Jenny Durkan
Jenny Anne Durkan (born May 19, 1958) is an American attorney, former federal prosecutor, and politician served as the 56th mayor of Seattle, Washington. She is the daughter of Martin Durkan. Durkan is a member of the Democratic Party. After earning her Juris Doctor from University of Washington School of Law in 1985, Durkan began practicing law as a criminal defense lawyer and civil litigator.[1] In October 2009, President Barack Obama appointed her United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington. She held that position until September 2014.[2]
Jenny Durkan | |
---|---|
56th Mayor of Seattle | |
In office November 28, 2017 – December 31, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Tim Burgess |
Succeeded by | Bruce Harrell |
United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington | |
In office October 1, 2009 – September 30, 2014 | |
President | Barack Obama |
Preceded by | John McKay |
Succeeded by | Brian T. Moran |
Personal details | |
Born | Seattle, Washington, U.S. | May 19, 1958
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Dana Garvey |
Relatives | Martin Durkan (father) |
Education | University of Notre Dame (BA) University of Washington (JD) |
Durkan was elected the 56th mayor of Seattle in 2017, becoming the city's first female mayor since the 1920s and its second openly LGBT elected mayor.[3][4][5] She took first place in the nonpartisan August primary and defeated urban planner and political activist Cary Moon in the November general election.[6] She and her partner, Dana Garvey, have two sons.
Durkan was criticized for her response to the George Floyd protests in Seattle and her handling of protesters and law enforcement in the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.[7] In December 2020, she announced that she would not seek reelection after the end of her mayoral term.[8]
Early life and education
Jenny Durkan was born in Seattle on May 19, 1958. She was raised in a large Irish Catholic family of eight siblings. The family lived on Mercer Island in the mid-1950s[9] and Bellevue in the early 1960s,[10] before settling in rural Issaquah during a time "when there [wasn't] any development."[11][12] Her father, Martin Durkan, was a prominent Seattle-area lawyer, Democratic legislator, and lobbyist whose career included 16 years in the state Senate and two unsuccessful runs for governor.[13] Her mother was primarily a homemaker who supported her husband's career, though she eventually became an executive editor of the Ballard News-Tribune and wrote editorials.[14]
Durkan attended Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, a private Catholic girls' school in Washington State.[15] She spent part of her junior year of high school as an exchange student in London and said that "the best part of the experience was traveling through England to Scotland, France, Austria, Switzerland and Germany."[16] A high-school classmate of Durkan's remembers her as "super independent, and rough-and-tumble…strong-willed and adventurous."[17]
Durkan earned her B.A. degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1980.[18] At Notre Dame, she tried out for the basketball team before being cut and ending up as the team's statistician.[19]
After graduating, Durkan spent two years in Alaska, teaching high-school English and coaching a girls' basketball team in the Yup’ik Eskimo community through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.[20] After a summer working as a baggage handler for Wien Air Alaska in St. Mary's, Alaska as a dues-paying Teamster, Durkan enrolled in the University of Washington School of Law, earning her J.D. degree in 1985.[21] "I wanted to be a lawyer since I was 5 years old," she told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in 1992. "When I graduated from law school, my mother said, 'Finally someone is going to pay you to argue."'[15]
Private practice
While in law school, Durkan participated in a pilot criminal defense clinic, working with the public defender's office to represent individuals charged in Seattle municipal court. She continued the work on a pro bono basis, until she moved to Washington, D.C. to practice law with the firm of Williams & Connolly.
Durkan returned to Seattle in 1991, and established a successful practice focusing on criminal defense and work on behalf of plaintiffs, including the family of Lt. Walter Kilgore, who died in the Pang warehouse fire,[22] the case of Stan Stevenson (a retired firefighter who was stabbed leaving a Mariners game) and the case of Kate Fleming, who died in a flash flood in her Madison Valley basement during the Hanukkah Eve windstorm of 2006.[23][24]
In 1994 Durkan became executive council and political director to Governor Mike Lowry, making her Lowry's chief lawyer. Lowry had been a campaign manager to and protege of her father in 1972, and Durkan worked for then congressman Lowry in the 1980s. After initially recommending that an independent investigator represent Lowry, Durkan resigned in February 1995 after deputy press secretary Susanne Albright accused him of sexual harassment.[13][25][26]
Among Durkan's most prominent cases in private practice was the 2005 recount lawsuit that attempted to undo Governor Chris Gregoire's election in 2004.[27] The Democratic Party turned to Durkan with Gregoire's election "facing an unprecedented trial and Republicans trying to remove her from office."[28] Gregoire's victory was upheld.[29]
In January 2017, Durkan worked with families and other attorneys at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to obtain a federal court order, the day President Donald Trump's first travel ban executive order went into effect, blocking the deportation of people who had arrived at the airport from seven predominantly Muslim countries.[30]
After serving as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, Durkan joined Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan to head a new Seattle law office specializing in internet and online security issues.[31] At Quinn Emanuel, she also represented FIFA as one of the lawyers conducting an independent internal investigation of issues related to a global corruption case brought by Swiss authorities[32] and the U.S. Justice Department.[33] The investigation and related actions by FIFA's Ethics Committee led to the ousting of longtime FIFA President Sepp Blatter and his key deputy Jerome Valcke, as well as a restructuring of the FIFA Executive Committee and World Cup processes.[32]
Civic leader
Durkan served on the Washington State Sentencing Guidelines Commission from 1993 to 1996. She served as the first Citizen Observer on the Seattle Police Firearms Review Board from 1997 to 2000 and two Seattle mayors asked her to serve on Citizen Review Committees for the Seattle Police Department. She also played an advisory role on the establishment of the King County Drug Court and the Mental Health Court.[34] She later helped create a specialized drug program in the federal courts in Western Washington.[35]
In September 1994, Durkan left the Schroeter law firm to join the staff of then-Washington Governor Mike Lowry as his lawyer and political adviser.[36] In February 1995, she resigned from Lowry's office and returned to Schroeter.[36]
Durkan is a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and maintains an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell. She served a three-year term on the Washington State Bar Association Board of Governors. She served on the Merit Selection Committee for the United States District Court, helping select the candidates for appointment to seven vacancies in the federal judiciary in the Western District of Washington.
