2026 Everett State of the City

Commitment to being a welcoming, inclusive Everett

Before I talk about our accomplishments from last year or our plans for Everett’s future, I want to address the heaviness of this moment.

• Like many of you, I am deeply concerned about heightened federal immigration enforcement activity, both locally and across our country.
• Escalated and aggressive enforcement actions are causing real harm to families and creating uncertainty for our residents, workforce, businesses and overall economy.
• This isn’t about politics; it’s about safety, dignity, stability and trust.
• Last week, I signed a mayoral directive that outlines how our City will respond in these situations:
– Establishing clear protocols for staff,
– Restricting access to non-public areas without a warrant and o Expanding community partnerships.
• The directive also reinforces our police department’s compliance with Washington state law, including:
– Prohibiting participation in civil immigration enforcement
– And not inquiring about immigration status.
• During a recent visit to one of our elementary schools, a young boy shared his worries that now anyone could be arrested – it was heartbreaking to hear that fear in his voice and that makes it clear what’s at stake.
• Our responsibility is to act within the law to protect and serve our entire community.
• This directive reflects that commitment – because this child, his family and all members of our community deserve to feel supported by their local government.
• We know that fear is affecting daily life for some families and we’re hearing that local immigrant-owned and immigrant-serving businesses are feeling the impact – as some longtime customers are afraid to leave home.
• I encourage us all to frequent and support these small businesses and keep our dollars local.
• Our city will strengthen our bonds with organizations serving immigrant communities – like Latino Education and Training Institute, Connect Casino Road, Refugee and Immigrant Services Northwest and our local faith community partners.
• We will continue to lead with our values – ensuring our city is a place where all feel welcome and able to go to work, take their kids to school, shop for groceries, and call for help without fear.
• We support our residents and their right to speak up; and we believe safety and economic strength are built together.
• These are our commitments to our community – and we stand by them.
• Now more than ever, we are One Everett.

Theme – Everett takes the field/ momentum

So again, thank you for joining me today. I’m excited to now talk about Everett’s momentum.

• We are making incredible progress and it’s because we know how to play the long game.
• Everett has always been a place where people come together to build something bigger than themselves.
• We saw it here when Boeing rolled out the first widebody plane -’The Queen of the Skies’ – at Paine Field, changing aerospace forever.
• The story continues today as Boeing prepares to open a new 737 line here – ramping up to meet growing demand.
• In Everett, we move forward by believing in what’s possible and doing the hard work – day after day, long before the results are visible.
• The same spirit of innovation attracted next-generation energy companies – like Helion, TerraPower, and Zap Energy – who continue to choose Everett.
• Over the past 5 years, these companies have brought more than 1,000 new high-skilled jobs to Everett.
• And they are pioneering clean energy and fusion technology that will change our world much like that first 747.
• Different eras. Different fields. But it’s the same Everett – stepping up to the plate and shaping what comes next.
• And be forewarned: I’m just now warming up and you’ve already heard a few but there are many more sports puns to come!

Quality of life: investing in the places that bring us together

• Everett’s progress is best measured by how people experience our city every day.
• That’s why quality of life remains at the heart of our work – season after season.

Infrastructure

One area of focus is infrastructure; these might not be the flashiest projects, but they are essential to our success.
• Maintaining the critical systems our residents rely on every day like roads, bridges and utilities gives Everett a real home field advantage.
• In 2025, we advanced major projects including the Edgewater Bridge replacement.
• I know the closure has been incredibly disruptive, especially to nearby neighbors and our friends in Mukilteo.
• Projects of this scale take time, and when it comes to infrastructure that will serve us for the next century, it’s critical we do it right.
• I’m really looking forward to the bridge re-opening soon.
• I want to thank Congressman Larsen for being a powerful partner and advocate for infrastructure funding; we could not do projects like this and so many others without him.
• We’ve also continued our thoughtful, strategic investments in our water and sewer utilities.
• As we faced historic flood levels along the Snohomish River late last year, our stormwater infrastructure and emergency planning was put to the test.
• I’m incredibly proud of how our teams jumped into action.
• I want to thank our Public Works, Emergency Management and Facilities teams for all their work keeping our community safe and services running.
• Our community is also served by strong utility and service partners including the Snohomish County PUD, Puget Sound Energy, Waste Management Northwest and Rubatino.
• Their work powers our homes, keeps our city running and supports Everett’s continued growth.
• Another key partner on progress is our extraordinary hard-working labor community.
• I want to recognize our labor organizations and tradespeople who are quite literally building our city’s future.
• We’re happy to have members of Laborers Local 292 and Iron Works Local 86 here with us today and I’m sure many others.
• Thank you for everything you do and for being part of our team.

