The Everett City Council chose Ward 3 veteran Stephanie Smith as its president for 2026 on Monday, January 5, a unanimous 11-0 vote taken in the Everett High School library an hour after Mayor Robert J. Van Campen was sworn in down the hall. Smith succeeds Stephanie Martins, who led the council in 2025.
Wayne Matewsky, the senior member, ran the short organizational meeting. Ward 6 Councilor Peter Pietrantonio placed Smith’s name in nomination. “Tenacious, a fighter, doesn’t back down from anybody, and does her homework,” he said. “I’ve never seen anyone work harder than her on the council except for myself.” Councilor Michael Marchese called her “one of the most prepared people when it comes to coming to meetings.” Matewsky recalled that Smith was first elected to the old Common Council from Ward 3 at age 19, and that her father, former state Rep. Stat Smith, hired him as a legislative aide. “I’m gonna miss sitting next to you, actually,” he said.
Smith said she never pictured herself holding the gavel. “This November showed us something incredibly powerful, that the city is ready for change,” she said. She called the 2026 body “this historic council, the first ever majority woman serving,” and said: “We’re not only making history, we are setting the standard for what leadership looks like in Everett.” She thanked Martins for guiding the council “through one of the most turbulent, challenging, and influential years in recent history,” and said she wants “a respectful, productive partnership” with Van Campen, her former Ward 5 colleague.
The council adopted its 2025 rules as the starting rules for 2026, re-elected John Burley clerk of committees for 2026 and 2027 on another 11-0 vote (Burley was home sick), and sent Councilors Michele Capone, Vivian Nguyen and Holly Garcia to notify the mayor that the council had organized. The council’s first regular meeting is Monday, January 12.
