Ed Murray (Washington politician)
Ed Murray | |
|---|---|
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| 53rd Mayor of Seattle | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Michael McGinn |
| Member of the Washington Senate from the 43rd district | |
| In office January 2007 – December 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Pat Thibaudeau |
| Succeeded by | Jamie Pedersen |
| Member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 43rd district | |
| In office October 1995 – January 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Pat Thibaudeau |
| Succeeded by | Jamie Pedersen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 2, 1955 Aberdeen, Washington, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Michael Shiosaki (m. 2013) |
| Residence(s) | Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Website | Mayoral homepage |
Edward B. "Ed" Murray (born May 2, 1955) is an American politician and Mayor of Seattle. He served in the Washington State Senate from 2007-2013, and before that for 11 years in the Washington State House of Representatives.
Political career
Early start
A Democrat, Murray was appointed to fill one of the vacant 43rd District seats in the House in October 1995 and was re-elected biennially until he opted not to run for re-election to the House in 2006. The 43rd district, located entirely in Seattle, includes the University District, Montlake, Eastlake, and Capitol Hill neighborhoods. The district is very progressive and reliably Democratic[citation needed].
In 2006, he announced his intention to challenge Sen. Pat Thibaudeau for the 43rd District seat in the State Senate.[1] In May 2006, Thibaudeau dropped out of her race for re-election and Murray was elected to the Senate with little opposition.[2] He took his senate seat in January 2007. In his first session in the senate (2007–08), he was appointed vice chair of the majority caucus and in the 2009–10 session, he served as chair of the majority caucus. After having been re-elected unopposed in 2010, Murray was appointed chair of the ways & means committee for 2011–12.
Murray previously served as chair of the house transportation committee.[3] He has also been very active in advancing LGBT rights. He led the push for an anti-discrimination law protecting gays and lesbians, a measure that finally passed in 2006 after three decades of debate.[4] He was also the main sponsor of legislation creating domestic partnerships, approved in 2007.[5]
In 2009, Murray was the prime sponsor of a $2.4 billion Washington Senate financing bill authorizing the construction of a deep-bore tunnel underneath Seattle to replace the unsafe Alaskan Way Viaduct.[6] Murray has consistently advocated in favor of the project, despite well-documented concerns regarding the viability of the project and his financing bill, including language that places responsibility for paying cost overruns with Seattle-area taxpayers.[7] Bertha, the machine drilling the deep-bore tunnel, broke down in December 2013 and did not move in over a year, leading to costly delays and significant challenges such as destabilizing soil conditions under Seattle's historic Pioneer Square and the Viaduct itself.[8] In an article examining the role various elected officials and advocates played to push for the deep-bore tunnel despite a number of engineering and financing concerns, The Stranger wrote that "nobody is more responsible for the deep-bore tunnel than Ed Murray."[9]
In February 2013, Murray was a sponsor of an assault weapons ban bill, SB 5737, that as drafted allowed police to conduct warrantless searches in the homes of assault weapon owners once per year, with a punishment of up to one year in jail for citizens who did not comply.[10][11]
Mayoral career
Murray was elected Mayor of Seattle in the 2013 elections.[12][13]
Personal life
Murray was born in Aberdeen, Washington and spent his childhood in the Alki neighborhood of West Seattle. His family moved to Lacey when he was a teenager, where he attended Timberline High School and served as Student Body President during his senior year. Murray obtained a degree in Sociology from the University of Portland.[14][when?][how?]
Murray is of Irish descent.[15] Murray is gay; his spouse is Michael Shiosaki.[16] His election to the Senate, like many of his previous campaigns, won the backing of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.[17]
See also
References
- ^ Garber, Andrew (April 1, 2006). "Ed Murray will leave House, run for Senate". Seattle Times.
- ^ Thomas, Ralph (May 11, 2006). "Thibaudeau drops out of state senate race". Seattle Times.
- ^ Hadley, Jane (January 17, 2005). "Reform sought in how state faces transportation issues". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- ^ Mcgann, Chris (January 28, 2006). "A long-awaited win for gay rights: Senate OKs state anti-bias bill". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- ^ "Washington state lawmakers pass domestic partnership bill giving rights to same-sex couples". International Herald Tribune. April 11, 2007.
- ^ [1], SB 5768.
- ^ Holden, Dominic. "What Could Possibly Go Wrong". The Stranger.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ Lindblom, Mike. "Viaduct sinks an inch as workers dig to repair. Bertha". The Seattle Times.
- ^ Holden, Dominic. "Who to blame for Bertha". The Stranger.
- ^ Misstep in gun bill could defeat the effort, Seattle Times, February 17, 2013
- ^ Sen. Ed Murray introduces assault weapons ban The Olympian, on February 12, 2013
- ^ "Home | Ed Murray for Mayor of Seattle". Murray4mayor.com. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^ "Murray: 'We're here tonight to declare victory' in mayor's race". Seattle Times. November 5, 2013.
- ^ "About Ed Murray | Ed Murray for Mayor of Seattle". Murray4mayor.com. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^
Sanders, Eli (26 June 2012). "Seattle's Best Christians: Senator Ed Murray". The Stranger. Seattle, United States.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Connelly, Joel. "Ed Murray-Michael Shiosaki: A 22-year trip to the altar". SeattlePI. Hearst Seattle Media. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
- ^ "Victory Fund endorsements yield 67 winners". The Advocate. November 9, 2006.