EVERETT — Ray Stephanson took office as mayor Wednesday and quickly vowed to work closely with the City Council, six of whose seven members opposed his election.
Stephanson said he will meet individually with all seven council members over the next few days.
"I want to get acquainted with them and find out what their issues and concerns are, and pledge my support to work closely with them," Stephanson said as he accepted well-wishers’ congratulations outside the City Council chambers, where he took the oath of office.
Everett Municipal Court Judge Timothy O’Dell swore in Stephanson as mayor just after noon as dozens of people packed the council chambers and flowed into the hallway to watch.
"This is a thrill of a lifetime," Stephanson said in his speech after the ceremony. "I am honored and humbled to be your mayor, and I will work as hard as I can to serve the citizens of this community. … We have a lot of challenges ahead of us, but I know that with the help of (council) President (Arlan) Hatloe, the City Council and the staff, we will be able to meet those challenges."
Afterward, Stephanson thanked outgoing Mayor Frank Anderson for serving more than 16 months as mayor, and asked for a round of applause for him. Anderson did not attend the ceremony.
Among those watching Stephanson’s swearing-in were the new mayor’s wife, Vikki, his son Joseph, daughter Remy, 2-year-old granddaughter Quinn and his father, Ray Stephanson Sr.
Stephanson beat Anderson by 274 votes in an election that was dominated by Stephanson’s charge that Anderson was being fiscally irresponsible for proposing to use $4.8 million of the city’s $23 million surplus to balance the 2004 budget. Stephanson said he is now examining ways to cut $4.8 million from the $96.2 million budget.
Stephanson faces a City Council that just two weeks ago voted 6-0 to tentatively support the 2004 budget. Stephanson supporter Bob Overstreet was absent from that vote.
Less than seven hours after he took office Wednesday, Stephanson attended his first council meeting as mayor.
The meeting ended with a public hearing on the budget at which Stephanson said he will meet with city staff over the next several weeks to look over the numbers "in significant detail to see if there are opportunities to make adjustments or reductions. … Whatever time it takes to do that in a complete manner, I will do that."
Hatloe, who was scheduled to meet with Stephanson today, said he will stick to his guns on the budget and other matters.
"I hope to have a frank discussion with the mayor and work out our differences so we can move forward," he said. "Our mandate as City Council members is to serve the citizens of Everett, and working closely with the mayor’s office is the appropriate way to do that."
Stephanson is Everett’s 36th mayor and its third mayor in less than a year and a half. He will finish the last two years of the term of Ed Hansen, who left the mayor’s office in July 2002 to take over the Snohomish County PUD.
Reporter David Olson:
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