Carlyle, Burbank spell out differences in LD36 debate

BALLARD - The two candidates vying for the position 1 seat of the 36th Legislative District, Democrats Reuven Carlyle and John Burbank, exchanged ideas  and attempted to differentiate themselves from one another tonight in a debate at the Sunset Hill Community Association.

Each of the candidates looked to present themselves as agents of change in their opening statements, with Burbank framing it as a departure from special interest lobbyists, and Carlyle through the lens of becoming a citizen legislator with experience in the private sector and children in the public school system.

The two largely agreed on the fundamentals of educational funding and tax reform, arguing that there was not enough support for education and that the state needs to take a serious look at tax reform, typically in the direction of more progressive forms like implementing a state income tax and decreasing property taxes across the board.

They first began to differ on how they would approach the projected budget deficit. Carlyle suggested that the legislature needed to focus on priorities, but mostly felt that it lacked the courage to take on the kinds of structural changes it would take to fix these budget issues in the long run. Burbank was more specific, suggesting that the state look toward bringing more revenue into its coffers by closing corporate loopholes that would cause large corporations to make up much of the difference between future revenue and spending.

Both talked up mass transit options, with Carlyle calling the current lack of mass transit in Seattle "embarrassing" and bringing up the idea that the state ought to be more forceful in assisting local and regional efforts to build better systems. He said there was no reason to build system without state support.

"My point is that lack of connection is the state's fault because we are not holding them accountable," he said.

Burbank, meanwhile, suggested that our current slate of roads and driving contributes $15 million each day to windfall profits to major oil companies, and says he developed a way for the legislature to tax those profits that would bring a half a billion dollars to the state each year for green energy and transit implementation.

Transportation-wise, they also sparred on hopes for the Alaska Way viaduct. Carlyle hopes for a small tunnel and surface street option, mainly because he says a retrofitting of the current viaduct is not possible. Burbank said a surface option would create excessive traffic problems on I-5, and wants to keep the viaduct in place, to which Carlye responded that it was a non-answer because of the difficulty in fixing the structure.

Talking about health care, both advocated for an expansion of coverage for people, but again the two took a different tack. Burbank called for ending the waiting list for state residents to get on a basic health plan, and demanded expanded coverage for nearly 200,000 people. Carlyle agreed on the need to expand health care, but suggested that the future lies in prevention, where money be spent to insure that people live healthier lives and have more accountability for their health in addition to coverage.

Finally, the two candidates had the chance to explain what they felt were the main reasons that 36th District voters, who are overwhelmingly Democrats, should vote for them over their opponent.

 Burbank highlighted the fact that, unlike Carlyle, he refuses corporate contributions, he authored the state's policy that created the nation's highest minimum wage, and that he had been a long-standing member of the district who had done years of work creating progressive economic policies.

Carlyle, for his part, said he represented a change from the old style politics of Burbank who has been working with folks in Olympia for decades; that he represented a true citizen legislator who had experienced the trials and successes of the private sector and knew firsthand what it is like to have a child in public schools, and that he had the best agenda of focusing on education, the environment and public transportation.

There have been reports from a number of constituents that the race had turned volatile in recent weeks, but none of that was evident in tonight's debate. Carlyle and Burbank both spoke respectfully of one another, and the crowd of about forty was low key as they listened to the two spell out their subtle differences.