City of Everett

Republican Sam Low is seeking another term on the Snohomish County Council in District 5. Low is also a representative in the state House for Legislative District 39 and has served on both the Snohomish County Council and Lake Stevens City Council. In the Legislature, Low has been a reliable conservative vote, opposing bills to rebalance our tax code so everyone pays their share, protect tenants’ rights, and improve gun safety.

On the council, he has fought to direct public funding away from community needs and into further militarizing law enforcement. In past elections, Low has offered a more moderate right-wing alternative to extremist, MAGA opponents, and for this reason, we have occasionally supported his candidacy in the past as a marginally better choice for Snohomish residents. However, he is far from a progressive candidate and does not represent the leadership our community needs on the county council. In this race, we recommend Democrat Kelli Johnson.

Cassie Franklin is running for re-election as Everett Mayor. Before becoming mayor, Franklin served as an Everett City Council member and was involved in several organizations and programs addressing homelessness.

Since the start of her term in 2017, Franklin has made a mixed bag of policy decisions that have not always been favorable, particularly regarding the budget. While her work during the pandemic was lauded, her decisions to increase police budgeting and cut public services were disappointing. In 2025, Franklin issued a directive aimed at enhancing public safety, which called for increasing the number of school resource officers (SROs). Reports have found that the presence of SROs often disproportionately impacts students of color.

Franklin cites public safety as a continued top priority for herself and the council. In 2025, she spoke in favor of the Drone-as-First-Responder program, which would deploy drones to incidents. The technology is developed by Flock Safety, which drew criticism from the ACLU over privacy concerns. In 2022, Franklin objected to the Right of Way Initiative, which would have moved people experiencing homelessness into motels in Everett. She accused the program, without evidence, of bringing people into Everett from other areas.

While Cassie Franklin has enacted a few positives change during her tenure as mayor, it is time for new leadership. We recommend electing Dr. Janice Greene as the new Mayor of Everett.

Scott Murphy is also challenging incumbent Cassie Franklin for Mayor of Everett. Murphy previously served on the Everett City Council from 2013 to 2021. In past campaigns, he took a conservative approach to budgeting and community safety.

Murphy's current mayoral campaign is largely focused on addressing public safety, with the slogan "Making Everett Safe for our Children." His approach to public safety primarily resides in increasing policing in both schools and throughout the city. He plans to increase police presence around schools and add more School Resource Officers in "middle and high schools facing high crime risks to prevent violence and protect students."His approach to safety is rooted in over-policing, which is not always the best or safest solution, especially for more vulnerable populations. His campaign made no mention of the housing crisis, nor did it offer any solutions to rising homelessness in Everett.

Rich Ryan is the final candidate running for mayor of Everett. According to his campaign website, Ryan is a musician who has played in local bands and organized shows. He highlights his own lived experience of living paycheck to paycheck and being an active contributor to his own community as an artist.

Ryan's campaign is primarily focused on affordability with "fairness, inclusion, transparency, and human rights" at its core. He is a proponent of rent stabilization, tenant protections, and expanding low-barrier shelter options. His campaign website states, "We need to treat housing as a human right" and avoid spending on systems that don't produce results.

It is clear from his campaign website that Rich Ryan leads with compassion and love for his city. However, we believe he lacks the necessary experience to be a Mayor. While we appreciate his progressive stance, we recommend voting for Dr. Janice Greene for Everett Mayor based on her proven leadership and community involvement.

Three other candidates are running for Everett City Council, Position 1.

Dr. Bill Wheeler Jr. is a conservative Republican, often seen wearing a MAGA hat in pictures on his Twitter account. While Wheeler listed a plethora of priorities, including improving transit systems, implementing sustainable policies, and affordable housing, his campaign lacks specific strategies and policies he intends to implement if elected.

Wheeler faced legal trouble in 2013 when he was found guilty of sexually exploiting a minor at his bikini espresso stand. His Twitter feed is also riddled with offensive content. He has also made false comments about paying for Canada's existence. Due to his past controversies, inappropriate comments, and MAGA affiliation, we do not recommend Bill Wheeler for Everett City Council.

Mason Rutledge is running for Position 1 on the Everett City Council. Rutledge identifies himself as a "dedicated leader" and "community advocate," having been the President and CEO of the religious men's group New Canaan Society. During his campaign for city council, Rutledge identified public safety as one of his top priorities. While he did not specify any specific issues within public safety, he emphasized the need to "support and empower our first responders" by "investing in recruitment, retention, and ensuring they have the resources they need." He is supportive of thoughtful housing to "create vibrant neighborhoods, support economic diversity, and protect residents from displacement driven by rising costs." In his campaign, Rutledge advocated for more middle housing as a transition from renting to owning.

Also running is Steven Sullivan. As of mid July, Sullivan has neither published a campaign website nor raised any campaign funds. We will continue to follow this race for updates.

Two candidates are challenging Rhyne: Ryan Crowther and Jonathan Shapiro. Neither one matches Rhyne's progressive values or demonstrated track record.

Ryan Crowther is an active member of the Everett community, serving on the Everett Public Facilities District Board, creating the Everett Music Initiative, and supporting the start of the Snohomish County Emerging Leaders program. In his campaign for the Everett City Council, he is prioritizing public safety for both residents and businesses. However, he has not identified any specific policies or actions he wants to implement to address safety in Everett. At this time, he has not mentioned any other issue areas or community concerns as part of his platform, outside of generic public safety.

As of mid July, Jonathan Shapiro does not have a campaign website published, nor have they raised any campaign funds. We will continue to watch this race for updates.

Alan Rubio is running for Everett City Council, Position 4. His campaign is conservative, with only vague plans to address important issues. He also frequently retweets conservative content, including a transphobic meme and a false quote from Sen. Elizabeth Warren that was flagged as disinformation. He also often amplifies Elon Musk's conservative, anti-democracy content.

Alan Rubio is running a far-right campaign that is well out of step with Everett voters. In his campaign kickoff video, he echoed national Republican talking points and did not display a serious understanding of the issues facing local residents. He would be a significant step backward for the Everett City Council.