By Theresa Goffredo
Herald Writer
EVERETT — Everett City Council President Frank Anderson has never been the chief executive officer of a corporation of 1,500 employees with a budget of more than $90 million.
Anderson will need help when he takes over as interim mayor after July 1 when current Mayor Ed Hansen departs to become general manager of the Snohomish PUD. But Anderson will get the job done, predicted Reid Shockey, the city’s former planning director.
"He’s a good listener," Shockey said. "And he’ll always try to come down on the right side of an issue. And I think … that if he understands his support staff is there to help build a case and give him alternatives, and he uses his staff that way, he’s capable of doing the job."
Shockey, among many others, believes the city will remain in good hands even though Hansen is departing just five months into his third four-year term as mayor.
"One thing I’ve told people, and there’s a lot of agreement about, is that regardless of whether you thought Frank was the best choice for interim or whether he should run for a whole term, is that everybody will do whatever they can to make sure he is a success," Shockey said.
For the most part, Anderson will take the mayor’s seat with support from the council, though council member Ron Gipson is leery about what lies ahead.
"Until we fill that spot, whoever the mayor is, we need to give Frank all the resources and make sure the city doesn’t skip a beat," Gipson said.
However, some just didn’t believe Hansen should have left the city.
Michael Cox, who fought the city as spokesman for the Citizens for a Better Arena, said Hansen should have filled out his term.
"Let’s face it," Cox said, "Hansen has intimate knowledge of how the city runs, and we lose that if he leaves."
Retired Everett resident Alex Corotas, who campaigned for Hansen when he ran in 1994, said the mayor is jumping ship.
"He won by a large vote, and now he’s going to the PUD. It doesn’t sit right with me," Corotas said. "I’m mad — absolutely. You serve because you love to serve."
You can call Herald Writer Theresa Goffredo at 425-339-3097
or send e-mail to goffredo@heraldnet.com.
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