Transportation

A strong transportation system is a vital part of our infrastructure – because opportunity depends on how easily people can move throughout our city.

• Transportation is foundational to Everett’s future, and we are building a system that is connected, accessible and ready for what’s next.
• Our Everett Transit team continues their work to expand service and grow ridership.
• Last year, they delivered nearly 90,000 paratransit trips, helping seniors and people with
disabilities get where they need to go: everything from doctor’s appointments and
grocery stores to community events and family get togethers.
• At the same time, we are working closely with regional partners, such as Community
Transit and Sound Transit, to strengthen connections and prepare for future growth.
• With Everett Link light rail on the horizon, I will continue to fiercely advocate to bring
light rail here as soon as possible, alongside my fellow Snohomish County Sound Transit representatives: Sound Transit Chair, County Executive Dave Somers and Lynnwood Councilmember David Parshall.

Library

• An important part of our city’s Quality of Life is our library.
• Everett is home to two fantastic library branches – our Main Branch downtown and our Evergreen Branch in south Everett – and together, they open doors to opportunities for residents of all ages.
• From early learning to workforce resources, our libraries help our residents get into the game – supporting literacy, learning and connection.
• This includes fun activities for kids and adults; my personal favorite is the summer reading program!
• Every time I visit the Evergreen Branch, I enjoy seeing families bonding over books and sharing their love of reading.
• Our libraries bring people together and are such an important part of what makes Everett such a special place.
• That’s why our primary goal for our libraries is long-term financial sustainability – to support and grow the best possible library services for our growing community.

Animal Shelter

• Our Everett Animal Shelter also plays a vital role in community health, safety and quality of life.
• Last year, the shelter helped nearly 2,000 animals find loving homes and provided life- saving veterinary care to thousands of animals – supported by donations and grants. I want to thank our dedicated staff, our incredible volunteers as well as the community members that stepped up when our shelter had to evacuate during the recent Snohomish River flooding.
• Less than one day after putting out a call for foster homes, all 120 shelter animals had a safe place to go.
• And I’m happy to share that at least a few found their fur-ever homes that day!
• Moments like this reflect Everett at its best – showing up, caring for one another and
making sure no one, including our animals, is left behind.

Education

Education is truly at the heart of Everett’s quality of life – shaping opportunity, strengthening our workforce and supporting families at every stage.
• Our Everett Public Schools now have one of the highest graduation rates in our state, with more than 96% of students graduating on time!
• This is a true testament to the dedication of our educators, administrators, students and families.
• Congratulations Dr. Saltzman and our Everett Public Schools teams!
• And the majority of our south Everett kids attend the Mukilteo School District, which serves one of the most diverse student populations in our area and offers strong college and career readiness programs including Sno-Isle TECH.
• A big thank you to both our outstanding Superintendents – Dr. Saltzman and Dr. Brynelson – for their leadership and ongoing partnership supporting student success.
• I’d also like to express my appreciation to our voters for supporting the recent Everett and Mukilteo school funding measures!
• We’re also incredibly fortunate to have world class higher education and workforce development programs in our city.
• Under the leadership of Dr. Crawford, Everett Community College serves more than 17,000 students each year,
• including over 5,000 local high schoolers in Running Start like my brilliant daughter, Panda.
• The College offers a wide range programs that meet people where they are – whether they are preparing for a four-year degree, learning a trade or retraining for a new career.
• And WSU Everett is one of the most exciting success stories in our city – expanding access to cutting-edge education through sustainable AI innovation, a new computer engineering degree and flexible evening programs.
• Led by Chancellor Dr. Paul Pitre, WSU Everett’s programs are strengthening our workforce and further establishing us as a hub for emerging technology.
• Together, these partnerships create opportunities for students of all ages to build a big- league future – right here at home.

