Seattle (February 25, 2019) – Mayor Jenny A. Durkan released the below statement following the successful 8-0 vote by Seattle City Council to confirm her nominee Sam Zimbabwe to lead the Seattle Department of Transportation as its next Director:
“I’m heartened that City Council voted today to confirm him as the permanent Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation. Now, we can carry on the hard work of building a city of the future with more world-class transit and safer options for biking and walking.”
“When we undertook our search for the next leader of the Seattle Department of Transportation, we looked for a visionary leader with a proven track record of keeping cities moving, and delivering on critical transit and transportation projects.
“Over the last month, Sam has already shown he is up for the job as he led the Seattle Department of Transportation during part of the permanent viaduct closure and our snowiest month in 50 years. He worked around the clock with his City colleagues to limit the impact on residents and businesses.
“For decades, our region has been playing catch-up on our transportation and transit needs, but in this new era we are committed to planning for the City we will be in the next 50 years.”