Sullivan, Tagle vie for 21st Dist. spot

Incumbent Brian Sullivan, D-Mukilteo, will face Republican candidate Alan Tagle in the Nov. 2 election for Pos. 2 in the 21st District.

Sullivan is seeking his third term in the House; Tagle has no former political experience.

Tagle did not return several phone calls made by The Enterprise.

Sullivan, 46, served as a Mukilteo City Council member from 1985 to 1989, and as Mayor from 1990 to 1997. He also has worked as a policy analyst for the Snohomish County Executive’s Office and until a few months ago, was the owner of Riley’s of Mukilteo, a pizza parlor and brewery.

Sullivan said his time serving in the legislature has benefited from his family’s experience in politics, especially in bipartisan situations.

“I don’t know if I’m old school, but I was raised with the idea that the other side of the aisle is not the enemy,” Sullivan said. “It’s an art form to compromise and build a trust field.”

During his time in the House, Sullivan coauthored a bill on stem cell research, an issue he has worked on for several years and said he plans to continue working on. Education and understanding, he said, are two important aspects of the bill.

“There are things I have been known to buck the caucus on, but I only do it because I am passionate about it,” Sullivan said.

Another top issue Sullivan said he will work on if re-elected this year is power rates in Washington state.

“The question really is where can the legislature inject itself into the power rate issue,” Sullivan said. “We have to encourage the energy companies, public and private, to do planning and stabilize energy supplies.”

Another hot-button issue on his list is transportation in which, he says, mass transit is the key.

“There’s no easy answer … We need mass transit that works,” Sullivan said. He added that he believes the multiple transportation agencies in neighboring counties should work together to align their systems and better serve the community. Also, dedicated highway lanes for commercial trucks and vehicles would be beneficial, as would considering less expensive and lower-tech transportation alternatives such as hard rail and trolleys.

Regarding education issues, Sullivan said he supports Initiative 884 and opposes Referendum 55. Initiative 884 would raise $1 billion for education through a 1-percent state sales tax increase; R-55 would allow a certain number of charter schools to be opened in the state.

“We have to do something … and this is an option for us,” Sullivan said about I-884.

He added that while he doesn’t support R-55, the limits set on it this term make it “not terribly bad.”

Lastly, Sullivan said his priorities this session include looking at adopting California’s lower emission levels and considering alternative renewable fuels.