Community Partners/Community Engagement

Our approach to community engagement continues to evolve – building deeper connections through more targeted efforts.
• In partnership with our neighborhoods, we will hold a community meeting in each council district; Council Vice President Rhyne, Chief Goetz and I spoke to a packed house for district 2’s townhall just last week!
• My team will be working on scheduling similar town halls in each district and I highly encourage you to join us in your home district.
• I also want to recognize just a few of the many non-profits that are doing important work in our community, like Snohomish County Black Heritage Committee, Recovery Café, Volunteers of America, YMCA and so many many others.
• These community connections are essential for shaping a more engaged, inclusive, welcoming future for all.

Public Safety

Our strong momentum is greatly supported by our ongoing investments in a truly holistic public safety approach that balances compassion with accountability.

Police Department

• Our Everett Police Department plays a significant role in keeping our community safe – covering their bases, whether that means responding to 911 calls, conducting emphasis patrols or connecting with kids at their elementary school pancake breakfast.
• Across the board, crime rates continued to trend down, decreasing more than 20% from 2024 to 2025 – with vehicle thefts dropping by 70%!
• To support this important work, we focused on ensuring our team has the staffing and tools necessary to do their jobs effectively.
• I’m proud that Everett funds more officers per capita than any comparable city in Washington state – and in 2025, we swore in 17 more, bringing our staffing to an all- time high.
• This allowed us to strengthen our bike, traffic safety and violent crime units while also expanding our day and night patrol capacity.
• With the retirement of Chief DeRousse at the end of last year, I appointed Chief Robert Goetz to lead the department, bringing more than 35 years of experience across nearly every operational function to this role.
• Under his thoughtful leadership, we’re building on the department’s successes, including our strategic and responsible use of technology.
• This includes our Drone-As-A-First Responder pilot program which is helping our officers arrive at scenes quicker, respond to missing persons calls and solve crimes –all guided by strong policies that protect privacy and reinforce community trust.
• This is real momentum and in 2026, we will build on it with a comprehensive approach that protects people, prevents harm and strengthens relationships.
• A major focus this year is youth safety – and both prevention and early intervention are key to keeping young people safe.
• From soccer camps to STEM academies and e-gaming tournaments, our officers are building relationships that help make our community safer.
• We’re also continuing partnerships that connect young people who may be involved in dangerous activities with the services and support they need to get onto a better track.
• Our Youth Advisory Board – made up of local high school students – is leading a new ‘Wellness Wednesdays’ social media campaign that will promote youth safety, speaking directly to both teens and their parents.
• And coming up this spring, Chief Goetz and I will participate in panel discussions at middle and high schools, so we can hear from students and make sure their perspectives are reflected in our community decisions.
• And this year, we’re doubling down on traffic safety – because safe streets save lives.
• Through our Vision Zero priorities, we will continue school-zone traffic calming, update our speed-camera policies and strengthen education around speeding.
• By pairing enforcement with building more community awareness, people develop a better understanding of the rules – as well as the reasons behind them.
• Our focus is, and will remain, local public safety and community trust.
• We will continue to seek additional resources for our police department to ensure
Everett’s residents, visitors and businesses safety.

