Thank you.

Dear Family & Friends,

Undoubtedly, I am disappointed in the results of this election. But I am honored to have been part of one of the most important and consequential elections of our lifetimes. I’m sorry that things didn’t go our way.

I am proud of our campaign. We ran an engaging and positive campaign. And at no time did we personally tear down our opponents to raise ourselves up. David Axelrod, Obama’s campaign manager said that campaigns are “x-rays for the soul.” I am proud that the soul of our campaign was always about uplifting our people, fighting for a better future for our children, and believing that we could be the greatest American city.

We ran a great campaign. We should be proud.

While I will not be endorsing any of the two remaining candidates, please know that I will ultimately stand behind whoever is the new mayor. We still need to advocate for a living wage for working families, have a robust strategy to get out of this pandemic, rebuild trust and transparency at City Hall, stop the brain drain, and diversify our economy to include solar and renewable energy jobs — simply maintaining the status quo is not acceptable. This is important work that requires unity, not divisiveness. For my part, I will continue to be of service to this community that I love and that has given me so much.

Janine and I want to extend our gratitude to all of you. Thank you for your love, contributions, and your support. Thank you to all the volunteers (near and far) that made thousands of phone calls, wrote postcards to strangers, dropped off literature at doors of voters, and stood outside at polling stations during early voting. I thank you for believing that a better future was possible for El Paso.

I also want to thank our core campaign team: Stephanie Acosta, Michael Apodaca, and J.J. Martinez. They are all grit and heart. They so desperately believe that we all deserve so much more. It was this that drove them to work so hard for our campaign. This city will benefit from their contributions for years to come and we will all be better off because of this.

Thank you to Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, former Congressman Beto O’Rourke, and all community leaders who formally endorsed our campaign. Endorsing a candidate is always a risk, especially in a process and system that is so transactional; that requires a this for that. All of them endorsed us unequivocally and without expecting anything in return other than wanting the best for our city.

I look forward to the day when we can continue to build community, in person. And catch up on things over dinners or beers. In the interim, if I can be of service to you please do not hesitate to call me.

For now, please stay safe. I hope you and your families are well. Un Abrazo.

Your friend,

Carlos Gallinar