'As a young professional, I see potential for Everett with Cassie Franklin’s leadership' | A Letter from Julio Cortez

Seven years ago, after graduating from Western Washington University, I started working for a local non-profit serving homeless youth in Snohomish County. It was going to be a short stop, maybe a couple of years for me to learn about and gain experience in communicating with vulnerable populations.

I was not too familiar with Everett. I saw my final career path leading me to Seattle, the big city, where all the jobs where. Then I met Cassie Franklin. She became CEO of that local non-profit after my first two years. Her vision and leadership transformed it into a leader in the community in addressing youth homelessness, family instability, and youth drug use.

Cassie made us a family, working for the good of the community. She also transformed my career path. I decided I too wanted to invest in my community just like she was doing and do everything I could to make Snohomish County a better place for everyone. She will do the same for the city of Everett as mayor.

Cassie’s ability to execute her vision of the future with innovative, fresh, and fearless ideas made me want to stay at the non-profit and learn as much as I could from her.

Her leadership style has reignited hope for me to stay close to Everett. With the extraordinary growth happening in Everett, with no end in sight, we need to think in new and innovative ways to grow our community and I know Cassie Franklin is up to the task. Working for her the last five years has encouraged me to believe that our communities have a bright future. I support Cassie Franklin for Everett mayor.

Julio Cortez

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