Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin is trailing behind former Everett City Councilmember Scott Murphy, but just barely. Murphy beat Franklin by only 65 votes in the primary election .

Both Franklin and Murphy emphasized public safety, but Murphy blamed Franklin for an understaffed police department, which he believed led to the closure of a Fred Meyer in Everett.

However, Franklin reported crime is down throughout Everett, and police department staffing is at its best.

“Pretty proud to report that crime is down citywide, on all levels. It’s taken some heroic efforts. Again, I think there’s been challenges in the state of Washington to address crime, and we’ve put a lot of resources to it,” Franklin said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “We’ve hired 18 new police officers

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