EVERETT — Mayor-elect Cassie Franklin has assembled a 55-member transition team to provide advice as her administration sets goals for the years ahead.
The panel is being asked to provide input on needs as well as opportunities. It includes business and nonprofit leaders, Everett residents and community organizers.
Among its ranks are a Boeing vice president and high school students. There are two school district superintendents as well as the county executive and sheriff. A sampling from the list includes businesses Fortive, Fluke and Funko; car dealers and college leaders; health, housing, labor and the local chapter of the NAACP. Though largely Everett-centric, the list names Arlington Mayor Barbara Tolbert, whom Franklin figures will add regional perspective.
By design, the list does not include city employees.
Franklin said she took suggestions but “they were all hand-picked by me.”
“I wanted this group to be as diverse as the community we are serving,” she said.
That diversity takes many forms, including age, people from the north, central and south parts of the city; big and small businesses as well as labor.
“It really is a good time for my new administration to listen to the community,” Franklin said. “I want this level of engagement moving forward.”
The plan is for the group to meet as a whole in early December and in small groups throughout the month. A final meeting and list of recommendations is expected in mid-January.
Franklin plans to announce key leadership roles within her administration in mid-December, but the transition advisory team has nothing to do with those selections. Franklin also continues to work with Mayor Ray Stephanson and his staff before she takes over in January.
The transition group will focus on public safety, economic development and civic engagement, and will be asked to identify key goals and set priorities within each category.
“This is a significant transition for our entire community, not just City Hall,” Franklin said. “We have an opportunity to take stock of where we are and what my administration needs to accomplish right away, as well as in the long term.”
Franklin’s plan is to address the large group when it first meets in December and step back from providing her own thoughts after that.
“It’s my time to listen,” she said. “I will be able to do my best listening by letting them do their work. I want to step away from the discussion so they really can be candid in their input.”
The city is hiring a consultant with expertise in gleaning information from large groups to guide the discussions and write the report.
Franklin said the work is not meant to duplicate initiatives taken by Stephanson or an Envision Everett 2037 report compiled last year.
Franklin won the Nov. 7 general election by 196 votes over fellow Councilwoman Judy Tuohy. She will take over a municipality with nearly 1,200 employees at full staffing and a yearly general-fund budget of about $132 million. The job pays about $182,000 per year.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
Mayor-elect Cassie Franklin’s transition advisory team
Monti Ackerman, Fluke Corp.
Niko Battle, Youth Representative
Ruth Bermudez, Community Representative
David Beyer, Everett Community College
Mary Jane Brell Vujovic, Snohomish County Human Services
Alyson Brynelson, Mukilteo School District
Robert Burton, Community Representative
Gary Cohn, Everett Public Schools
Anita Dietrich, Community Representative
Mary Anne Dillon, YWCA
Bob Dobler, Gamut 360 Holdings
Kevin Fan, Youth Representative
Jan Gaffney, Community Representative
Jorge Galindo, Community Representative
Faith Graf, Youth Representative
Janice Greene, Snohomish County NAACP
Nick Harper, Master Builders Association
Louis Harris, Snohomish County NAACP
Tom Hoban, Coast Real Estate
Carol Jensen, Faith leader
Christi King, Boeing
Chris Knapp, Community Representative
Tom Lane, Dwayne Lane Autos
Marci Larsen, Mukilteo School District
Jim Lico, Fortive
Brian Mariotti, Funko
Stacy Martin, Laborers’ Union Local 292
Bill McSherry, Boeing/Aerospace
Maddy Metzger-Utt, Community Foundation of Snohomish County
Erin Monroe, Workforce Snohomish
Vickie Norris, Attorney
Maria Pena, Everett Community College
Ed Petersen, Housing Hope/HopeWorks/ Everett Station District Alliance
Patrick Pierce, Economic Alliance Snohomish County
Paul Pitre, Washington State University-Everett
Wes Pringle, Fluke Corp.
Les Reardanz, Port of Everett
Erik Richardson, Small business owner
Buzz Rodland, Rodland Toyota
Mary Sievers, Community Representative
Andy Skotdal, Skotdal Real Estate
Mark Smith, Housing Consortium of Everett and Snohomish County
Dave Somers, Snohomish County Executive
Eric Sprink, Coastal Community Bank
Jonathan Stanley, Community Representative
Joyce Stewart, Everett Public Schools
Decarla Stinn, Small business owner
Barbara Tolbert, Mayor of Arlington
Ty Trenary, Snohomish County Sheriff
Fidencio Denis Velasco, Carpenters Local Union 70
Linda War Bonnet, Community Representative
Allison Warren Barbour, United Way of Snohomish County
Sam Willie, Youth Representative
Brenda White, Snohomish County PUD
Kim Williams, Providence Regional Medical Center Everett
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