Durkan served on the nonprofit board of the Center for Women and Democracy from 2000 to 2009, as a founding Board Member for the Seattle Police Foundation from 2002 to 2004, and as the Chair of the Washington State Attorney General's Task Force on Consumer Privacy, which resulted in legislation that became a national model for identity theft protections.[34]
U.S. Attorney
In May 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Durkan to be the U.S Attorney for the Western District of Washington, which covers 19 counties and is home to 4.6 million people (78% of the state's population).[37] She was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on September 29, 2009, and sworn in on October 1 by Chief U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik.[38][39]
While U.S. Attorney, Durkan created a Civil Rights Department in the office. It coordinates a variety of civil rights cases and outreach, including a number of cases on behalf of returning veterans.[40] She also helped push police reform efforts in the Seattle Police Department after a Department of Justice investigation found a pattern and practice of excessive use of force.[41]
Upon taking office, Durkan was appointed to serve on the Attorney General's Advisory Committee, which advises the U.S. Attorney General on policy, management, and operational issues at the Department of Justice. She was chair of the Attorney General's Subcommittee on Cybercrime and Intellectual Property Enforcement. Durkan played a leading role in prosecuting cybercrimes, including hacking,[42] skimming[43] and identity theft.[44] Durkan worked with the public schools to ensure internet safety tips for parents and kids were sent home with kids at the beginning of the school year.[45][46] She also focused on terrorism and national security issues, including the prosecution of two men who plotted to blow up a military recruitment facility in Seattle.[47][48]
As U.S. Attorney, Durkan used the federal law against felons possessing firearms to crack down on career criminals in Western Washington.[49] Cases referred for felons-with-guns charges increased 45% during her tenure.[50] Durkan pushed "hot spot" initiatives in high-crime areas to address drug and gun sales. These investigations and law enforcement operations resulted in dozens of arrests and weapons confiscations.[41][51]
In September 2014, when U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced his intention to step down, Durkan was widely discussed as a potential candidate to succeed him. The Obama administration nominated Loretta Lynch.[52][53][54][55]
2011 medical marijuana legislation
On April 14, 2011, Durkan and Michael C. Ormsby, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, responded to a request for guidance from Washington governor Christine Gregoire. They warned that a bill proposing to revise state level medical marijuana laws could "authorize conduct contrary to federal law"[56] and indicated that the Justice Department would continue to pursue criminal or civil actions for any violations of the federal government's Controlled Substances Act.[56]
In November 2011, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) raided ten Seattle medical marijuana dispensaries. After the raids, marijuana activists criticized Durkan.[57] The DEA's search warrants suggested the dispensaries were involved in illicit drug dealing and money laundering, and City Councilman Tim Burgess said the raided shops were "operating well outside the medical provisions".[58] Durkan asserted that the dispensaries in question were believed to be concealing criminal activity behind the state's medical marijuana law[59] and that authorities would not ignore flagrant violations.[58]
2012 May Day vandalism response
The 2012 May Day protests in Seattle included violent rioting, damage, and a proclamation of civil emergency by Mayor Mike McGinn.[60] Durkan's office headed the prosecution that followed the vandalization of Seattle's William Kenzo Nakamura U.S. Courthouse during the protests.[61] In the months after the protests, at least five suspected rioters were criminally charged.[62] Those arrests were part of a much wider FBI investigation that both preceded and followed the events of May 1, 2012.[63]
Federal grand jury investigations were formed in Seattle and Portland, and the FBI engaged in raids and issued subpoenas to suspected "anarchists". Under grand jury rules, they could be asked a wide range of questions about themselves and people they knew, in secret proceedings without a defense lawyer present.[64][65][66]
Four individuals refused to testify before the Seattle grand jury, even after being granted use immunity, which impaired their right to refuse to testify.[66] They were sent to jail for refusing to testify by U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones, and spent several months at the Federal Detention Center, SeaTac, including time in solitary confinement.[67] The justification given for this by a spokeswoman for Durkan's office was that it was "coercive" and could lead them to testify, rather than being "punitive".[68][69][70][71]
The Department of Justice and Durkan's office were widely criticized. The Seattle chapter of the National Lawyers Guild condemned their actions, "urging the FBI and the US Attorney to end the raids and drop the grand jury subpoenas"[64] and raising concerns about political intimidation and negative effects on free speech. The ACLU raised concerns that the grand juries might be used as a "fishing expedition looking into people's political views and political associations."[64] The Seattle Human Rights Commission opposed the use of solitary confinement as a human rights violation.[72] On February 27, 2013, District Judge Richard A. Jones issued a court order for the release of Matt Duran and Katherine Olejnik. That was followed by the release of Maddy Pfeiffer.[73][74] Durkan's office refused to answer questions about the decision-making process of bringing people before the grand jury, saying that it would "not discuss the status of investigations or the deliberative process."[73]
2013 police informant incident
In 2013 Durkan prosecuted Walli Mujahidh and Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif for conspiring to kill US military personnel on July 4, 2011, in a terrorist plot. The FBI and SPD had used a convicted pedophile,[75] Robert Childs, as a paid informant to infiltrate terrorist and other organizations. Childs and Seattle Police detective Samuel DeJesus deleted over 400 messages from Childs's phone before handing the evidence over to Durkan's office, which presiding judge James Robart called "at-best sloppy". Durkan defended using Childs as an informant, saying, "It's not the saints who can bring us the sinners."[75][76]
2017 mayoral election
Durkan announced her candidacy for Seattle mayor on May 11, 2017, shortly after incumbent Mayor Ed Murray ended his reelection campaign and resigned as mayor due to allegations of repeated sexual offenses[77] that were later settled by the city.[78] Durkan was called the "establishment" candidate in the crowded primary field,[79] and was endorsed by the King County MLK Labor Council,[80] former Attorney General Eric Holder,[81] the Alliance for Gun Responsibility Victory Fund,[82] Human Rights Campaign,[83] Governor Jay Inslee,[84] Attorney General Bob Ferguson,[85] the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund,[86] former EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson,[87] former governor and commerce secretary Gary Locke, former Seattle mayor Norm Rice, former King County Executive and Deputy Secretary of U.S. Housing and Urban Development Ron Sims, Murray, some members of the Seattle City Council, labor unions,[88] The Seattle Times, and the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.[89][90][91]
