EVERETT, MARCH 6: Everett City Mayor Cassie Franklin spoke at the annual State of the City address on Thursday, March 5 at the Historic Everett Theatre on Colby Ave. The address also featured Seahawks Super Bowl Champion Abe Lucas as a special guest who born and raised in Everett.
Mayor Franklin covered a wide range of topics regarding the city, from investments in infrastructure to public safety to population growth and the upcoming Everett Outdoor Event Center.
Starting with a reiteration of her mayoral directive regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in the city, Mayor Franklin spoke on her commitment to making Everett a welcoming, inclusive place for all residents.
With a focus on strengthening bonds with leaders of organizations serving immigrant communities, like Latino Education and Training Institute and more, Mayor Franklin stated, “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. Now more than ever, we are One Everett.”
The following is a brief overview of the mayor’s speech, primarily highlighting figures and updates to ongoing projects, and is not an exhaustive list of every topic covered in the address.
Infrastructure
Mayor Franklin discussed progress on the Edgewater Bridge replacement project. Mukilteo Boulevard at the Edgewater Bridge is projected to reopen to traffic in April 2026.
In addition, Mayor Franklin thanked the Public Works, Emergency Management and Facilities teams for their work during the December flooding of the Snohomish River.
Education
The mayor shared that Everett Public Schools now have one of the highest graduation rates in the state of Washington, with more than 96% of students graduating on time. She also expressed appreciation towards voters for supporting the recent Everett and Mukilteo school funding measures, which passed in a special election held in February.
In addition, the city is collaborating with the Boys and Girls Club to support construction of a brand-new club location at Walter Hall Park near Casino Road.
Public Safety
Mayor Franklin discussed how crime rates have continued to trend down, decreasing more than 20% from 2024 to 2025. Vehicle thefts have dropped by 70%. Everett funds more officers per capita than any comparable city in Washington state and in 2025, 17 more were sworn in, bringing department 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,” said Mayor Franklin.
The Everett Fire Department hired 13 new firefighters in 2025 and graduated 20 more from probationary training to order to meet the needs of an increasing population in the city.
Also in 2025, the city saw the expansion of CARE teams; specially trained social workers who can respond to calls alongside police and fire teams. Now, CARE can perform follow-ups on police or fire calls and can deploy on their own, for non-emergency calls when a person is in need of CARE services.
Everett Outdoor Event Center, FIFA, & In Closing
Near the end of the address, Mayor Franklin spoke to the planned Everett Outdoor Event Center, projecting that the addition will anchor downtown Everett as a sports and entertainment destination, drawing in 400,000 visitors from across the region each year.
“From baseball games and soccer matches to youth sports tournaments, outdoor concerts and community events, this facility will drive around 50 million dollars more in economic activity each year,” said Mayor Franklin.
Everett’s status as a FIFA World Cup Fan Zone was also discussed. The Port of Everett will be hosting community watch parties at the waterfront in Boxcar Park on June 11, 12, 18 and 19.
In her closing remarks, Mayor Franklin said, “Together, we are building the best place to raise a family, pursue an education, start a career, run a business and live an amazing life – in every part of our city and for everyone. That vision requires leadership, partnership and action – and our Council and I are committed to delivering on all three. We aren’t waiting for the future; we are creating it.”
As stated previously, this is not a comprehensive look at every topic discussed at the State of the City event. The full speech can be read at everettwa.gov/sotc or viewed once the video is posted midday on Friday, March 6.
For those unable to attend the March 5 address, there will be a free ‘State of the City: Community Edition’ event on Saturday, March 7 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Olympic View Banquet Room, located at Walter E. Hall Golf Course at 1226 W Casino Road, according to the City of Everett website.
