Dear Friends,

Four years ago I ran for Mayor of this city that has shaped me into who I
am because I believed together we could overcome our most pressing
challenges.

We set out to invest and grow tourism, entrepreneurship, and film. And
we got it done, seeing more than 2,000 new jobs countywide and the
lowest unemployment rates in the state year after year. We set out to
reform government, and we got it done, overcoming a $15 million
structural deficit, re-writing our financial policies and rebuilding the way
we take care of taxpayer dollars, reinvesting in streets, drainage and
parks maintenance that had been delayed for years, and raising pay for
our hard-working employees all without raising taxes.

We set out to fight climate change, and our city is on a path to be using
100% renewable energy by 2025 and be carbon neutral by 2040. We
set out to tackle inequality and uneven access to opportunity that
divides and undermines our whole city. And we made incredible
progress.

Every day in Santa Fe, firefighters and EMTs take to the streets to
deliver proactive care thanks to MIHO. Hundreds of kids who were
going hungry have access to hot meals and tutors in our Homework
Diners. We create jobs, train young people, and lower our carbon
footprint through the Verde Fund. We ended homelessness among
veterans in our community for good.


We set out to fight for our values, and at every step, from sanctuary
cities to the safety of the transgender community, weve been true to our
word and our people. We came together to stand up with native people
on the first-ever Indigenous Peoples Day, and to stand up against gun
violence, opioid addiction, hatred and racism.

We didnt win every battle we fought, but we never walked away from a
task because it was too hard, including the challenge of funding early
childhood education for our most vulnerable children and families.
Voters didnt back our idea for funding, but thats okay: we started a
critical conversation, one that showed that funding for ECE needs to
come from the state. Fear of losing, or of losing popularity, isnt a
reason not to try to build something better.

We have more work ahead of us to be a city where every child has

equal opportunity, families have upward and social mobility, housing is
available no matter your income, and climate change is something
were leading the fight against, not living in fear of.

Everything weve fought for has been to make sure the foundation was
laid to see our city continue to succeed, and I am so proud of all the
incredible things weve done together.

So, for all those reasons and so much more, it is bittersweet for me to
announce today that while I will never stop working for Santa Fe, when
my term ends this coming March I wont be serving as your Mayor.

I know from experience that this job demands time, and when it
becomes full-time it will be a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week job. As many
of you know, I've been blessed with two incredible daughters who
inspire me every day. With one girl starting college and one in middle
school, I cant reconcile being a good full-time Mayor and a good full-
time single father, and those two jobs are far too important to
compromise either one.

The decision not to run wasn't easy, and I am thankful to everyone who
has been there for me through this process. Im also grateful to City
Manager Brian Snyder and every city employee who has been part of
our team, and to the hundreds of citizens who stepped us as volunteers
to lead on commissions and boards. Theyve led youth summits,
launched climate initiatives, aligned citywide education funding, and
explored public banking, and theyve done it all in a political
environment that turned them into targets in the press and social media.
I cant thank them enough.

Ive been fortunate to serve alongside eight dedicated public servants,

who even in our toughest disagreements showed up every day with
honesty and integrity and an earnest desire to serve. And all along my
path, I've had former Mayors, including my late father George, to
counsel me on the best way to do this job. Ill join their ranks next
March, doing everything I can to continue serving this community and
our next mayor.

Saving the best for last, I am so grateful to the public who believed in
me and gave me the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to serve as the
mayor of the greatest city in the world. Because of you, I can't help but
have a grateful heart, full of hope for our community and its future.

As a father, I've challenged my daughters to spend their lives pursuing

their passions, helping others, and learning as they go. As I prepare for
the next chapter in my life, Ill make that my purpose, too.

Thank you, andAdelante, Santa Fe!