Durkan placed first in the August primary election with 51,529 votes (28%), advancing to the general election against urban planner Cary Moon, who received 32,536 (18%), narrowly edging Nikkita Oliver, who received 31,366 (17%).[92] Durkan's over $1 million fundraising haul broke the record for most donors and most money raised in the history of Seattle mayoral campaigns. She outraised Moon 5 to 1, with over $600,000 coming from a political organization sponsored by the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, allowing large corporations such as Amazon, CenturyLink, Comcast, Vulcan, and Starbucks to quietly influence a major local campaign.[93][94][95] Murray's political consultant Sandeep Kaushik joined Durkan's campaign and later became a senior adviser to her. Kaushik is also a lobbyist for Comcast and continues to advise Durkan on policy.[96][97][98] The day after the November 7 general election, in which Durkan received over 60% of the preliminary votes, Moon conceded.[4][5]
Candidate forum incident
During a July 2017 mayoral candidate forum, Durkan tossed miniature tequila bottles into the all-ages crowd and during the "talent competition" imitated Melissa McCarthy's parody of then-White House press secretary Sean Spicer from Saturday Night Live in costume, at one point using the term "colored person" while impersonating Spicer. The forum judge at the event told her that she should have said "person of color", and she apologized as soon as she took the stage again, saying she had tripped over her words. She later apologized for distributing the tequila, saying she had thought the event, held at late night music venue Neumos, was for people 21 and over.[99][100][101]
Initiative 124
During the 2017 Seattle mayoral election, Durkan was the only candidate to not sign a letter requesting that Seattle hotel owners, represented by the Seattle Hospitality for Progress PAC and Washington Hospitality PAC, drop a lawsuit against Initiative 124. The initiative gave "hotel workers more protections against sexual harassment and assault" and was passed by Seattle voters in 2016. Durkan claimed that she was not given the opportunity to sign the letter, but Unite Here Local 8 (the union representing hotel workers) said that Durkan chose not to sign the letter after multiple requests. Durkan's campaign received $50,000 from the two PACs,[102] including $20,000 from Seattle luxury hotel developer Richard Hedreen.[103] In 2002 Durkan's sister Ryan and brother Jamie lobbied the Seattle City Council on Hedreen's behalf, asking it to exempt him from building $6 million of low-income housing in downtown Seattle. After pressure from council member Nick Licata, Mayor Greg Nickels vetoed the legislation.[104] The Washington State Court of Appeals overturned Initiative 124 in 2018.[105]
Mayor of Seattle
After becoming mayor, Durkan faced local, regional, and global crises, including homelessness, lack of affordable housing, crumbling infrastructure, and the COVID-19 pandemic, much of it stemming from Seattle's rapid population growth during the 2010s.[106]
On her second day in office, Durkan signed an Executive Order to create the Seattle Promise College Tuition Program to expand free access to college for Seattle public school students.[107] She then proposed the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise levy,[108] which would double the number of kids able to attend the Seattle Preschool Program from 1,500 to 2,700 in 2025–26, maintain and expand school-based health centers, create and maintain year-round learning programs to close the opportunity gap from K-12, and fully fund two years of free college. In November 2018, nearly 70 percent of Seattle voters approved the plan.[109]
Durkan was cited as one of the key advocates for the bringing of the NHL team the Kraken to Seattle.[110][111] In 2018 she co-drafted a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights for people in the industry in Seattle.[112] She also crafted legislation to raise the pay rate for ride share workers,[113] and signed new gun restrictions into law.[114] In June 2019, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, Queerty named Durkan one of the Pride50 "trailblazing individuals who actively ensure society remains moving towards equality, acceptance and dignity for all queer people".[115]
Criticism of Donald Trump
Durkan has been an outspoken critic of President Trump throughout her time in office. Trump criticized the responses of Durkan and Governor Jay Inslee, claiming that they had not been effective in dealing with protesters, especially regarding the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone/Capitol Hill Occupied Protest and the Seattle police's abandonment of the East Precinct. He threatened to retake the city if local leaders did not reassert their authority.[7] Durkan called the creation of the police-free autonomous zone an attempt to "de-escalate interactions between protesters and law enforcement".[116] On June 12, she visited the police-free zone and told a New York Times reporter that she did not know of any serious crime reported in the area.[117] Throughout her tenure as mayor, Durkan has drawn criticism from the Trump administration, including threatening federal funding for the City of Seattle for being a "Welcoming City" and an "anarchist jurisdiction." In September 2020, The New York Times reported that the Department of Justice had explored criminal charges against Durkan, which she called "chilling".[118][119]
Transportation
During Durkan's term as mayor, the Seattle Department of Transportation canceled several bicycle lanes and greenway projects that had been planned in previous years under the city's comprehensive bicycle plan and funded in the 2015 Move Seattle levy. In response, several cycling advocacy groups and city council members protested Durkan's decision-making on bicycle issues.[120] She has also been critical of scooter-sharing, with Seattle maintaining its ban on electric scooter-sharing apps, unlike other major U.S. cities.[121]
In her first year of office, Durkan proposed and implemented free Year-Round ORCA Passes for 15,000 High School and College Students. Seattle is now the largest U.S. city to provide free transit passes to high school students.[122]
In March 2018, Durkan halted planning work on the Central City Connector streetcar project, which would link the South Lake Union and First Hill lines of the Seattle Streetcar system, due to cost overruns.[123]
Police chief selection
Durkan's selection of a permanent chief of the Seattle Police Department in May 2018 ran into controversy after her list of finalists excluded interim chief Carmen Best, who had also served as deputy chief. After receiving criticism from community activists and the police officers' guild for choosing out-of-state finalists, Durkan defended her decision as the recommendation of a search committee.[124] Durkan nominated Best as a finalist after another finalist withdrew to take a different position within the department,[125] and the city council confirmed Best as police chief in August 2018.[126]
