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Seattle Council to choose new mayor; Gonzalez doesn't want job

Lorena González, the first council member to publicly ask Murray to step down, serves one of the two citywide representatives.

SEATTLE — Seattle could have a new mayor, number 55, by the end of the day Monday, but it won't be councilmember M. Lorena González.

After Seattle City Council President Bruce Harrell announced Friday that he will not continue to serve as Seattle mayor, speculation turned to who would succeed Harrell  -- possibly councilman Tim Burgess or councilwoman González.

But Monday morning, a news release from González said she was not seeking the position.

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"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."

In order to take the position of mayor,  González would have to vacate her city council seat.  Though she would likely be re-elected back to her council position in November, that's apparently a chance she doesn't want to take.

>> Read 5 things to know about González here

With González apparently out of the picture, the obvious choice appears to be Burgess. He is retiring this year, and thus does not risk losing his seat for the position, so that makes him a front-runner for the job.

>> Read 5 things to know about Burgess here 

So far, Burgess has had little to say on the topic.

“I intend to withhold comment on my intentions for considering appointment to the Office of the Mayor until the Full Council convenes on Monday," he released in a statement Friday.

The council has 20 days from Ed Murray's resignation to select a councilmember for the position until a new mayor is elected in November, but Harrell and other council members have said they'll try to get it done Monday, with 15 days left.

The council first meets for its usual briefing Monday at 9:30 a.m., but the full council meeting is at 2 p.m. Currently, the selection of Seattle's next mayor is the very last item on the agenda.

Because Harrell is still the current mayor, only eight council members will be voting, and any nominee only needs a simple majority to win.

City councilwoman Sally Bagshaw said she planned to nominate Burgess.

If that nominee is Burgess, the council will then need to begin working on the process to replace him on the council, but just until the November election.

Whoever is appointed will serve as the mayor until November 28, when election results are certified.

One of the two candidates, Jenny Durkan or Cary Moon, would take over immediately, rather than traditionally taking office in January.