Stopgap Mayor Burgess to hand over office to Jenny Durkan

Seattle will get a new mayor Tuesday — its fourth this year. Seattle mayor Tim Burgess will be handing over the office to Jenny Durkan, who was elected earlier this month. His farewell address, given in his final days in office, was as short as his tenure in the top job, which will clock in at just 71 days.

Burgess said it's been an honor to serve the people of Seattle, and he feels he's left the city in better shape than he found it.

"A good budget, plans for new schools, major steps in juvenile justice and police reform, retirement savings, greater accountability in spending – we achieved all of that and more in 71 days."

Burgess ascended to Seattle's top job after former mayor Ed Murray resigned amid allegations of child sexual abuse. He said he doesn't have any regrets from his short time in office, but he wishes he could have done more to change the nature of public discourse at City Hall.

That’s because Burgess said he feels there's a tendency for some views to be shouted down.

"You know, kind of what we see on the far right nationally, we see on the far left in Seattle,” Burgess said. “And it's not helpful, and it's not the way to govern a city."

Burgess adds it's important for people with a range of opinions to be heard. By Seattle standards, he's often been seen as somewhat conservative.

Burgess' career at City Hall spans a decade, mostly as a City Council member.

He says he'll spend his first morning out of public service sleeping in.