Three more Everett council members question a mayoral candidate's criticism of mayor and council actions.

By Mary Fosse, Paula Rhyne and Liz Vogeli / For The Herald

As members of the Everett City Council, we have disagreed with Mayor Cassie Franklin more than once. We have analyzed her proposals, debated their merits, voted against some, and worked toward alternatives when we thought there was a better way forward. But even when we have disagreed, we have always known her decisions were rooted in facts, genuine care for the people of Everett, and a balanced analysis of the matter before her.

That is why it has been so disappointing to see former City Council member Scott Murphy distort and misrepresent Everett’s financial and public safety realities for political gain. His misleading rhetoric undermines the already-fragile public trust at a time when communities everywhere are struggling to stay hopeful about local government.

Murphy knows better. As both a CPA and a former council budget chair, he understands the city’s structural budget deficit and the limits caused by the state’s 1 percent property tax cap. In 2019, while sharing the stage with Mayor Franklin at the annual budget address, he acknowledged that Everett “must work within the confines of the structural deficit that we and other communities face.” He also stated plainly that “the cap simply does not work with rising costs of city services.”

Now, he tells voters that, despite having served on council for eight years and voting in favor of every budget that cut millions in expenditures and eliminated services, Everett has a “spending problem.” That is not true, and he knows it. Our city’s financial challenges have been clearly identified for more than a decade: rising costs, limited revenue options, and a state-imposed funding cap. Murphy has been aware of these realities all along but unfortunately continues to mislead residents with deceptive and selective math.

https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/three-more-everett-council-members-question-a-mayoral-candidates-criticism-of-mayor-and-council-actions/