Rep. Brian Blake’s Biography

Brian Blake represents the 19th District, including all of Wahkiakum and Pacific counties, and parts of Cowlitz, Grays Harbor and Lewis counties.

Brian was a logger for ten years before he became an environmental specialist for the Department of Corrections. He is a current member of the Coastal Harvest board, a food-bank distribution center, and is on the board of the Lower Columbia Community Action Program. He was also active in the community through his previous involvement in the Citizens for Washington Wildlife.

His legislative priorities are family wage jobs, education, and sound agriculture and natural resources policy.

Brian was recently named Legislator of the Year by the State Farm Bureau for his many accomplishments, including:

• Legislation to keep local biomass facilities open, preserving hundreds of jobs
• Securing funding for local retraining programs for displaced workers and soldiers returning home.
• Getting $425,000 to add more lights to the Chehalis River Bridge to make it safer and end the long battle between the state and the city of Aberdeen over who foots the bill.

Brian’s ancestors settled in Southwest Washington before statehood. He is a hunter, fisherman, and advocate for public access to public lands.

Brian has been in office since 2002.

PERSONAL
Resident of Aberdeen. Married to Debra Thomas-Blake.

EDUCATION
Aberdeen High School
A. S. Forestry, Grays Harbor C.C.
B. S. Environmental Studies, TESC

EMPLOYMENT
10 years logging, Contract Forester for Weyerhaeuser Co.
3 years Environmental Specialist III, Dept. of Corrections

ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS & ORGANIZATIONS
Joint Legislative Committee on Water Supply during Drought
Electron Dam Salmon Passage Work Group
Recreation on State Trust Lands Work Group
Council of State Governments – WEST Legislative Council on River Governance
Western Legislative Forestry Task Force
Coastal Caucus
Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
Board member, Coastal Harvest Food-bank Distribution Center
Board member, Lower Columbia Community Action Program

PUBLIC SERVICE
Citizen activist lobbying for access to our natural heritage.

YEARS IN THE HOUSE
Since 2002