'Keep Seattle': Former Mayor Mike McGinn jumps into race against Ed Murray

Mike McGinn wants to be mayor of Seattle again.

We got the first hint with a tweet Monday morning of an image of a campaign sign that read only: "Keep Seattle, McGinn 2017."

McGinn later announced his candidacy at a news conference outside his Greenwood home.

He criticized Mayor Ed Murray and the City Council on tax policy, claiming the solution to every problem seems to be a new tax, which he said burdens lower-income people.

“If you wanted to design a system to drive out working-class and middle-class residents, this is what it would look like,” McGinn said. “Growth that benefits the top with the impacts paid for by those in the middle and on the bottom.”

McGinn served as mayor from 2010 through 2013. He lost his re-election bid to Murray.

A statement from Murray's campaign criticized McGinn's term as mayor, calling it flawed and failed.

Murray said he’ll run for a second term, despite the fallout from a civil lawsuit that accuses Murray of sexually abusing an underage teen in the 1980s. Two other men have also come forward to say that Murray abused them when they were boys. Murray has repeatedly denied the accusations.

Before the lawsuit, Murray was expected to easily win re-election.

At the news conference Monday, McGinn said the lawsuit is one reason for his announcement now. It wasn’t clear if he had been intending to challenge Murray all along.

McGinn is the highest profile challenger to come forward before the May 19 filing deadline. Others include:

Nikkita Oliver, a lawyer, activist and poet who has been praised by City Councilmember Kshama Sawant. She’s been outspoken against a new North Seattle police precinct and has called for redirecting money away from the police force.

Andres Salomon, founder of Northeast Greenways, a grass roots group that advocates for cyclists and pedestrians. Salomon is also an immigrant from Ecuador and a computer programmer.