EVERETT, WA – Mayor Cassie Franklin announced the creation of a new task force that will focus on the city’s urgent drug crisis, related to fentanyl, meth and other deadly illegal substances, and its impacts on community safety.
“People in our community do not feel safe and nearly all the safety concerns I hear about can be tied to the prevalence of fentanyl and meth in our city,” said Mayor Cassie Franklin. “This crisis is only going to get worse, so it’s imperative that we bring together our brightest minds to help us address these serious safety challenges.”
Because of how far reaching and complex these issues are, Mayor Franklin is working to ensure there is comprehensive representation on the task force, including leading service providers, business leaders, government partners at the city, county and state levels, the faith-based community, community members, those with lived experience, and subject matter experts. She will be extending invitations to join in the coming days.
The task force will start convening this winter and will work over the next several months to develop a full understanding of the challenges and make recommendations on short- and medium-term actions and long-term solutions to combat the local drug crisis and the related community safety issues.
“Our residents, business owners and visitors deserve to feel safe throughout our city; my team and I remain committed to doing everything we can to make that vision our reality and we look forward to seeing what the task force recommends,” said Mayor Franklin.
To stay up to date on the Mayor’s Task Force to Address the Urgent Drug Crisis and Its Impacts on Safety, please follow the City of Everett on social media or sign up for new flashes by visiting everettwa.gov/getinvolved.
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