SEATTLE - Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn is not commenting on the resignation of one of his top advisors. The announcement that his close friend quit is one of several incidents on a very bumpy road for the new mayor.
Senior advisor, Chris Bushnell, resigned yesterday after admitting he had lied about having a Ph.D. Mayor McGinn would not comment today on whether he knew Bushnell had exaggerated his educational resume. The Bushnell controversy goes back several years. At 19 years old, he pleaded guilty to bank fraud and counterfeiting. He later got a job in the King County budget office.
Last week, McGinn told KING 5 News, he was aware of Bushnell's felony record but called him "an outstanding civil servant."
Just four weeks into the job, Mayor McGinn has ruffled feathers. He apologized to the city council for blindsiding them with his seawall tax plan. He changed his mind about laying off 200 city management jobs. And, he threw a wrench in 520 bridge plans by siding with proponents of light rail.
"It's a shakedown period." says Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin. "The mayor came into office with a lot of people who don't know what being in office is like. They're trying to figure out how to make it work."
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