John Burbank, Democratic candidate for 36th District representative, watches from his election party as Barack Obama delivers his acceptance speech, Tuesday Nov. 4. It was a good night for Democrats, but unfortunately for Burbank, his opponent, Reuven Carlyle, is also a Democrat. Early results showed Carlyle with a 30-point lead.

Letter to the community from Burbank:

Dear Friends,

Yesterday was an historic day, a huge leap forward for our country with the election of Barack Obama, and for our state, with the re-election of Chris Gregoire and the election of Peter Goldmark. I would have liked to have been able to say that I could join them as a very junior legislative lawmaker, but that didn't happen.

I called Reuven Carlyle this morning and offered him my congratulations on his victory in the 36th District. We had a good talk and agreed to work together on the issues that must be addressed in our state - affordable health coverage for everyone, full funding for public schools, a transportation and transit system that is well-funded, convenient and fast, protecting our environment, starting up the green economy, and new, fair, and progressive tax system. We don't have years to debate these issues - they must be resolved, and they must be resolved quickly.

The 36th District is a unique community comprised of Magnolia, Belltown, Ballard, Crown Hill, Queen Anne, Greenwood/Phinney, and Fremont. We tend to be strongly democratic and can be a powerful influence to push the right public policies and get good people elected. I'm proud to be part of this community and I plan to work hard with our representatives and through my organization, the Economic Opportunity Institute, to move a progressive policy agenda forward for our community and our state.

I have hundreds of people to thank, but I would especially like to thank State Representative Mary Lou Dickerson for her strong, steadfast, and energetic support, wisdom, and encouragement.

Let's keep working together for the greater good of our state and our country. With President-elect Barack Obama, we have the opportunity to realize our dreams of justice, opportunity, and security for all Americans.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

John Burbank

www.johnburbank.org

206-755-5969