I spoke to Gary Reilly, who's running for City Council in the 39th district, on the phone Friday night.

So what are the lessons learned?

What I've learned in the past year and a half could fill a book. I guess I learned that certain relationships take years to cultivate. With unions, for instance. All of your policies could be in line with their objectives but if someone has a pre-existing relationship with them that has to be weighed in as well. I guess I was naive. I'd say: I care about the same things you care about; our ideals line up precisely. Be that as it may: that's not the deciding factor. It's often the pre-existing relationships.

The highpoints?

The same week we met the matching funds deadline I got my name on to the ballot. That was very exciting. Up to then I was running a scrappy campaign with little recognition outside of Carroll Gardens.

I'm relatively new to the area having been here for five years. But I was able to build a real base of support.

What's your biggest regret:

I wished I'd hired a professional fund raising person early on. This was my first time running for office and I'm not a political person by nature. I tried to take on too much myself. It really makes such a difference to delegate.

Another regret: I had to keep working as a lawyer, making money while I was running campaign.

There were things about campaigning that were hard for me. I am uncomfortable sending pictures of myself to people. I am more comfortable saying who I am and what I stand for. But I loved going out and talking to people. Each time you can have a conversation about things I care about and the voters care about is valuable.

What do you now know about the 39th district that you didn't know before:

There are different parts of the district, the demographics, the scale of buildings, the use of transit. In different parts of the district there are distinct differences. Each area has a vibe. There are even rivalries between one neighborhood and another. I know Carroll Gardens very well and had spent a decent amount of time in Park Slope but limited time in Kensington and Borough Park .

Are you glad you did it?

 I am more proud of the work I put into this campaign than anything I've ever done in my life. I got to know good people and I am involved with the community in ways I wasn't before.

If you lose what next?

On Wednesday win or lose, I am going back to being an active neighborhood organizer working on the things that I care about. I will support the winner of the primary. I made a real point of trying to make the campaign about the issues. I never wanted to make it personal. Whoever wins has a lot of work to do for this district.

Your takeaway?

This experience will make me a stronger activist and advocate. This campaign has been an amazing collection of learning experiences and relationships. I hope to be more effective as an advocate. I hope that more people will pick up the phone now. They won't say "Who is Gary Reilly?" They'll know this is a person who is serious about what he's doing.