EVERETT—Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin emphasized public safety, economic investment, housing, and education at her eighth State of the City address held on Thursday evening, March 27, at Everett Apex.
“My vision for our city is bold, ambitious, and clear: we are building the best city in America to run a business, raise a family, pursue an education, build a career and enjoy a high quality of life,” said Mayor Franklin. “With the deep roots of our past as our strong foundation, I’ve charted a path for our city – and with each accomplishment, we are moving forward towards the best possible tomorrow.”
Mayor Franklin announced four bold public safety initiatives during this address, included in Mayoral Directive 2025-01, which places emphasis on youth safety.
The City of Everett has been committed to youth safety, and public safety in general, throughout Mayor Franklin’s tenure from maintaining youth resource officers in Everett Public Schools and the Mukilteo School District, working in collaboration with youth service organizations, creating a dedicated violent crime unit, and supporting the Anti-Crime and Community Response teams.
Overall crime rates in Everett have seen a decrease, however youth violence remains a serious concern for Mayor Franklin, and the city at large.
Franklin’s Mayoral Directive includes four initiatives, as part of a strategic, and ambitious, approach to reducing youth violent crime to zero which includes: Prevention (expanding existing crime prevention programs and implementing new), Partnerships (working collaboratively with existing partners on programs and initiatives that promote youth safety), Community Engagement and Activation (increasing engagement and activate local youth, community members and public spaces), and Innovation (utilizing technology to enhance the City’s response and investigation of crime).
“This new mayoral directive, expanding on my very first directive, renews our city’s commitment to youth safety – because even one instance of youth violence is too many,” said Mayor Franklin.
The directive will partner with Latino Civic Alliance on the “I AM JAGUAR” program, which is designed to divert Latino youth and young adults away from potential criminal gang affiliation while encouraging them to pursue a more constructive life path.
“I want to thank Nina Martinez from the Latino Civic Alliance for her leadership and the development of this fantastic, culture-infused approach that supports youth as well as their families,” said Mayor Franklin.
The City of Everett’s police department will also begin deploying drones to incident scenes ahead of ground units in order to support faster response times, increase efficiency and improve public safety. Everett will be one of the first jurisdictions to implement this kind of technology.
“We’re excited to launch the ‘Drone as a First Responder’ pilot program, bringing our current use of drones to the next level,” said Mayor Franklin. “Technology like this is a force multiplier, allowing us to do more with limited resources and deliver real results for our community.”
In addition to implementing drone technology the police have already implemented a new technology called the Flock Safety System, which is a new license plate reader camera that has already assisted in over 70 arrests.
As far as staffing levels go, Everett has hired an additional 18 law enforcement positions since 2018 with more than 100 new officers having been sworn in.
Steering away from public safety, which continues to be one of the mayor’s top priorities, Franklin touched on a new outdoor, multipurpose, facility project which will bring soccer, baseball, and more community events to downtown Everett – an investment which Mayor Franklin said could transform lives of community members.
With the FIFA World Cup coming to the Seattle area next year, and Everett being named an official World Cup Fan Zone, Everett is also ramping up its infrastructure to prepare for the influx of visitors which it hopes will stimulate the local economy.
Last year the Community Alternative Response Everett (CARE) program was launched which has helped over 1,800 individuals in crises in 2024 alone.
In the housing and business side of things, Everett issued permits for nearly 600 housing units last year, which is a 340% increase from 2023. Business licenses alone have tripled over the last seven years, Mayor Franklin said.
Currently, there are 1,800 housing units in the pipeline, to be built in the coming years: everything from ADUs and duplexes to large multi-family apartment complexes.
The City of Everett is continuing its economic investments with redevelopments along the south side of the Everett Mall, including adding Topgolf – which will be a major client and entertainment destination for many people in the area.
Last year the City of Everett welcomed numerous businesses including Slide In Mobile Detailing, Obsidian Beer Hall, the Ice Cream Bar and Marcel. The City will be home to a new Dick’s Drive-In South Everett – the popular burger joint’s second Snohomish County location.
Existing businesses also continued to shape Everett’s economy, Franklin mentioned, specifically shouting out Boeing, Zap Energy, Terra Power, Eviation, Zero Avia, Imagine Children’s Museum, Kaiser Permanente, Providence, Optum and Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Mayor Franklin mentioned the Port of Everett’s redevelopment efforts, including electrifying its dock machinery and the recent development of Restaurant Row, as examples of economic development also.
With Sound Transit’s link Light Rail service slated to expand to Everett soon, and the significant growth and development expected to run alongside its opening, Mayor Franklin highlighted the importance of the city’s downtown core’s development, as well as upholding Everett’s tourism.
Everett is also investing in its parks and public spaces, adding new playgrounds, dog parks, and hosting a variety of public events which Mayor Franklin said all create the City to be more vibrant and connected.
“As your mayor, I take that same approach every day—leading with vision, building with purpose and engaging our community every step of the way. We don’t just dream big; we take bold actions and make strategic investments in our shared future,” said Mayor Franklin. “Let’s continue to lead, build and believe in all that Everett is and all that Everett can and will become.”
Author: Kienan Briscoe