Workplace conduct
In April 2019, it was reported that two of Durkan's staffers accused her of mistreatment, with one calling the working environment "toxic". One alleged that Durkan had "grabbed her face and forcibly turned her head" when the employee was making suggestions on how to handle the anniversary of the death of community leader Donnie Chin. The other described a hostile work environment where she was "set up to fail" despite having a good track record at previous jobs, and wanted $1.6 million in lost wages and emotional distress. Both employees were Asian women, a fact the second employee pointed out. Durkan's office denied both employees' allegations.[127]
Covid response
Durkan was halfway through her term when the first recorded U.S. case of COVID-19 appeared in the Seattle area on January 19, 2020, and the first recorded U.S. death on February 29.[128] Covid response was a central part of Durkan's remaining tenure.[129] Under Durkan, as of March 2021, Seattle's response to the pandemic resulted in the lowest deaths per capita of any large U.S. metropolitan area.[130] By March, Durkan, in collaboration with other area officials, implemented some of the first mask mandates in the U.S. They also set up four testing facilities in the city,[129][131] which tested up to 6,000 people per day by mid-December 2020 and had completed 463,000 tests between June and December of that year.[132] On March 17, 2020, Durkan signed an emergency order prohibiting the eviction of small businesses and nonprofits for 60 days or until the end of the emergency. The City Council and Durkan had already halted most residential evictions.[133]
In May 2020, Durkan closed more than 20 miles of city streets to most vehicles in order to enable more socially distanced biking and walking.[134][135] In May 2020, to help families in economic distress from covid shutdowns, Durkan's administration sent $800 supermarket vouchers to households enrolled in subsidized child care and food programs, later extending the voucher program to other households.[136] The administration opened additional shelter spaces with more distance between beds, provided supporting services at hotels commissioned to house homeless people, and gave $10,000 grants to 250 small business by May 24, 2020.[137]
When Durkan left office in December 2021, about 90% of Seattle's eligible residents had received at least one dose of a covid vaccine and about 50% were fully vaccinated.[129]
Homelessness in Seattle
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Durkan proposed one of the country's first eviction moratoriums for small businesses, nonprofits and residents.[138][139][140][141] Due to these types of actions, Fortune magazine named her one of the "25 Best World Leaders" during the pandemic.[142] But she continued sweeping homeless encampments, forcing homeless people to leave their campsite and find a different place to live. She said the encampments were cleared for the safety of both their residents and the community, and had "shootings, human trafficking and other violent crimes".[143]
On May 15, Seattle City Council members Tammy Morales, Teresa Mosqueda and Kshama Sawant introduced an ordinance to ban sweeps of encampments during the COVID-19 pandemic.[144] Durkan objected to the bill and the council did not reach an agreement.[145] The bill is not expected to receive enough votes to pass, and Deputy Mayor Mike Fong told the council that Durkan would veto the bill because "Fundamentally we simply don't believe that this particular issue with regard to encampment removals is something that should be legislated."[146]
Durkan has spent part of her tenure focusing on homelessness,[147] creating 600 new units of supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness in 2020.[148] In March 2019, she signed the Mandatory Housing Affordability bill into law, which implements affordable housing requirements and increases density in 27 Seattle neighborhoods.[149] In July 2019, Durkan signed a bill and an executive order to increase the availability of backyard cottages.[150]
Education
On November 19, 2017, Durkan signed an executive order to create the Seattle Promise College Tuition Program, which increases free access to college for Seattle public school students.[151][152] Seattle residents voted in November 2018 to approve a tax to pay for the program. Durkan said that in order to increase the chances that students will succeed, the program also included support to help them decide what college to attend, as well as preparing them for student life, including what to study.[153] Durkan used some of the Covid-19 relief funds from the American Rescue Plan to extend the program in 2021.[154]
Handling of George Floyd protests and failed recall attempt
On June 1, 2020, during the George Floyd protests in Seattle in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, police in full riot gear barricaded the SPD's East Precinct building from protesters,[155] using blast balls,[156] flash bang grenades, and pepper spray against the crowd "at times with little apparent provocation".[157][158] On June 2, Durkan spoke to a group of protesters for the first time after five days of demonstrations. Addressing criticism about "mourning badges" for fallen officers being used to cover up police officer badge numbers, Durkan said that the policy would be reviewed and that badge numbers should always be visible. She also said that the SPD policy of body cams not recording "lawful protests" would be reviewed. When asked whether she would stop the use of tear gas, Durkan said she didn't want to make a promise that she couldn't keep.[159][160][161]
Police officers continued using tear gas to combat protesters, and on June 5 Durkan ordered a 30-day ban.[162] Nevertheless, on June 6 the police used pepper spray and blast balls to disperse protesters outside the East Precinct,[163] and on June 7 "unleashed a barrage of tear gas and flash bangs" on a crowd outside the precinct.[164] On June 8, Seattle City Council members Morales, Mosqueda and Sawant called on Durkan to resign or be impeached "for gassing her own people".[165] On June 9, hundreds of protesters occupied City Hall to demand her resignation,[166][167] and on June 28 protesters marched to Durkan's home.[168] On July 2, King County Superior Court judge Mary Roberts heard arguments for two separate petitions to recall Durkan,[169] and on July 10 she ruled that one of the seven allegations had sufficient evidence to move forward, allowing petitioners to gather signatures for a recall election.[170] Durkan's legal team asked Roberts to reconsider the ruling, arguing that the charge was the responsibility of Police Chief Carmen Best, but Roberts declined.[171] On August 12 Durkan's legal team appealed the decision to the Washington State Supreme Court. The petitioners for the recall requested that the Supreme Court reconsider two of the charges that Roberts dismissed. 50,000 signatures of Seattle voters are needed for the recall to occur.[171] Durkan estimated that her legal expenses to fight the recall would total $240,000.[8]
In July 2020, a King County Superior Court judge ruled that her use of tear gas during the protests was sufficient for a petition to recall her as mayor to move forward, but the Washington State Supreme Court unanimously dismissed the attempt as "factually and legally insufficient".[172][173] On December 7, 2020, Durkan announced that she would not seek reelection.[174] The same day, Western Washington District Court judge Richard A. Jones ruled that the city of Seattle had violated the Consent Decree on four counts by using crowd control weapons during the George Floyd protests.[175]
