By Kyle Moore
SeaTac, WA – SeaTac City Council selected Councilmember Mohamed Egal as Mayor and Councilmember Iris Guzmán as Deputy Mayor at the council meeting Jan. 9.
“I came to this country 22 years ago with $4 in my pocket and I didn’t have any family or friends,” Egal said. “America has given me a home…and I created my own family. I love this country; I love my community and I love my city. I want to serve everyone. I’m honored.”
Egal is the second Muslim to serve as a Mayor in the state of Washington and Guzmán is the city’s first Latina Deputy Mayor.
The City of SeaTac has a seven-member City Council elected by the residents. The Council chooses from among themselves who will serve as Mayor and Deputy Mayor for a two-year term. The Mayor is recognized as the head of the City for ceremonial purposes and is the chair of the Council meetings.
The City Councilmembers are the leaders and policy makers elected to represent the community and to concentrate on policy issues that are responsive to the needs and wishes of the residents and businesses. The SeaTac Council makes policy, land use and budget decisions for the City.
“Congratulations to Mayor Egal and Deputy Mayor Guzmán,” former SeaTac Mayor and current Councilmember Jake Simpson said. “We have incredible representation in the City of SeaTac and I’m really proud of that. We have the second Muslim Mayor in the state of Washington, ever and I think the third Somali Mayor in the United States, ever. That’s pretty cool.”
The City Council appoints a full-time City Manager to oversee the daily operations of the City and to advise, implement and administer the policies adopted by the City Council.
Mayor Egal works as a King County Municipal Court Interpreter, assisting in the translations and interpretation of English materials to Somali speakers. He has over two decades of senior social services program management experiences including as a resident’s services coordinator in Community Life Foundation/SHAG, and Program Manager at the Somali Community Services Coalition. Egal is the chair of the Planning and Economic Development Committee, a member of the Parks and Recreation Committee and a member of the King County Sheriff’s Office Community Advisory Committee. He is also a proud member of the SeaTac-Tukwila Rotary Club and volunteers with many local nonprofits. To hear more of his remarks, visit our YouTube page.
Deputy Mayor Iris Guzmán is the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants and is the first to be born in the United States. She has happily been a SeaTac resident since 2007 and dedicated her time in service of her community as a School Social Worker at Tyee High School for six years and Chinook Middle School for three years. Guzmán is the Chair of the Parks & Recreation Committee and a member of the Administration & Finance Committee.
Kyle Moore is the Government Relations and Communications Manager at City of SeaTac City of Washington State.
