Dear George,

I would like to thank all my supporters -- those who could only come for the first ballot, and those who stuck it out at the convention until the end. Everyone was important.

It is a great honor to be one of the two candidates nominated by the Democratic Party, and I am looking forward to an exciting campaign of reaching out to Charlottesville neighborhoods. Mayor Blake Caravati's tenacity and his ability to reach out to the public are valuable assets to have in a running mate, and I am looking forward to the next few months.

I would like to congratulate Joan Fenton, Bern Ewert, David Simmons, and Waldo Jacquith on races extremely well run. Their campaigns contributed a wealth of ideas for the community, and I hope to have the chance to work with each of them in the future. I would also like to thank Democrats for Change for initiating each forum and for providing the public with an opportunity to speak with candidates and find out varying viewpoints and approaches. This process was vitally important to maintaining the high intellectual level of this race.

Thank you --and thank you, George for your contribution of the virtual forum! Though I must say it was a relief when my computer temporarily broke down, being engaged in conversation with you is always interesting. :)

Sincerely,

Alexandria Searls (electronic mail, February 24, 2002)