Missing records
Official text messages from Durkan from August 28, 2019, to June 25, 2020, were not retained and excluded from public records requests, a violation of the state Public Records Act.[176] Communications from Fire Chief Harold Scoggins and then-police Chief Carmen Best in at least June 2020 are also missing, preventing the public from reviewing the decisions to use tear gas on protestors and residents of Capitol Hill.[177]
On June 3, The Seattle Times filed a lawsuit against the City of Seattle over the missing text messages and the city's mishandling of reporters' public information requests.[178] Durkan's office claimed the missing texts were due to an "unknown technology issue", but her staff knew the texts were missing because they were deliberately set to automatically delete.[179] The whistleblowers who sought to comply with the law sued the city for retaliation and constructive dismissal.[180]
In 2023, the City of Seattle paid $600,000 to settle a lawsuit after a federal judge found that Durkan, Best, and Scoggins had intentionally destroyed evidence by deleting text messages related to their handling of protests and the CHOP.[181]
Personal life
Durkan is a lesbian. She and her partner, Dana Garvey, have two sons.[182] Garvey is highly-accomplished in her own right having been a senior executive at McCaw Cellular/AT&T, one of the largest cellular communication firms in the United States. Garvey has since launched her own start-up, D. Garvey Corp, that employed more than 255 people in the "development and construction of large-scale wireless networks" before starting IconAlytics, a company that authenticates art.[183]
Durkan and Garvey are unmarried and not registered as a domestic couple. Because of this, Durkan did not have to disclose Garvey's financial records during her mayoral campaign.[183] [184]
See also
References
- Garner, Julie. "U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan is known as a straight shooter". University of Washington Magazine. No. September 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- Jerry Markon and Juliet Eilperin (September 25, 2014). "Attorney General Eric Holder to Step Down," Washington Post
- "Seattle has just elected its first lesbian mayor". Independent.co.uk. November 8, 2017.
- Beekman, Daniel (November 7, 2017). "Jenny Durkan defeats Cary Moon to become Seattle's first woman mayor since the 1920s". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
- Beekman, Daniel (November 8, 2017). "Cary Moon concedes to Jenny Durkan in Seattle mayoral election". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
- Beekman, Daniel (August 1, 2017). "Jenny Durkan leads in Seattle mayor's race, followed by Cary Moon and Nikkita Oliver". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- Baker, Mike (June 10, 2020). "'Take Back Your City' From Protesters, Trump Tells Seattle Mayor". The New York Times.
- Beekman, Daniel; Brunner, Jim (December 7, 2020). "Durkan won't run for re-relection". SCC Insight. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
- "50 From County Will Attend Prelegislative Conference". The Seattle Times. December 6, 1956.
- "Dominic A. Noonan". The Seattle Times. October 16, 1962.
- "Jenny Durkan: "When Donald Trump Was Elected, the World Started Spinning Differently for Me"". seattlemet.com. January 26, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- Cunningham, Ross; Burt, Lyle (January 23, 1963). "Senate Gets First of Bills on Sunday Closure of Businesses". The Seattle Times.
- Drosendahl, Glenn (December 26, 2010). "Durkan, Martin J. Sr. (1923-2005)". HistoryLink. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- Willmsen, Christine (February 25, 2008). "Lorraine Durkan, 83, "always willing to listen"". The Seattle Times. p. B4. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
- Conklin, Ellis E. (August 10, 1992). "Score 2 for the defense; Attorneys compile winning record as firm's 'dynamic duo'". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. C1.
- Dunphy, Mary Elayne (February 16, 1975). "Exchange sends girls to farflung schools". The Seattle Times.
- "Seattle's New Mayor is a 'Woman Who Can'". Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart. Spring 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- Durkan, Jenny. "Biography" (PDF). Seattle.gov. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- Allen, Percy (April 3, 2018). "Hoops prophet? Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan correctly predicted men's and women's NCAA tournament winners". The Seattle Times.
- Garner, Julie (September 2014). "U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan is known as a straight shooter". University of Washington Magazine. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
- Callaghan, Peter. "Obama names Jenny Durkan U.S. Attorney for Western District", The News Tribune, May 15, 2009.Archived September 30, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- McNerthney, Caset (January 5, 2011). "Wednesday marks anniversary of deadly Seattle fire". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on May 21, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- "Straight Shooter | Columns Archive, September 2014 | Past issues of Columns, the University of Washington Alumni Magazine". www.washington.edu. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- Berger, Knute (April 19, 2007), "What killed Kate Fleming?", Crosscut.com, retrieved November 10, 2017
- Ammons, David (February 14, 1995). "Governor's Top Legal Adviser Calls It Quits Lowry Insists Resignation Not Tied To Sex Harassment Case". The Spokesman Review. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- "Washington governor to face outside investigator in sex-harassment case". The Baltimore Sun. February 7, 1995. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- Roberts, Gregory (June 5, 2005). "Judge upholds Gregoire's election; Rossi won't appeal". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- Postman, David (February 11, 2005). "Jenny Durkan, Gregoire's staunch ally". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- Camden, Jim (October 23, 2016). "Spin Control: The 2004 Washington election was not – repeat NOT – rigged". Spokesman. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- Kroman, David (January 30, 2017). "Stop that plane: The frantic race to halt a deportation". Crosscut.com. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
- Miletich, Steve (January 7, 2015). "Former U.S. attorney Jenny Durkan joining global law firm". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- "FIFA sends 1,300-page corruption investigation to Swiss attorney general". LA Times. March 31, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- "Former Seattle US attorney now represents FIFA amid scandal". The Associated Press. June 18, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- "Meet the U.S. Attorney". Usdoj.gov. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
- "Seattle gets specialized federal drug court", Seattle Times, December 13, 2012.
- Postman, David (February 13, 1995). "Lowry's chief lawyer resigns after long meeting with boss – Durkan cites recent events as factor". Seattle Times. p. A1.
