row of cameras.

The day before, a lawsuit by a Kent man who says he was sexually
abused as a teenager by Murray decades ago had shaken the city.

“I have never backed down and I will not back down now,” the
mayor said Friday, vowing to continue his campaign for re-
election this year.

Though Murray’s gaze and words were defiant, the lawsuit and
similar allegations by two other men have wounded the mayor in a
race he was widely expected to win. Amid talk of new
challengers, there’s no doubt the political landscape has
changed.

How much? That’s an open question, and it’s one many in Seattle
aren’t ready to talk about, even with the filing deadline for
mayoral candidates less than two months away.

Some observers are calculating their next moves, while others
are reeling from hurt and confusion. No City Council members
have issued public statements.

“People need to give this a little time,” said John Wyble, a
longtime Seattle political consultant. “These are allegations.
Let’s see if we can find out more information.”

Wyble added, “We’re not at the point where we should be
discussing politics.”

Some scrambling and strategizing has already begun, however. In
an emailed statement shortly after The Seattle Times reported on
the claims against Murray, political operative Heather Weiner
cited them as a factor in this year’s mayoral contest.

“We’ve been working with a viable, resourced potential
challenger for a couple of months now,” said Weiner, a partner
at the Moxie Media consulting firm.

“Our firm has been leading a process to help this potential
candidate examine whether it would be in the best interests of
the city to run against Murray,” Weiner added, not naming the
prospective challenger. “Again, she has not yet made a decision,
but this development may push up her decision-making timeline.”

Nick Licata, who served 17 years on the City Council before
bowing out at the end of 2015, said he hopes people in Seattle
withhold judgment as the case plays out.

He said he hopes the city’s leaders don’t allow the claims
against Murray to distract them from civic challenges, such as
homelessness. But expecting the allegations to have no impact on
the mayor would be naive, the former council member said.

“The unfortunate political reality is that issues rarely drive
the pace and character of political campaigns. They more often
turn on personality,” Licata said.

“Given the atmosphere, with these allegations in the air, I
suspect that wannabe mayors are recalculating their chances …
I’m sure it’s happening as we speak.”

Whether the claims are true or not, Murray is damaged, Licata
said.

“You’re stuck with that story as the defendant,” he said. “It’s
going to be difficult for anyone in that position to try to
change the dynamic.”

Dan Savage, editorial director of The Stranger and a longtime
gay-rights activist, said on KUOW that he felt sad for Murray,
whom he has known for years, and the accusers, if they were
victimized. But he added: “I don’t see how Ed survives this
politically.”

“In sync with city”
Before news of the lawsuit broke, Murray’s week was shaping up
relatively well.

An announcement Monday that he was scrapping a plan for a $275
million property-tax ballot measure drew criticism from some
corners. But abandoning the controversial plan meant he wouldn’t
need to defend it to skeptics on the campaign trail.

The world’s largest boring machine — nicknamed Bertha — broke
into daylight Wednesday, completing the digging of the Alaskan
Way Viaduct replacement tunnel.

And the federal monitor overseeing Seattle’s court-ordered
police reform issued a glowing report Thursday morning, praising
a reduction in use of force by officers.

The abuse claims halted that momentum, with Murray abruptly
canceling a news conference where he and others had planned to
tout the police-reform report.

The attorney who represents the man suing Murray — identified in
the lawsuit as “D.H.” — kept the heat on the mayor Friday.
Lincoln Beauregard pushed for depositions to begin soon and
slammed Murray for not taking questions from reporters.

Yet Eugene Wasserman, president of the North Seattle Industrial
Association and an avowed Murray supporter, said he expects the
Democrat’s political career to survive.

“He obviously feels he can weather it,” Wasserman said, arguing
that the mayor can draw on a reservoir of goodwill earned during
a relatively successful first term.

Murray has struggled to handle homelessness, catching flak from
homeowners over unauthorized camps and from civil-rights
activists over the city’s sweeps of those camps.

And the mayor seemed at sea when he proposed and then quickly
withdrew a plan to allow duplexes, triplexes and stacked
apartments in single-family neighborhoods.

But Murray, who rose in the state Legislature as a champion of
gay rights, also can boast of progressive wins during his first
term as mayor, having led the city to a compromise on raising
the minimum wage and having persuaded voters to expand bus and
light-rail service.

Recently, he emerged as a national leader of sorts in the left-
wing resistance to policies emanating from Washington, D.C.,
suing President Donald Trump to preserve Seattle’s status as a
so-called sanctuary city not involved in immigration enforcement.

In a televised exchange with Murray on Wednesday night, visiting
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio admitted “a great deal of
envy” for Seattle’s accomplishments.

Murray’s politics are in sync with the city, said Wasserman, who
in 2015 ran a losing campaign against a Murray-backed property-
tax levy for transportation projects. “Even when I don’t agree
with him, most of the population does.”

Murray has a substantial head start on prospective opponents,
thanks to more than $305,000 in campaign contributions. Other
declared candidates, including safe-streets activist Andres
Salomon and educator Nikkita Oliver, have raised far less money.

“Between the unions and the developers, he has all the cash,”
Wasserman said.

In a statement Friday, Oliver offered no comment on the abuse
allegations, instead calling for a conversation about how the
city can better help vulnerable young people.

“We have no interest in politicizing tragedy,” she and the
Seattle Peoples Party said in a statement. “Hopefully we as a
city will stop to consider the serious issues this story
uncovers.”

Representatives for Murray have suggested the lawsuit is
politically motivated — timed to undermine the mayor’s re-
election bid at a crucial juncture.

“These false accusations are intended to damage a prominent
elected official who has been a defender of vulnerable
populations,” personal spokesman Jeff Reading said Thursday.

The founder of Beauregard’s law firm, Jack Connelly, has
supported anti-gay causes, Tina Podlodowski, who chairs the
Washington State Democratic Party, noted Friday on public radio.
Beauregard has said Connelly has had no input in the case.

“Still stunned”
If Murray were to resign, City Council President Bruce Harrell
would be called upon to serve as acting mayor. If Harrell
declined, the council would select another member.

The council may remove a mayor “for any willful violation of
duty, or for the commission of an offense involving moral
turpitude,” according to the city charter. The mayor would be
entitled to a hearing, and two-thirds of the council’s members
would have to agree.

Though the allegations will continue to generate political buzz,
the upsetting nature of the claims has dominated initial
reactions, with observers worrying about the case provoking
prejudice against survivors of sexual abuse and against gay men.

“It’s a sad situation for everyone. I don’t think anyone knows
what it means just yet,” said Tammy Morales, a South Seattle
community advocate. “People are still stunned by the news. I do
think the claims should be investigated to give the alleged
victims and the mayor due process. Abuse of any kind should
never be tolerated, and anyone who is using this as an excuse to
spout anti-LGBTQ rhetoric should be ashamed.”

Danni Askini, executive director of the Gender Justice League,
said her thoughts are with survivors, including those for whom
Thursday’s news triggered personal trauma.

“This is going to be a very difficult time,” Askini added,
urging leaders to publicly state general support for survivors,
making no comment on the allegations against Murray. “Other
survivors should know they’re not alone.”

As for political consequences in Seattle, she said, “I’m not
interested in any of that right now. It pales in comparison to
the impact this has on people’s mental health.”

Daniel Beekman: 206-464-2164 or dbeekman@seattletimes.com. On
Twitter @DBeekman

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/after-abuse- allegations-against-ed-murray-political-opponents-may-see- opening-in-seattle-mayoral-race/
 

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