Fire Department

A safe city depends on a strong emergency response system, which of course includes our Everett firefighters and EMTs – working together as a team to serve our community.
• In 2025, they responded to more than 27,500 calls for service – averaging 75 calls a day, which is incredibly impressive – and 2026 is already off to a very busy start!
• Just this week, our team responded to a two-alarm apartment fire in south Everett, arriving to the scene within just 4 minutes.
• While some crews worked to contain the fire, other firefighters used ground ladders to rescue seven residents from the third floor.
• A total of 10 units were impacted by this fire – displacing 41 people – but thanks to the prompt 911 calls and heroic efforts of our first responders, there were no serious injuries.
• Thank you to our amazing Everett Fire team as well as the regional partners that supported this incident: South County Fire, Marysville Fire and Mukilteo Fire.
• Everett is growing and we are growing our fire department to meet the demand – hiring 13 new firefighters last year, plus graduating 20 more from probationary training.
• But numbers alone don’t tell the story. What matters is readiness.
• That’s why we continue investing in specialized training, equipment and education for our crews to ensure they are ready for any emergency.
• And why ensuring sustainable, long-term funding for public safety remains a top priority.
• Just as importantly, we are focusing on the health, safety and wellness of our firefighters and EMTs because a safe, prepared fire department means a safer Everett.
• I want to thank Chief DeMarco and his team for their dedication to serving this community.
• I also want to thank retired firefighter and council president, Don Schwab, for his ongoing support for public safety.

Courts and Legal

• Public safety does not begin and end with emergency response.
• We also have our Municipal Courts, our prosecutor’s office and city legal team.
• This past year, we increased our investment in our court system, supporting the important work of our municipal judges – ensuring a level playing field where the law is applied consistently.
• We don’t often think about this, but our judges play a critical role in both holding people accountable and providing opportunities to get folks back on track.
• I also want to highlight our amazing prosecutors, who are a significant part of this equation.
• They bring forward fair charges based on the evidence available to help ensure accountability, while also supporting pathways to stability and recovery.
• And through our therapeutic courts and diversion programs, we diverted more than 500 cases into treatment, mental health services or other supports last year.

Alternative Response and Behavioral Health

• We’ve continued to make real progress in how Everett responds to behavioral health and other complex community challenges.
• These situations affect all of us: the individual in crisis, their family, nearby neighbors and small businesses – plus the people visiting our shops, dropping kids off at school or walking to work.
• One of the things I’m most proud of is our alternative response team, CARE.
• Last year, we expanded our CARE team, so now we can deploy crisis responders in a few different ways:
– These specially trained social workers can respond to calls alongside our police and fire teams.
– CARE can do follow-up on a police or fire call.
– And now, CARE can deploy on their own, for calls where there isn’t a medical emergency or serious crime in progress, but rather a person in need or services.
• This program offers more response options, so people experiencing crisis can be met with care that fits their needs and supports better outcomes.
• In 2025, the CARE team served more than 3,000 residents in need!
• CARE helps connect people in crisis with important services, while also de-escalating situations and reducing overuse of emergency services.
• We also partnered to support service needs including mobile opioid treatment, expanded Pallet availability and increased cold weather shelter.

Addressing Homelessness

We will continue partnering nonprofits and the faith community to provide compassionate help to people that are experiencing homelessness by increasing shelter capacity and improving access to food and basic needs.
• I want to recognize one of our long-time partners, the Everett Gospel Mission, for their life changing work serving our unsheltered community members.
• Thank you for your care for the community and for continuing to grow and expand to meet the need.
• We’re also collaborating with other local jurisdictions around expanding shelter availability in the more rural parts of our county.
• By focusing on coordination, compassion and practical solutions, we’re better able to help people stabilize and move forward.

Creating and Expanding Economic Opportunities

• Creating and expanding economic opportunity is essential to Everett’s future.
• When businesses and industries grow here, they create jobs for our residents, put more dollars into our local economy and strengthen the tax base that funds the services our community depends on.
• By guiding Everett’s growth with intention and purpose, we’re building a deeper bench: diversifying our economy and– investing in the essentials that help both companies and families thrive.

