Hola friend,

When we started this campaign together, no one believed we would make it to the debate stage. But I was proud to be there this week, representing all of you.

The race has not been easy from the start, and I know this has been a particularly trying couple of weeks — for everyone on this campaign, for our supporters, for myself. For this movement.

I’m writing to let you know that the campaign is moving forward, driven by the same vision that led me to enter this race — one where all New Yorkers are able to live in dignity.

I want the best for ALL my staff — those who have been organizing for a union and those who have continued working. I stand at the ready to sign a union contract with my staff even as I continue the work of building a city that works for everyone — not just the wealthy.

I am the daughter of a union family. I have been the successful leader of organizations with union shops. Organizing is in my blood; union busting is not. I am also an executive who has made staffing decisions that I stand by, including last week, when I found out certain staffers were engaging in activity unrelated to the unionization effort that threatened to undermine our campaign.

At the start of this process, I recognized how complex our situation was about to become, so I reached out to the organizing team and offered to come together with an outside, independent facilitator to address things quickly and fairly. That offer was turned down, but I remain hopeful that those who are still organizing in good faith will come together to find a resolution that upholds our campaign values. Unfortunately, some of the demands that have been made by organizers are impermissible under campaign finance law.

In the interest of full transparency, you can find our most recent response to organizers, sent this afternoon, here.

You should know, friend, that I’ve been a successful executive for decades. I’ve managed teams of hundreds of people and tens of millions of dollars. I’ve always been responsive, responsible and accountable. That has not changed, especially over the last two weeks.

And, as in the past, I will not let others write my story. I will continue to stand in my power and live by my values. New York City requires nothing less.

I won’t pretend the next 18 days are going to be easy: We’ve taken a hit and there is real work to be done to show New Yorkers what it means to be a mayor accountable to the People. But just as New Yorkers always do — what I will do as mayor — we’re going to learn from this experience and come out the other side a better version of ourselves.

Because this fight is bigger than any one of us. We can guarantee housing for all, desegregate our schools, defund the NYPD and transform what it means to provide for our communities. We can invest in local businesses, tackle the climate crisis head-on and make CUNY free again. We just have to be willing to put in the work. And I am.

You’ll be hearing more from me soon — I’ll be out and about across the city, getting to know New Yorkers across all five boroughs. I look forward to working with my team to co-create the campaign we are capable of becoming, so we can work with you to build the New York we know is possible.

Pa’lante,

Dianne