Seattle has just sworn in its second female mayor – Jenny Durkan.

It’s been 90 years since a woman stood at the helm of the city. Like her predecessor Bertha Knight Landes, the first female mayor in the U.S., Durkan is a trailblazer.

She’s been a law student, a dues-paying Teamster, public defender in Seattle Municipal Court and the first openly gay U.S. Attorney – and possibly the first openly gay person ever appointed by a President to a leadership role at the Department of Justice.

Even Durkan’s first day on the job is a little different from past mayors.

Instead of delivering a speech at City Hall for her inauguration on Tuesday, Nov. 28, she hit the road – stopping at various neighborhoods to be sworn in and to meet her constituents.

“I will come to you,” Durkan said at her stop in West Seattle. “You will not have to come to City Hall. I want to listen to you. Whether you voted for me or not, I will work tirelessly for you.”

At Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW, Durkan was sworn in by West Seattle resident, King County Executive Dow Constantine and introduced by Joe McDermott, chair of the King County Council, who also resides in the neighborhood.

“I know Mayor Durkan is the right choice at the right time,” McDermott said.

He said Durkan will work for a more affordable city. “She isn’t wasting any time,” he said.

Durkan proved his point – by taking care of her first order of business in West Seattle.

After being sworn in, she stepped aside to a table and signed an Executive Order to quickly develop and implement strategies to assist rent-burdened lower income households.

“On a daily basis, Seattle residents are being forced from their homes and our city as rent prices continue to skyrocket,” she said. “We need urgent action. We cannot delay.”

To provide immediate relief in the first weeks in December, all families on Seattle Housing Authority waiting list without preferential status will be contacted to expedite enrollment in utility discount programs and other public benefits.

A pilot Seattle Rental Housing Assistance Program will be developed in January.

“I want to build Seattle into a place where everyone has a home and everyone has a place,” Durkan said.

She promised to work to make the city more affordable and inclusive. She said that Seattlites will have to work together to make advancements.

“There are no easy solutions,” she said. “The challenges we are facing were years in the making.”

Durkan added that Seattle residents will need to band together to address federal pressures.

“There may be times when we in West Seattle and the County will have to stand up to our president Mr. Trump,” she said. “Seattle and its mayor will not be bullied. We will not be told what to do or how to treat people. We will never back down from doing what is right.”

Durkan headed to Chinatown-International District, Phinney Ridge, and Lake City after her appearance in West Seattle. She had already been to the Ethiopian Community Center in Rainier Beach.

“I will be back to West Seattle many times,” she said. “Seattle is a city of the people – and we will return it to the people.”