Last Friday MyEverettNews.com invited all of the candidates for the Everett City Council Positions 4 and 5 on the Primary Ballot to send in an introduction statement of up to 400 words on their campaign. (There are three people running in the primary for position 4 and three people running for position 5. Positions 6 and 7 automatically advance to the general election in November.) Invitations were sent to the email address on file with the Snohomish County Auditor’s office. We asked that responses be received so we can publish them today as the primary ballots are going out in the mail and people can actually start voting tomorrow. We have so far received two responses. One from Scott Bader in position 5 and the other from Cassie Franklin in position 4. Here they are in the order received.
Statement from Scott Bader received on Tuesday July 14th
Scott Bader is the new Everett City Council President
I am running for re-election to help continue the good stewardship of the City of Everett. Many good things are happening that show Everett’s future to be bright. This is due the leadership that has been in place for almost two decades now. I’ve been privileged to be part of the ‘team’ that continues to foster these good things and set the stage for a bright future.
Downtown Everett continues to be built up. Our waterfront continues to see new activity. Boeing and the SW Everett Industrial area remains strong and grows strong as one of the major employment areas in the world. Good family wage jobs have come to Everett and appear set to continue flowing in.
The City held a tight rein on the budget, avoiding the layoffs and the closures that afflicted other cities in our region during the recession. And while we had to increase some fees and taxes to avoid any further impact to our public safety, our fees and taxes are still at our near the bottom in Snohomish County and throughout the region.
Housing construction has recovered since the recession and home sales have significantly increased, showing that Everett is a desirable place to live and continues to become more desirable.
That said, there is no question that challenges face our city, and City Council and City administration need to do more.
Transients and our homeless population presents a challenge to us. We need to do more than we have. Our police, working with social service agencies, reach out in a compassionate way. But the police need more tools to prompt those who refuse help to move on from a dangerous and unhealthy transient lifestyle.
As our revenues increase with an improving economy, my first priority is to reinforce our public safety and emergency response efforts.
We still need to expand our S. Everett library and our parks. The recession took a deep toll on our ability to do anything we absolutely didn’t need to do. Other than public safety, these projects are my next priority.
I have a deep track record of involvement in Everett – I’d be grateful for your vote to re-elect me.
-City Council President 2015
-City Council member 2012-present
-leader in Cascade View and Riverside neighborhoods
-past member of Everett Transportation Advisory Committee and chair
-active in my church, Scouts
-and many others
www.baderforeverettcitycouncil.com
Statement from Cassie Franklin received Tuesday July 14th
Cassie Franklin – Candidate supplied photo
I ask for your support for my candidacy to Everett City Council.
My husband and I live in the Port Gardner neighborhood together with our 6 year old daughter who attends Everett Public Schools. I feel lucky to live in a city surrounded by neighbors who share my love for our community and the desire to make a difference. We are blessed to have a first class work force, strong neighborhoods, unlimited access to the outdoors, and citizens who genuinely care about each other.
However, in recent years our community has struggled to prevent the ever growing problem of chronic homelessness and drug use. While these issues are complex, there is so much more that our city can do to responsibly address these issues and to improve public safety.
As the CEO of Cocoon House in Everett, I am uniquely positioned to collaborate with regional and national resources on better solutions to address our homeless population and to build a healthier community. I was also an active member in the Community Streets Initiative Task Force formed by the Mayor to outline recommendations for addressing street issues, such as city wide homelessness. These recommendations include long term strategies that will take coordination and strong leadership to implement. They also included short term strategies that could be implemented immediately, such as an alcohol impact area to limit the sale of high alcohol products targeted at the homeless. Unfortunately my opponent used his position on our City Council to vote against the short term recommendations, including the alcohol impact area.
The next five years in Everett are critical, as we balance our growth while protecting our citizens. We need to build necessary infrastructure that attracts family wage jobs, invest more in our quality of life, balance our budget without raising taxes, provide improved services to Central and South Everett, improve public safety resources, and diversify our economy.
I am proud of who we are as a community and I am excited for what we can do together. I hope you share my vision for Everett, and I ask for your vote.
I am also proud to be endorsed by: Aerospace Machinists Union, Affordable Housing Council of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, Everett Firefighters, IAFF Local 46, Everett Transit Union, Amalgamated Transit Union 883, Snohomish County Democrats, The National Women’s Political Caucus, and 38th District Democrats
MyEverettNews.com does not endorse candidates or ballot measures. We provide these introductions as a public service. It is up to those running for office to choose to participate. Primary ballots are going out in the mail and must be returned by August 4th.
July 15, 2015
Everett, Everett Government