Allen Alley: Postscript letter

From Allen Alley Campaign,

Thursday after the election we held an Oregon Republican Party unity lunch where I had the pleasure of introducing the next Governor of Oregon, Chris Dudley. I was pleased to tell the group Chris has my complete support. We need to come together to help elect Chris and ensure that our state is put on a sustainable path toward economic health. I urge you to join me and support him.
This may very well be the most important election of our lives. Our state is among the leaders in hunger, homelessness and unemployment. Our schools are rated near the bottom of every national ranking. Republican candidates have solutions; but to be elected Republicans, Democrats and Independents will have to come together. Unemployment has no political affiliation. Homelessness is not a partisan issue. Hunger hurts regardless of party registration.

The Oregonian ran an editorial that said “Allen Alley walked 400 miles across the state, dipped deep into his own savings to compete for the Republican nomination for governor and ran perhaps the most energetic, thoughtful campaign of any candidate for any Oregon office this year.”

The Oregonian got it wrong.

Our campaign was special not because it was about me; it was special because it was about us. I can have ideas and can help get government out of the way, but true economic revival comes from all of us gaining the confidence to get back out and take a risk. Hire a friend. Make an investment. Buy a tool, truck or machine. It is about you, not me or the government.

I had the best campaign team and the finest group of volunteers any candidate could ever hope for. I am truly blessed to have had so much support from so many volunteers. If you were one of them, thank you for everything you did. I hope you felt that you were part of something special. I certainly did.

My message to you is don’t stop. Stay involved. We have outstanding candidates. Pick one and continue to show them the passion and support you have shown me. Oregon needs you and your ideas.

So what is next for me? I will be working to elect Republican candidates this fall. I will focus on doing in the private sector what I had hoped to do in the Governor’s Office: create Oregon jobs and launch careers. I am looking forward to continuing my involvement with several companies and maybe starting some new ones. In addition, I intend to share my ideas for how I think we can make Oregon a better place. So, while I will focus on building businesses, I will continue my civic duty to engage fellow Oregonians in a dialogue about the future of our great state.

My final message is to dream big. Think not about where we are but where we can be. Embrace our wonderful state and our assets. Don’t just think outside the box, shatter it. Lead. Remember that our lives will be spent turning dreams into memories and, in the end, we will audit our lives based on the memories we make. We’ve already made some great ones in 2010. Go make some more.

Sincerely,

Allen Alley