Seattle mayor-elect planning to raise minimum wage

SEATTLE — Seattle’s incoming mayor is giving a large task force four months to come up with a plan to raise the city’s minimum wage. Mayor-elect Ed Murray said Thursday his goal is to raise Seattle’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. But he’s chosen a diverse group of business, labor, government and academics to hash out the details. Murray’s announcement comes a few days after Seattle’s new Socialist City Council member announced she wanted to put the issue to the voters. Murray wants the council to decide this issue and doesn’t want business and labor to waste money on an expensive initiative campaign. Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant, who is a member of the task force, says she will wait until April to decide whether to push for an initiative to the people.