EVERETT — Mayor Ray Stephanson spent his first three days in office meeting with City Council members, department heads and other city officials as he tried to get up to speed with the nearly 1,100-employee government he is now running.
"It’s been a very positive transition," Stephanson said. "Staff’s been great, and the council welcomed me with open arms."
Stephanson has scheduled two meetings Tuesday that are open to all city employees.
"I want to share with them my management philosophy and vision for the city, and ask them for their input and ideas," he said.
The new mayor said he plans to meet regularly with city employees in smaller groups.
A key meeting was with City Council President Arlan Hatloe, who endorsed former Mayor Frank Anderson in the Nov. 4 election.
"We had a very productive, positive meeting," Stephanson said. "I’m feeling very confident we’ll have a very positive working relationship."
Hatloe said, "There are a lot of things we agree on."
The two said they talked in only general terms about the 2004 budget. Stephanson campaigned against Anderson’s plan to use $4.8 million of the city’s surplus to balance the budget. Hatloe and five of the six other council members voted Nov. 5 to tentatively endorse Anderson’s plan.
Stephanson said he is reviewing the budget in detail to look for possible cuts. Hatloe said he would be open-minded about Stephanson’s proposals.
"I told him we’d be happy to look at what he thinks are good moves," Hatloe said.
Stephanson said layoffs would be a last resort, and he doesn’t plan any major changes in high-level administrative posts.
There are two key vacancies. Paul Kaftanski left as an executive administrator to become a program manager with Sound Transit, and Bob Cooper resigned as executive director — a senior policy adviser and manager who works directly under the mayor — Nov. 12.
"I was working for Frank Anderson as a favor, and he lost the election," said Cooper, who became executive director four months after he stepped down as parks director. "Right now, I’m going to take some time off and look for meaningful work in the private sector."
Cooper declined to say why he chose not to work for Stephanson.
Stephanson worked as executive director for Mayor Ed Hansen from 1996 to 1998.
The new mayor said he doesn’t want to rush top-level appointments.
"The sooner we can name these folks and give stability to the organization, the better off we’ll be, but I don’t want to do this hastily," he said.
Stephanson will fill the last two years of the term begun by Hansen, who left the mayor’s office in July 2002 to take over the Snohomish County PUD.
Stephanson vows to run for re-election in 2005, but he may face opposition from Councilmen Ron Gipson and Mark Olson, who confirmed they are considering mayoral runs.
"I have to get sworn in for the next term first," said Gipson, who ran unopposed in the Nov. 4 general election. "That’s what I’m thinking about right now."
Olson said he is not planning to make a decision soon, either.
"As Mayor Stephanson indicated, we have a lot of work ahead of us, and that requires all of our hard work and cooperation," said Olson, who did not face an election this year. "That’s really our focus at this point."
Reporter David Olson: 425-339-3452 or dolson@heraldnet.com.
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