2025 Election Features: Scott Murphy for Everett Mayor

This is the second in our series featuring the candidates for City Council and Mayor this year. We thank everyone who is taking the time to share their thoughts on these four questions and hope that it provides our fellow citizens insight into their plans for the city.

Public Safety & Police Staffing: What specific steps would you take to improve public safety in Everett? How do you plan to address the 20+ open positions on the police force and ensure the department is adequately staffed?

Public safety is my top priority because a safe community is the foundation for everything else, including: quality of life, economic development, and public trust.

The Everett Police Department has been chronically understaffed for nearly a decade, and we are currently facing over 20 vacant positions in the force. That is unacceptable, and I believe it’s a major reason why so many residents have told me they don’t feel as safe today as they did just a few years ago.

If elected Mayor, I will take immediate action to fill those vacancies. This starts by making Everett competitive in recruitment and retention—ensuring our police department has the funding, tools, training and leadership support needed to attract top-tier talent. I will also prioritize the reinstatement of the park ranger program, which the City eliminated in 2025, so we can restore a proactive presence in our parks and open spaces.

Additionally, we need to review fire department staffing to ensure we’re prepared not just for today’s needs, but for future growth and public safety challenges.

Under my leadership, Everett will not continue to sacrifice essential safety services due to budget mismanagement. I bring over 30 years of experience in finance and operations, along with nine years on the City Council. I will bring common-sense leadership and fiscal discipline to get Everett back on a sustainable path—because public safety cannot be compromised, and it must be backed by sound budgeting and strategic action.

Homelessness Crisis: What policies or initiatives do you believe the city should implement to improve housing stability and address root causes of homelessness?

Homelessness in Everett has grown by over 65% in recent years, according to the Snohomish County Point-In-Time counts from 2018 through 2024), making it one of the most visible and urgent issues facing our city. The causes are complex—ranging from mental health and drug and alcohol addiction to a lack of affordable housing and accountability—but we must act with both compassion and resolve.

If elected Mayor, I will implement a clear, coordinated strategy that brings together service providers, housing partners, law enforcement, and the judicial system. We need targeted programs that help those struggling with mental illness and substance addiction, while also recognizing that some individuals refuse services and engage in criminal behavior that puts the public at risk. There must be accountability in both directions—both for service providers and for those receiving care.

Claire’s Place, a low-barrier supportive housing facility approved while I was on the City Council, was a step forward—but success depends on strong oversight and clear expectations for behavior and outcomes. We need to invest in housing models that work, and we must hold agencies accountable to ensure these facilities are safe and effective.

Housing stability also requires improving our housing supply. The city must streamline its permitting process to reduce delays and lower construction costs. I will bring a business-minded approach to City Hall, ensuring faster permitting timelines and a customer-service mentality in our planning departments. This will help accelerate housing projects—especially those for working families and vulnerable populations.

Above all, we need ongoing assessment, transparency, and the courage to course-correct when strategies fall short. A safe, compassionate, and orderly city benefits everyone—and I am committed to delivering that for Everett.

City Budget & Revenue: Given Everett’s budget deficit, what alternative revenue sources would you explore to increase city funding without relying on property tax hikes for residents?

Everett is facing a serious fiscal crisis. As recently as four years ago, we had a $3 million budget surplus. Today, we are in a pattern of deficit spending, draining our reserves—including the rainy day fund—just to keep the city running. If this trend continues, according to the Mayor’s latest financial forecast, Everett is projected to be insolvent by 2028. That is unacceptable.

As a former Certified Public Accountant with over 30 years of business and financial experience—and nine years on the City Council—I know how to balance a budget and grow revenue without putting the burden on residents through constant property tax increases.

The solution starts with restoring fiscal discipline. We must align spending with sustainable revenue and stop funding essential services with short-term fixes. But just cutting isn’t enough—we need to grow the economic base of the city to increase our City revenues.

That’s why I will focus aggressively on economic development. By supporting the growth of existing businesses, attracting new employers, and retaining quality jobs in Everett, we can expand our commercial tax base and generate new revenue through increased business activity, sales and B&O taxes, and permit fees. A thriving local economy directly funds the services our residents rely on.

Additionally, I will utilize business process improvement techniques, such as Lean Six Sigma to ensure efficient processes and I will also streamline the city’s permitting and development processes to encourage housing and commercial construction—without unnecessary delays or red tape. Time is money in development, and we cannot afford to drive investment away.

Through smarter financial planning, economic growth, and a commitment to efficient city government, we can restore fiscal stability—without making Everett families shoulder the cost through higher property taxes.

Bright Spots & Future Vision: What excites you most about Everett’s future? Are there any projects, initiatives, or developments that you believe will have a particularly positive impact on the community?

What excites me most about Everett’s future is the potential for our City to capture a brighter future. Everett has the foundation to be a thriving, vibrant community. We are home to a skilled workforce, an innovative aerospace sector, a historic downtown, and incredible parks and waterfront areas. What we need now is to return to effective governance in our City government-leadership that prioritizes public safety, fiscal responsibility and quality of life. We must restore pride, safety, and economic vitality in our city—by bringing back common-sense leadership and focusing on what matters most to residents.

One promising area is our ability to grow through smart, strategic development. With tens of thousands of new residents projected over the next two decades under the state’s Growth Management Act, we must ensure Everett is ready—not just with housing, but with vibrant neighborhoods, jobs, and amenities. I’m committed to making the city’s permitting and planning process more predictable and efficient so developers can build the housing and commercial spaces we need, while also ensuring we preserve the character of our neighborhoods.

I’m also optimistic about the opportunity to restore and enhance community amenities—our libraries, parks, and cultural programs—that have been cut in recent years. When I am Mayor, we will reinstate the Park Ranger program and work to restore funding to our Library and also to the various arts programs that have been cut in recent years. These are not luxuries; they’re essential to the social fabric and identity of our city.

With the right leadership, Everett’s best days are ahead. We have the tools, the talent, and the tenacity—it’s time to put them to work for a safer, stronger, and more vibrant city.