- "Jenny Durkan confirmed as US attorney for W. Wash.", Seattle Times, September 29, 2009.
- "Senate confirms Durkan as U.S. Attorney", Seattle Post Intelligencer, September 29, 2009.
- "United States Attorney's Office – Western District of Washington". Usdoj.gov. Retrieved May 19, 2012.
- "2012 Report to the Community", U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, February 5, 2013
- Sullivan, Jennifer (October 23, 2012). "Gang, drug, firearms investigation leads to 33 arrests". Seattle Times. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington (February 1, 2013). "Dutch Citizen Sentenced To 12 Years In Prison For Computer Hacking Scheme That Stole And Sold Credit Card Info". Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- "Oh, the Irony: Identity Theft Prosecutor Is Hacked", Time (magazine), September 8, 2011.
- "Computer Crime & Internet Fraud Press Releases" Archived July 30, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, February 1, 2013.
- Watson, Kendall (August 22, 2012). "U.S. Attorney's Office Puts Spotlight on Internet Safety". Mercer Island Patch. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
- Byron, Linda (August 20, 2012). "School year starts with warning about Internet safety". King 5 News. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
- "Plea deal reached in plot to attack Seattle military station", Seattle Times, December 6, 2012.
- "2012 Report to the Community", U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, February 5, 2013
- Carter, Mike (June 18, 2012). "U.S. attorney to Seattle gun criminals: 'You will do federal time'". Seattle Times. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
- Carter, Mike; Mayor, Justin (December 22, 2012). "Prosecutors here cracking down on felons with guns". Seattle Times. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
- "Followup: How 'Operation Center of Attention' plan sprung from White Center community concerns". White Center Now. October 22, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
- Kane, Paul. "Attorney general confirmation process is fractious even before it's begun". Washington Post. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- "Who Could Replace Eric Holder as Attorney General?". NBCNews.com. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- Geidner, Chris. "The Lesbian who could be AG". Buzzfeed. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- Lavender, Paige (September 26, 2014). "Eric Holder's Successor Could Be One Of These People". HuffPost. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- "U.S. Attorney Will Prosecute Dispenary Owners, Landlords who Rent to Dispensaries & State Employees Involved in State Medical Marijuana Laws". Arizona Medical Marijuana Law. April 27, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- Jaywork, Casey (October 18, 2017). "What Jenny Durkan's Time as U.S. Attorney Says About Her As a Candidate". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- Johnson, Gene (November 16, 2011). "U.S. attorney to target only flagrant pot dispensaries". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- Myers, Laura L. (November 15, 2011). "Feds raid Washington state medical marijuana dispensaries". Reuters. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
- McNerthney, Casey (May 1, 2012). "May Day protests turn violent in downtown Seattle". SeattlePI. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- Beekman, Daniel (May 11, 2017). "Jenny Durkan, former U.S. attorney, to run for Seattle mayor". Seattle Times. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
- Pulkkinen, Levi (November 28, 2012). "Months later, five charged in May Day riot". KOMO/SeattlePI. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- Pulkkinen, Levi (October 18, 2012). "Agent: FBI tailed Portland anarchists headed to May Day riot". SeattlePI. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- Kiley, Brendan (August 8, 2012). "Political Convictions? Federal Prosecutors in Seattle Are Dragging Activists into Grand Juries, Citing Their Social Circles and Anarchist Reading Materials". The Stranger. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- "Federal Grand Jury Investigations". Black & Askerov, PLLC. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- Hermes, Kris (April 30, 2013). "Chasing Anarchists: May Day and the Federal Government's Use of Grand Juries as Political Counterintelligence". HuffPost. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- O'Hagan, Maureen (February 28, 2013). "Judge frees pair who refused to testify in May Day Probe". Seattle Times. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- Kiley, Brendan (February 27, 2013). "Grand Jury Refusers Katherine Olejnik and Matthew Duran Are Free". The Stranger. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- Kiley, Brendan (April 11, 2013). "Maddie Pfeiffer, the Final Grand Jury Refuser (So Far), Has Been Released". The Stranger. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- Murphy, Kim (October 19, 2012). "Anarchists targeted after Seattle's violent May Day protests". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
- Carter, Mike; O'Hagan, Maureen (October 20, 2012). "Affidavit: Feds trailed Portland anarchists, link them to Seattle's May Day". Seattle Times. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
- Stearns, Chris; Moore, Catherine (February 15, 2013). "Letter to The Honorable Richard Jones" (PDF). Seattle Human Rights Commission. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
- Kiley, Brendan (April 3, 2013). "Freedom Is Frustrating". The Stranger. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
- Jones, Richard (February 27, 2013). "Court order" (PDF). The Stranger. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
- Carter, Mike (March 25, 2013). "Figure in Seattle terror plot escapes life sentence". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- Kiley, Brendan (September 10, 2013). "Convicted Sex Offender and Police Informant Attempts to Infiltrate Seattle's Activist Community". The Stranger. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- deGrandpre, Andrew (September 12, 2017). "Seattle Mayor Ed Murray resigns after fifth claim of sexual abuse". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- Beekman, Daniel; Brunner, Jim (May 11, 2017). "Jenny Durkan, former U.S. attorney, to run for Seattle mayor". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- Beekman, Daniel (July 19, 2017). "Jenny Durkan draws big-time backers, overt opposition in Seattle mayoral bid". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
- Groover, Heidi (August 17, 2017). "King County Labor Council Endorses Jenny Durkan". The Stranger. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- Beekman, Daniel (October 18, 2017). "Jenny Durkan's former boss, Eric Holder, backs her for Seattle mayor". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- "ALLIANCE FOR GUN RESPONSIBILITY VICTORY FUND ENDORSES JENNY DURKAN FOR SEATTLE MAYOR, LEGISLATIVE AND LOCAL CANDIDATES THROUGHOUT WASHINGTON STATE". September 18, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- "HRC Endorses Jenny Durkan for Mayor of Seattle". October 11, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- Sundell, Allison (October 4, 2017). "Governor Inslee endorses Jenny Durkan for Seattle mayor". King5 News. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- Connelly, Joel (October 9, 2017). "From one lawyer to another: State AG endorses Durkan". Seattle PI. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- "Victory Fund Endorses Nine LGBTQ Candidates; Seattle Mayoral Candidate Jenny Durkan Receives Spotlight Endorsement". May 22, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- Connelly, Joel (November 3, 2017). "Connelly: Tech leaders pick Durkan in battle of the endorsements". Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- "Murray's supporters scatter to the political winds". Crosscut.com. May 20, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
