Stephanson seeks to keep things moving

EVERETT – Standing on the second floor at Everett Station, Mayor Ray Stephanson leaned forward, pushed the elevator’s “up” button and took a deep breath.

He had just finished a meeting with Paul Kaftanski, city transportation services director. Though his kickoff for re-election had already begun two floors above them, the mayor continued discussing details and asking questions about the city’s transportation hub until he was fashionably late.

“This is the moment every politician dreads,” he said as he waited for the elevator. “Will any one be there?”

With comic timing, a bell rang and the doors opened to reveal an elevator packed with friends, family and supporters on their way to his campaign event, including his daughter, former deputy prosecutor Remy Leonard and his two grandchildren.

The mayor smiled and squeezed his way in.

At the kickoff, he was glowingly introduced by County Executive Aaron Reardon and applauded by former County Executive Bob Drewel, state Rep. John McCoy, D-Tulalip, and most of the City Council.

When Stephanson stepped up to address the crowded room, he thanked his staff, the council, the Vision 2025 team he appointed to outline the city’s future, his parents, his wife and his family.

Standing directly below Kenneth Callahan’s 1944 mural of a hefty logger, Stephanson checked off some of what’s ahead. There are developments within reach that leaders hope will start to move Everett further from its mill town past to a higher-tech future: Boeing 787 production, a developing Snohomish riverfront and a redeveloped North Marina at the Port of Everett.

“I know there will be issues that we don’t all agree on, but it’s important to keep the ball moving forward,” Stephanson told his supporters.

Hard work paid off

There are few silver platters in Stephanson’s past.

The son of Raymond Sr., once the Everett postmaster, and Lillian, who worked for the Everett Teachers Association, Stephanson started working at 11, baling hay on local farms. At 15 he started spending his summer vacations from Cascade High School on a commercial salmon fishing boat in Alaska.

“Both my parents are Icelandic, so fishing has been in our family for a long time,” Stephanson said. “Some summers we made good money, but the first year I made $129 the entire summer.”

He graduated from Cascade in 1965, where he’d played football, run track and wrestled, and a year later was drafted. Stephanson served in the Army from 1966-68. He rose to the rank of second sergeant and spent part of his time in the service as a legal clerk in Germany. On Valentine’s Day 1969, he and his wife, Vikki, were married.

They started their family, and Stephanson started working. It took him 10 years to earn his associate’s degree in professional management from Edmonds Community College. It was another 10 years after that before he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Columbia Pacific University of Novato, Calif.

“I was the typical working, nighttime student for a lot of years,” he said.

Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson meets with city employees during a meeting last Monday afternoon.

For 33 years, his days were spent at GTE, later Verizon, where he started out climbing telephone poles and installing and repairing phone lines. His job moved Stephanson and his family to Idaho, Oregon and Texas, but no matter where he lived, his roots remained in Everett, he said. When he retired from Verizon in 1996, he was a vice president and regional general manager.

Stephanson was on the City Council for seven years in the ’80s, including two years as council president. He was also executive director of the city under Mayor Ed Hansen.

“I’ve sort of seen it all,” Stephanson said.

In 2003, when Hansen left office to head the Snohomish County PUD, Stephanson decided to run against appointed Mayor Frank Anderson to fill the last two years of Hansen’s four-year term.

Stephanson emerged from the heated race against Anderson ahead by 274 votes.

Councilman Bob Overstreet, the only council member to support Stephanson in the 2003 race, said Anderson was a formidable opponent to overcome.

It seems Stephanson is now a formidable incumbent.

He has the blessing of many of Everett’s most powerful political, civic and business leaders.

With the exception of Councilman Ron Gipson, his challenger, the other six council members have expressed quiet support for the mayor, if not outright vocal or financial support.

And Stephanson’s campaign has more money than Gipson’s a couple of times over.

“I’d be very surprised if it was that close this time,” Overstreet said of an election.

High energy

Stephanson is the type of guy who celebrates his 50th birthday by climbing Mount Rainier. He has become known for his high energy level, which could come either from his 6 a.m. three-mile jogs or the 15 to 20 cups of coffee he gulps daily – or maybe both.

Or perhaps it’s because he loves his job.

“It’s the best job I’ve ever had. I feel very honored to be the mayor, and I feel very humbled that I have the support that I do,” Stephanson said. “I work incredibly long hours, but I’ve never had more fun in my life. Even on the worst days.”

He wanted his administration to be open and accessible, and as a mayor, he wanted to be approachable and a good listener. When he came into office, he began bimonthly coffee hours to give residents updates on city business and the chance to ask questions or give him feedback.

Another goal was for Everett to have financial stability, which Overstreet and Councilwoman Marian Krell said he has worked with them to achieve.

Stephanson is also proud of what he calls a productive relationship between his administration and the City Council.

“You’ve got eight elected officials, all of us have our things that are of strong interest to us and who bring different talents and perspectives to the table,” Stephanson said. “To the degree that we can, we work very hard to ensure that we are supportive of one another on what’s most important for the city.”

Earlier in the year, the mayor created a 32-member committee called Vision 2025 to map out the city’s future and set goals for education, transportation, jobs and other issues. The committee produced a report on what Everett ideally would look like in 20 years, which Stephanson cites often as what the city should be working toward now.

That’s why he’s running again, he said. He thinks he, not Gipson, is the mayor who can guide Everett closer to its potential.

“I think it’s most important that our citizens have a clear understanding of the two of us on where we want the city to go in the future,” Stephanson said. “Bringing a four-year college, growing jobs, enhancing the amenities of art and culture to make our community more livable – that’s the future that I see.”

Reporter Jennifer Warnick: 425-339-3429 or jwarnick@heraldnet.com.