EVERETT — After an outside investigation earlier this year into his romantic relationship with the mayor, the former deputy mayor no longer works for the city of Everett.
On Oct. 17, Nick Harper submitted his letter of resignation, effective two days later, city spokesperson Simone Tarver said in an email.
The city didn’t announce his departure or say why he resigned. Tarver said the city doesn’t usually publicly announce employee resignations.
In this case, the employee in question made headlines, becoming the subject of a publicly funded investigation and public scandal.
Tarver said Harper was on “protected medical leave” leading up to his resignation and did not receive a severance package.
“Having lived and worked in Everett since 2006, it has been an honor to have had the opportunity to serve in the City these past five and a half years,” Harper wrote in his resignation letter obtained via public records request. “The City is fortunate to have a very dedicated workforce, and I wish each and every team member the best.”
His resignation letter did not reference the relationship. It was addressed to city Labor and Administrative Services Director Kandy Bartlett.
“Once again, I want to extend my gratitude to you, and everyone I have had the opportunity to work with at the City for allowing me this opportunity,” Harper wrote.
The relationship between the mayor and her subordinate caused a stir in City Hall last year. It was disclosed to human resources and the City Council prior to the investigation, Tarver said.
In February, the City Council voted to hire Amy Kangas Alexander, of Stokes Lawrence P.S., to investigate the relationship between the mayor and her deputy mayor.
A few months later, the investigation found no misuse of city funds or violations of policy, according to a 203-page report.
“In summary, the preponderance of the evidence does not support that the personal romantic relationship between Mayor Franklin and Mr. Harper has involved malfeasance, misuse of City resources or violation of City policies,” the report concluded.
City policy does not require an employee to report a romantic relationship with coworkers.
Franklin had separated from her husband in July 2022 and filed for divorce in November 2022. The relationship with Harper began between September and December of that year, Franklin confirmed in the report.
“We’re not going out to dinner with flowers and roses,” Franklin reportedly told the investigators. “That’s not what this is. Lunches, drinks, conversations. We have affection for each other. (That’s) a reasonable term, that we are dating. I wouldn’t say, now we’re boyfriend and girlfriend. I would say we’ve developed strong feelings for each other.”
They both denied any “uninvited sexually-oriented verbal or physical conduct,” or any “quid-pro-quo element to their relationship” or favoritism, the investigation reported.
“I had a lot of big projects late summer and fall, and we probably just spent more time working together,” Franklin told Kangas Alexander. “At some point in the fall, we probably realized that we were developing feelings for each other, something beyond a work relationship.”
Before Franklin hired him as deputy mayor in 2018, Harper served as a state senator. He’d been elected in 2010, but resigned in 2013 amid rumors of an extramarital affair. At the time, he stated: “My work in Olympia takes me away from my family far too much.”
“To be a full-time husband, to be a full-time father and to maintain my full-time law practice, I cannot continue to give this job the amount of dedication it deserves or the people of the district deserve,” he added in 2013.
A little over a month after Harper’s resignation from the city, Franklin hired former Police Chief Dan Templeman as the city’s senior executive director. He started working in the mayor’s office Monday alongside Lori Cummings, who holds the same title.
Harper made over $211,000 a year plus benefits, according to the city’s salary schedule.
Executive directors sit parallel to deputy mayor in the city’s organizational chart. Tarver did not have Templeman’s exact salary as of Tuesday, and she did not respond to a question about whether Templeman’s hiring is effectively a replacement for Harper’s position.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the purpose of the outside investigation. It was to determine whether any city policies were violated in light of the relationship.
Ashley Nash: 425-339-3037; ashley.nash@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @ash_nash00.
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