Seattle Mayor Ed Murray resigned on Tuesday after months of accusations that he committed child sexual abuse in the 1970s and 1980s.
Murray still denies any wrongdoing but his decision to resign effective from 5 p.m. local time on Wednesday, likely ends the political career of Seattle’s first Openly gay mayor, a member of the Democratic party who championed the state’s same-sex marriage law and has been an outspoken critic of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“While the allegations against me are not true, it is important that my personal issues do not affect the ability of our city government to conduct the public’s business,” Murray, 62, said in a written statement.
“To the people of this special city and to my dedicated staff, I am sorry for this painful situation,” Murray said as he resigned.
