Seattle mayor resigns after fifth sex abuse claim

SEATTLE (AP) – Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has announced his resignation after a fifth man came forward and accused him of sexual abuse decades ago.
 
Murray had already announced earlier that he would not seek a second term.
 
He said Tuesday that he would step down effective 5 p.m. Wednesday. Four men had previously accused him of sexually abusing them.
 
Murray’s resignation announcement came after the The Seattle Times reported Tuesday that a younger cousin of Murray had emerged as his latest accuser.
 
Murray has denied all of the allegations.
 
Before being elected mayor in 2013, Murray was a long-time Democrat state lawmaker who led the campaign to legalize same-sex marriage in Washington state.
 
As mayor, he pushed to raise the city’s minimum hourly wage to $15.

The Seattle Times reported (http://bit.ly/2xXR8Am ) Tuesday that the man is Murray’s first cousin once removed, Joseph Dyer.
 
Dyer told the newspaper he was 13 and that Murray was in his early 20s when Murray came to live with Dyer’s family in Medford, New York and the alleged abuse happened.
 
Murray has denied the allegations, and he blamed Dyer’s on bad relations between their families.
 
Murray had said he had no plans to resign before his term is over at the end of this year.
 
Dyer is a 54-year-old dialysis technician and Air Force veteran.
 
The Associated Press does not typically name alleged victims of sex abuse, but Dyer gave an extensive interview to the newspaper.