- Seattle Times editorial board (July 7, 2017). "The Times recommends: Jenny Durkan is by far best candidate for mayor". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
- Sundell, Allison (May 30, 2017). "Local businesses endorse former US Attorney Jenny Durkan for Seattle mayor". KING-TV News. Archived from the original on May 31, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
- "Endorsements". Jenny for Seattle. Archived from the original on October 23, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- Beekman, Daniel (August 15, 2017). "Durkan, Moon advance in Seattle mayor's race – without Oliver's endorsement". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
- Bernard, Sara (October 17, 2017). "Moon Campaign Calls Out Big Corporations for Quietly Funding Durkan Campaign". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- "Jenny Durkan breaks fundraising record in Seattle mayor's race; Cary Moon struggles to attract donors". The Seattle Times. October 31, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
- "Campaigns – Seattle Campaign Finance Disclosure". web6.seattle.gov. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
- "Seattle mayoral aide sees conflict of interest in lobbying by political consultants". The Seattle Times. October 23, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- "The Morning News: City Lobbyist Faces Questions About Conflict of Interest, New Case Against Ed Murray, NIMBYs Win". The Stranger. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- "Seattle's top lobbyist is also mayor's political consultant". Outside City Hall. March 7, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- Beekman, Daniel (July 12, 2017). "Mayoral candidate Nikkita Oliver wins 'Candidate Survivor'—and Jenny Durkan's gaffe". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
- "All-ages crowd at Neumos gets tequila from Jenny Durkan". MyNorthwest.com. July 13, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- Hsieh, Steven (July 12, 2017). "Former Federal Prosecutor Jenny Durkan Throws Tequila at All Ages Crowd". The Stranger. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- Groover, Heidi (October 24, 2017). "Why Didn't Durkan Sign Onto Union Letter Against Harassment of Hotel Workers?". The Stranger. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- Glaser, David (October 26, 2017). "Money in Politics Buys Influence". South Seattle Emerald. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- Stevens, Jeff (October 30, 2017). "Following Jenny's Money". The Seattle Star. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- "Appeals court tosses I-124". SCC Insight. December 24, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- Balk, Gene (May 21, 2020). "Seattle drops out of top 5 for growth among major U.S. cities; here are the new leaders". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- "Mayor Durkan signs executive order to create free college program for Seattle". Kiro 7. November 29, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- Schofield, Kevin (April 18, 2018). "Mayor Durkan unveils proposal for unified education levy". SCC Insight. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- Bazzaz, Dahlia (November 6, 2018). "Seattle's $600 million-plus education levy approved by wide margin". The Seattle Times.
- "Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan signs MOU to renovate KeyArena". The Seattle Times. December 6, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- "Seattle mayor inspired to win NHL expansion bid by Stanley Cup visit". NHL.com. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- "Durkan Wants Seattle 'Domestic Worker Bill of Rights'". Seattle, WA Patch. February 20, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- "Seattle to require minimum wage for Uber, Lyft drivers". AP NEWS. September 30, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- MyNorthwest.com (July 9, 2018). "Mayor Durkan signs safe storage legislation for gun owners". KIRO. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- "Queerty Pride50 2019 Honorees". Queerty. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
- Mazza, Ed (June 11, 2020). "Politicians Tell Trump To Go Back To The Bunker After His Threat To 'Take Back' Seattle". www.msn.com.
- "Live Updates on George Floyd Protests: Judge Is Assigned to Officers' Murder Trial". The New York Times. June 13, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331.
- Berman, Dan; LeBlanc, Paul (September 17, 2020). "Seattle mayor says Barr's suggestions to charge her are 'chilling'". CNN. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- Benner, Katie (September 16, 2020). "Barr Told Prosecutors to Consider Sedition Charges for Protest Violence". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
- Groover, Heidi (April 2, 2019). "Amid delayed projects, SDOT proposal would remove 34 bike lanes from near-term work plan". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- Groover, Heidi (May 9, 2019). "Electric scooters are coming to Seattle, Mayor Jenny Durkan says". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- Sundell, Allison (September 5, 2018). "Seattle high school students start school with free ORCA passes". King 5. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- Gutman, David (March 30, 2018). "Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan halts streetcar expansion project as costs jump past $200M". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- Miletich, Steve; Beekman, Daniel (May 29, 2018). "Despite mounting criticism, Durkan defends selection process for Seattle police chief". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- Miletich, Steve; Beekman, Daniel (July 17, 2018). "Carmen Best, once rejected, is Seattle mayor's pick for top cop". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- Beekman, Daniel (August 13, 2018). "Carmen Best confirmed as Seattle police chief". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- Kroman, David (April 17, 2019). "Two former Durkan staffers alleged mistreatment in Seattle mayor's office". Crosscut.com. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- Brownstone, Sydney; Cornwell, Paige; Lindblom, Mike; Takahama, Elise (February 29, 2020). "King County patient is first in U.S. to die of COVID-19 as officials scramble to stem spread of novel coronavirus". Seattle Times. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- Taylor, Sarah Grace (December 30, 2021). "Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan leaves a mixed legacy shadowed by crisis". Seattle Times. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- Baker, Mike (March 11, 2021). "Seattle's Virus Success Shows What Could Have Been". New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
- Ryan, Blethen (March 19, 2020). "Coronavirus testing sites in Seattle stretched beyond capacity as people seek pre-Thanksgiving results". Seattle Times. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- Beekman, Daniel (December 13, 2020). "1 in 4 Seattle residents have used the city's free coronavirus testing sites". Seattle Times. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- Beekman, Daniel (March 18, 2020). "Seattle mayor orders coronavirus moratorium on evictions of small businesses, nonprofits". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- Baruchman, Michelle (May 7, 2020). "Seattle will permanently close 20 miles of residential streets to most vehicle traffic". Seattle Times. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- Lenzmeier, Trevor (August 27, 2020). "See the city on foot with these 3 walks through Seattle's Stay Healthy Streets". Seattle Times. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
