Meet Cassie
Cassie Franklin is the first woman elected to be mayor of the City of Everett. Since taking office in January 2018, she has led bold reforms and issued directives to improve public safety, economic development, equity, and fiscal sustainability -- including difficult choices made necessary during the pandemic. Everett is now on a stronger path as we navigate 21st century challenges, and we lead our state on the most important issues facing residents.
Career History
Cassie’s career has been defined by leadership and service. Since an early age, she has been drawn toward mission-driven work and making a positive impact in her community. After completing graduate studies in psychology, she began working in the nonprofit sector for organizations focused on education, housing and homelessness, and animal welfare. That trajectory led her to Cocoon House, a regional nonprofit serving at-risk youth with housing and comprehensive support to find stability and belonging in our community while preventing youth homelessness. Under Cassie’s leadership Cocoon House became a recognized national leader in the field and grew to create a comprehensive Hub of all-inclusive services for youth experiencing homelessness to support the region.
In 2013 she was invited to participate in the City of Everett’s Safe Streets Initiative, led by then-mayor Ray Stephanson. The experience of engaging with other dedicated local leaders to find solutions to this issue, coupled with her work on regional and national boards on housing and homelessness, inspired her to step up and do even more for her community. She ran for City Council and she was elected in 2015. In that role she continued leading the effort in Everett’s safe streets programs as the council liaison, served on the Animal Shelter Advisory Board and the Council’s Public Safety committee, as Lodging Tax Committee Chair, and established Everett as a Safe City for all residents.
In wanting to put to use her executive experience and strengths to better serve the city, Cassie ran for mayor in 2017. She is proud to have become the first woman elected mayor in Everett, and looks forward to serving another four years.
Priorities
Operating within the City’s financial means has been a priority for Cassie since she was elected mayor. Everett has functioned with a long-term structural deficit for years, so she went about crafting balanced budgets to address the imbalance between revenue and popular demand for the most critical public services, such as public safety, transportation and infrastructure, and parks. She has continued to prioritize fiscal responsibility and long-term sustainability, and in her first three years has cut millions out of the long-term deficit and put the city on a more sustainable path.
Another priority is ensuring safety in the city, and ensuring Everett is a safe, welcoming city for all, where everyone can thrive and pursue opportunities for success.
Cassie’s signature priorities have been implemented through seven mayoral directives:
public safety, focused on gun safety and violence reduction;
community planning and economic development;
community engagement and inclusion;
Safe Streets programs;
correcting the structural budget deficit;
building unity, addressing racism and promoting equity for all; and
addressing homelessness and supporting housing stability.
While she continues to build on the work advanced through these directives, the current pandemic has prompted a need for additional emphasis in the areas of public health, economic recovery, and homelessness.
Since the first case of coronavirus in the U.S. was reported in Everett, Cassie has worked steadily to protect public health, shield the economy, and minimize the impact of the virus in our community. She collaborates with leaders at the local, regional, and state level to develop and implement decisions based on the best available knowledge of this previously unknown threat.
Her goals going forward include successfully guiding Everett through the pandemic, creating more housing at all price points, developing short- and long-term solutions to homelessness, expanding workforce development and retraining skilled workers, cultivating a vibrant arts scene, and continuing work to diversify our economy to ensure we emerge stronger on the other side.
Childhood & Education
Cassie grew up in Eugene, Oregon, and is grateful for her loving, supportive family, who helped her and her older brother become the first in their immediate family to go to college. Cassie attended Lewis and Clark College, and then pursued graduate studies in Munich, Germany.
Personal Life
Cassie loves spending time with her daughter Panda and their rescue cats and dog, Buffy.
Together they enjoy watching throwback movies from the ‘80s, camping and exploring the outdoors, and singing karaoke.