Reuven Carlyle says he thinks his opponent in the general election should have stood down after the August primary because he solidly beat fellow Democrat John Burbank.

Carlyle beat Burbank in the primary by 4.5 percent or 1,300 votes, which he claims is a clear and solid victory.

"The real question is for (Burbank). Why did he stay in after the primary?" asked Carlyle during a Ballard News-Tribune editorial board meeting last week.

But after the primary, it was Burbank who received the official endorsement of the 36th District Democrats.

Carlyle attributes that to the relationship between Peter House, the chair of the 36th District Democrats, and Burbank and their ability to pack the endorsement meeting with Burbank supporters.

Carlyle describes himself as an entrepreneur with five start-up companies under his belt, but says he gained much political experience as a legislative page in Olympia and more experience working for high level Congress members as a congressional page in Washington, D.C., when he was 15.

Carlyle said he believes education to be the biggest problem facing the state.

High schools are geared toward teaching students to pass the WASL while their education as a whole suffers, he said, and this puts the community college system in the position of providing remedial education in subjects like math and science which costs the state millions of dollars. Carlyle serves on the State Community College Board.

He said the state's education system needs a complete redesign.

One of the changes he said he would seek is to expand the National Board Certification program that already exists in the state. This program requires a commitment of time and money on the part of teachers, but once they receive the certification, their salaries are increased $5,000 to $8,000, Carlyle said.

An expansion of the program, recommended to him by former Gov. Gary Locke, is especially important because Seattle is having trouble retaining teachers who earn the same salary they would in other areas but suffer a higher cost of living, he said.

Carlyle also said he wants to implement a tiered tuition system based on income for students attending college, which would include free tuition for families below a certain income level.

Another issue Carlyle said he wants to look at is the lack of coordination between city and state agencies, exemplified in the case of transportation. The candidate said he requested master plans from Sound Transit, Metro and the Seattle Department of Transportation but noted they were all completely different and did not mesh together. It is going to be increasingly important in the next years for the city and state to figure out how to link separate transportation components like bike paths, HOV lanes and light rail, he said.

Two of challenges Carlyle will face in Olympia if elected are a predicted budget deficit and the low influence that comes with being a new member.

"Just my luck, I go down to the Legislature and we're out of money," Carlyle said.

To solve the budget shortfall, Carlyle said it is going to be necessary for legislators to have the courage to look at what spending is absolutely necessary and what level of government should pay for what level of service.

To combat his lack of seniority and clout if elected, he said he would refuse to engage in the old-style politics of using ideological convictions to get ideas across. Instead, he said he would use his genuine passion for issues to reach out to members on both sides of the aisle.

Because of Washington's new top-two primary system, both Carlyle and fellow Democrat John Burbank made it past the primaries to the general election in November, while the Republic candidate was dropped.

Carlyle said his campaign will end up costing $250,000 - running against another Democrat because he believes there is a lack of imagination and results in politics in Washington, which is disappointing for an entrepreneurial city like Seattle in an educated and passionate state.

The Ballard News-Tribune will meet John Burbank, on Oct. 8 and will endorse one of the two before the election.

Michael Harthorne may be contacted at 783.1244 or michaelh@robinsonnews.com