Business Licenses/Economic Diversity

• From small, locally owned shops to major industries, Everett has a great economic lineup that continues to grow, diversify and create new opportunities for our community.
• Overall, 2025 was a very strong year – with many new and expanding businesses stepping up to the plate.
• We issued nearly 1,600 business licenses – more than triple the number issued when I first took office – reflecting growing confidence in Everett as a business-friendly city.
• Residents and visitors can grab a bite or beverage at neighborhood favorites like Unique Brewing, the Flying Pig, Cup and Crepe, Los Gavilanes, the Bodega on Broadway, Rustic Cork and Milkhouse Coffee.
• Downtown, we’re seeing more great local shops like The Ice Cream Bar; Brush and Bloom; and Moss and Marigold; along with professional services like Kimley Horne and New American Funding.
• And soon, we will welcome a new co-working space called Forge 47 – AND – downtown will finally have a bagel shop, Hillman’s Bagels – an offshoot of beloved waterfront staple South Fork Bakery.
• In south Everett, families are enjoying new ways to get active: Urban Air for the kids and Perfect Form Pilates for the adults.
• We welcomed new businesses like Tommy’s Car Wash while also celebrating growing businesses like Joe’s Racing Company and FASTSIGNS.
• And there is so much more to come!
• Investment is continuing downtown and at the waterfront, where The Way Group Hospitality team is going for a trifecta.
• After opening the Net Shed and Tapped at the Port of Everett, they’re in the process of finalizing a third location in our beautiful downtown.
• A big thank you to Sean, Ivo, Vincent and Brian for choosing and investing in Everett!

Healthcare

• Healthcare is another major economic driver for our city, supporting thousands of living- wage jobs.
• As our community grows and demand for healthcare services steadily increases, Everett continues to serve as a regional hub for high quality care.
• This industry is anchored by amazing providers like Providence Hospital, Seattle Children’s North and Kaiser Permanente.
• Last year, Kaiser completed a major expansion, adding 165,000 square feet to their facility, bringing many new jobs and expanding access to world class care.
• Growth like this is helping us round the bases toward long-term economic success.

Boeing /Aerospace

• As I mentioned in the beginning, Everett has a long history with aerospace and the industry remains deeply woven into who we are a city.
• We’re incredibly proud to be the home of The Boeing Company and we recognize their impact on our city and our economy.
• When Boeing does well, Everett – and our greater region – succeed.
• Every person in the city of Everett is connected to Boeing in one way or another.
• Boeing directly employs thousands of our residents – with 25% of their global workforce
based right here, including thousands of hardworking members of IAM 751 and SPEEA.
• Plus, the company supports a local aerospace supply chain of more than 35,000 workers, creating one of the strongest aviation ecosystems anywhere in the world.
• Growth of Boeing is a great thing for Everett and we’re excited to see that momentum taking off.
• Hiring is underway for Everett’s new 737 North Line, which is planned to open this summer.
• We’ve seen more aircraft deliveries and significant aircraft orders – including Alaska’s record setting order worth billions.
• Boeing is also advancing work around sustainable aviation fuel as part of the Cascadia Sustainable Aviation Accelerator, in partnership with Alaska Airlines, Washington state and local leaders.
• I want to thank Executive Somers for his leadership on sustainable aviation and strong partnership in supporting our entire aerospace industry.
• Boeing Everett makes the best airplanes in the world – and we’ve been delivering excellence for decades.
• So when it’s time to call the play on the next aircraft, Everett is THE team you want on the field.
• We’ve done it before – and we’re ready and excited to do it again.

Naval Station Everett

• Everett is also proud Navy town as the home of Naval Station Everett for 30 years! Our navy base is an important part of our community and plays a crucial role in our national defense.
• Naval Station Everett is our 2nd largest employer, supporting thousands of military and civilian jobs – upwards of 6,000!
• I want to thank Captain Wuthier for her steadfast leadership, her ongoing partnership and her and her team’s support for our sailors and their families.
• I remain a strong advocate for growth at Naval Station Everett and I greatly appreciate former Mayor Ray Stephanson for standing up a military affairs committee to advocate for this crucial work, in his capacity as the CEO of Economic Alliance Snohomish County. I invite all our community to join us in supporting Naval Station Everett as we continue to strengthen our partnership with the Navy and work together to support our local base and our local military community.
• A strong Navy base means a strong Everett – for our families, our workforce and our future.

Port of Everett