- Beekman, Daniel (May 24, 2020). "Mayor Jenny Durkan in crisis mode as Seattle confronts coronavirus, homelessness, failing West Seattle Bridge". Seattle Times. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- Beekman, Daniel (May 24, 2020). "Mayor Jenny Durkan in crisis mode as Seattle confronts coronavirus, homelessness, failing West Seattle Bridge". Seattle Times. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- Beekman, Daniel (March 18, 2020). "Seattle mayor orders coronavirus moratorium on evictions of small businesses, nonprofits". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- "Seattle to offer free citywide coronavirus testing". KIRO. June 5, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- "Mayor Durkan announces program for free flu shots across Seattle". KIRO. October 21, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- Beekman, Daniel (March 12, 2020). "Seattle to offer grants of up to $10K to small businesses impacted by novel coronavirus outbreak". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- "The Mayors". Fortune. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- Radke, Bill (May 21, 2020). "Mayor Durkan on clearing homeless encampments during the pandemic". KUOW. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- "Council Bill number 119796". Office of the City Clerk of Seattle, WA. May 15, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- Woodman, Charles (May 28, 2020). "Seattle Struggles To Act On Proposal To Halt Encampment Sweeps". patch.com. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- Dekom, Anton (June 9, 2020). "Seattle Must Reform Homeless Encampment Rules to Protect Rights and Public Health". The Urbanist. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- Coleman, Vernal (December 19, 2018). "Durkan and Constantine endorse consolidating 'fragmented' homelessness response". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- Brownstone, Sydney (August 12, 2020). "Seattle Housing Levy money will go all in on homeless housing through 2021". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- Bicknell, Natalie (March 21, 2019). "Mayor Durkan Signs into Law Mandatory Housing Affordability Rezoning 27 Urban Villages". The Urbanist. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- Lloyd, Sarah Anne (July 11, 2019). "Measure to reduce barriers to building ADUs in Seattle gets mayoral boost". Curbed Seattle. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- "Mayor Durkan signs executive order to create free college program for Seattle". KIRO. November 29, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- Beekman, Daniel (November 29, 2017). "Jenny Durkan takes step on free-college promise on 1st full day as Seattle mayor". Seattle Times. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- Katherine, Long (November 29, 2018). "Seattle high-school graduates will get 2 free years of community college. Here's how it will work". Seattle Times. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- Brunner, Jim (June 3, 2021). "Seattle offers more support for students in tuition-free community-college program". Seattle Times. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- Del Pozo, Brandon (June 26, 2020). "Watch This Protest Turn From Peaceful to Violent in 60 Seconds". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- Jones, Liz; Raftery, Isolde (June 10, 2020). "This 26-year-old 'died three times' after police hit her with a blast ball". KUOW. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- Baumann, Lisa (June 4, 2020). "Police chief: Badge numbers will be 'prominently displayed'". The Spokesman Review. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- Beekman, Daniel; Brownstone, Sydney (June 8, 2020). "Seattle council members vow 'inquest' into police budget; some say mayor should consider resigning". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
- "City leaders speak with crowd on 5th day of George Floyd protests in Seattle". KCPQ 13 News. June 2, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- Craighead, Callie (June 3, 2020). "Seattle protests lead push to ban use of 'mourning bands' that cover police badge numbers". The Seattle Post-Intellingencer. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- "WATCH LIVE: Seattle officials speak to demonstrators on 5th night of protests". King 5 News. June 2, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- "Seattle bans police use of tear gas for 30 days". King 5. June 5, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- "Seattle police use blast balls, pepper spray to try to disperse Saturday protesters". The Seattle Times. June 6, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- Beekman, Daniel; Brownstone, Sydney (June 8, 2020). "Seattle council members vow 'inquest' into police budget; some say mayor should consider resigning". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- "3 Seattle council members say Mayor Durkan should resign after police response to protests". KUOW. June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- "Seattle protesters march on city hall to demand Mayor Durkan's resignation". New York Post. June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- Peters, Lola E. (June 9, 2020). "Mayor Jenny Durkan is not the trailblazer Seattle needs". Crosscut. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- "Protesters march to Seattle Mayor Durkan's house as 'CHOP' scene continues". King 5 News. June 28, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
- "Judge hears dual petitions to recall Seattle mayor". KIRO News. July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- "King County Superior Court judge allows petition for election to recall Mayor Jenny Durkan to move forward". The Seattle Times. July 11, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
- Gutman, David (August 12, 2020). "Mayor Jenny Durkan appeals recall decision to Washington state Supreme Court". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- "Petition to recall Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan clears first hurdle". My Northwest. July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
- "WA Supreme Court dismisses recall effort against Mayor Durkan". Crosscut. October 8, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- "Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan won't run for reelection". The Seattle Times. December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
- "ase 2:20-cv-00887-RAJ" (PDF). United States District Court. December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
- "Public records requests mishandled after Seattle mayor's texts went missing, commission finds". The Seattle Times. May 6, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- "Not just the mayor: Text messages of Seattle police and fire chiefs from June 2020 also missing". The Seattle Times. May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- Fiels, Asia (June 4, 2021). "Seattle Times sues city of Seattle over Mayor Jenny Durkan's missing text messages during protests". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- "Mayor's office knew for months Durkan's phone setting caused texts to vanish, emails show". The Seattle Times. August 20, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- "Employees who blew whistle on Seattle mayor's missing texts file lawsuit against the city". The Seattle Times. September 3, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- "Seattle settles CHOP lawsuit for $3.6M, with $600K for deleted texts". The Seattle Times. February 17, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- Carter, Mike (May 15, 2009). "Obama nominates Durkan as Seattle U.S. attorney". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on October 1, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
- Black, Lester (January 30, 2019). "The Power Couple Running Seattle". The Stranger. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
- Kroman, David (September 24, 2017). "Worth millions: Seattle mayoral candidates discuss their wealth". Crosscut. Retrieved June 18, 2020.