SEATTLE: Gay Mayor Ed Murray Reaches Labor Deal For $15/Hour Minimum Wage

Openly gay Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has struck a deal with local labor groups that could result in a $15/hour minimum wage, which would be the highest in the nation. Via the Associated Press:

The mayor’s proposal gives businesses with more than 500 employees nationally at least three years to phase in the increase. Those providing health insurance will have four years to complete the move. Smaller organizations will be given seven years, with the new wage including a consideration for tips and health care costs over the first five years. Once the $15 wage is reached, future annual increases will be tied to the consumer price index. Murray said 21 of 24 members of his minimum wage task force, which included representatives of business, labor and community groups, voted in favor of the plan. “I think that this is a historic moment for the city of Seattle,” Murray said. “We’re going to decrease the poverty rate.”

San Francisco's minimum wage is currently the highest at $10.55/hour. Murray's plan must now be approved by the Seattle City Council.

Seattle's Gay Mayor On Nightclub Arson: Let The Police Do Their Job

"Less than an hour after I officially became Seattle's first gay mayor, there was an arson at Seattle's oldest gay nightclub with a potential for considerable loss of life. I am not just invested as the chief law enforcement officer of this city in bringing this case to justice, I am personally invested. But we also need to let our law enforcement professionals do their job, which they are doing with utmost diligence, caution, and concern for public safety. In the end, we want a conviction, and I'm asking for patience on the part of the public." - Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, responding to the public demands for action after a local man was identified as possibly being the arsonist in a New Year's Eve fire at a packed gay nightclub. The suspect has not been arrested.

SEATTLE: Man Arrested For Facebook Death Threats Against Gay Mayor

Local police have arrested a man for posting death threats to the Facebook page of Seattle's openly gay mayor, Ed Murray.

Mitchell Munro Taylor of Seattle was arrested Thursday night, two days after Mayor Ed Murray's staff found more than 20 threatening, anti-gay postings from the man's account on Murray's Facebook page, court documents said. One post said "Mayor, meet Harvey Milk," a reference to a gay rights activist and San Francisco board of supervisors member who was fatally shot in 1978, The Seattle Times reported. Another post on the mayor's page said "death to socialist council member." Kshama Sawant is the first socialist City Council member in Seattle's modern history. While she was not named directly, police said they think she was the target of that post. Taylor was held on suspicion of two counts of cyberstalking and two counts of malicious harassment.

A lawyer for Taylor claims that his client has Asperger's Syndrome and is not taking his medications. Bail has been set at $600K.

SEATTLE: Russian Official Pissed That Mayor Attended Protest At Consulate

Two weeks ago hundreds of activists including Dan Savage staged a protest in front of the Russian consulate in Seattle. (Slideshow here.) Also in attendance was Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn (above) and his Democrat mayoral opponent, openly gay state Sen. Ed Murray.  Dominick Holden reports on the fallout:

One of four Russian consul generals living in the United States sent an agitated letter to Seattle mayor Mike McGinn asking why he recently joined a "misleading" protest against Russia's anti-LGBT laws and the upswing in anti-gay violence there. Andrey Yushmanov says he was "unpleasantly surprised" by seeing online photos of the mayor holding a "Stop Putin" sign in front of Yushmanov's gated Madison Park mansion. "I would appreciate it if you could clarify whether your support of the protesters reflects the official position on the authorities of Seattle?" Yushmanov pressed. Yushmanov argued that gays are treated fairly with a "spirit of tolerance" under Russia's constitution, which bans discrimination, and, as such, the protest's portrayal of Russia being intolerant towards gay people "is simply not true." The anti-propaganda laws are purportedly designed to help kids. "The goal of public policy toward children is to protect them from factors that can negatively affect their physical, intellectual, mental, spiritual, and moral development," Yushmanov said in defense of the law, adding that "punishing a country for having a different opinion is a form of discrimination in itself."

McGinn's office says that he only speaks for himself and not for the city of Seattle as the City Council has refused to take a position on Russia's anti-gay laws. Dan Savage has an opinion about that.

Yashamanov's letter is here, McGinn's response is here.

Openly Gay WA State Sen. Ed Murray Launches Bid For Seattle Mayor

Unlike San Diego's homocon candidate for Congress, Ed Murray puts his sexuality (and his partner) front and center in the first television ad of his campaign for mayor of Seattle.