David Soknacki is dropping out of the mayoral election.

Soknacki, a conservative businessman and former Scarborough councillor, won praise from urbanists, young progressives and avid observers of city hall for his detailed policy proposals and honesty on taxes and transit. But he never managed to capture widespread public attention or affection in a race that includes three-high profile candidates — and a polarizing incumbent who has dominated headlines and prompted voters to think much earlier than usual about strategic voting.

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He said he leaves the race with “pride.”

“Proud of raising the bar, proud of the contribution we made to the campaign, proud of the ideas that have so far been taken by a number of competitors — and I hope many more are,” he said in an interview. “Proud of the tone that we had in the debate, because I think that by having a positive and idealistic campaign, we encouraged everybody to look at what we want for the city.”

Asked how he was feeling, he paused and said, "Feelings don't matter." What matters, he said, are his responsibilities to his team and the substantive contribution his campaign made to the city.

Soknacki announced his decision to supporters who joined him Tuesday night at a Jack Astor’s restaurant on Front St. E. to celebrate his 60th birthday. He had released his platform and a list of donors on Tuesday morning.

He politely kicked out a reporter who showed up mid-speech. According to volunteer Sean Sydney, Soknacki told the crowd that money woes and his continued low standing in the polls had forced his hand.

Sydney said Soknacki also said he felt he was another casualty of the Ford era.

“It’s disappointing that he never got anywhere, but honestly, I don’t think that’s an indictment of his ideas,” said Sydney, 27, a music student who has always voted NDP. “I think it’s a reflection of what the situation is in our city — that like David said up there (in the restaurant), unfortunately Rob Ford stole the narrative, and defeating Rob Ford became more important than who we were electing mayor and what their ideas were.”

Soknacki was polling between 3 and 6 per cent. His departure may help Chow and Tory; it will make a Ford comeback at least slightly more difficult. He said he will not be endorsing anyone.

Soknacki launched his campaign in January with an unconventional promise to tackle the police budget, which forced his rivals to address the oft-ignored issue. He also took a stand in favour of light rail in Scarborough, offering early frontrunner Olivia Chow some semblance of a cushion to do the same when she entered the race later.

He revealed his decision the night before the Star is to release a Forum Research poll that showed his approval rating up 10 points, to a new high of 58 per cent, and his name recognition climbing. Ford, Chow and leader John Tory have near-universal name recognition.

Soknacki’s campaign tried to turn his natural geekiness into an asset, as Calgary unknown Naheed Nenshi did in 2010. But he was sometimes awkward in one-on-one interactions with voters, and he lacked the charisma and oratorical skills of many candidates who have pulled off underdog victories.

He expressed occasional frustration with the media — his announcement of a plan to reform the land transfer tax was poorly attended because Ford was meeting with magician David Blaine — and, eventually, with voters themselves.

On Thursday, in a meeting with his campaign team, he declared his platform “streets ahead of everybody else.” But when his campaign manager asked him if he would vote for a man with such a platform, he said, “Yeah. The trouble is, they want celebrities.”

Soknacki skipped Tuesday’s mayoral debate to hold the party and make the announcement. The deadline for candidates to take their name off the ballot is Friday.

“I’m regretful that he’s pulled out because he’s a very thoughtful person and made a very thoughtful contribution to the debates,” Tory said.

Chow praised Soknacki for his “progressive ideas.”

“He added civility, he added intelligence to the debate,” she said.

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Ford appeared surprised when informed by reporters of Soknacki’s decision.

“He’s pulled out? Is he running for council or anything?” Ford asked.

“I want to thank David Soknacki. I’ve known him for a long time and I just wish him the best. You know, it’s not easy. This is a hard grind. I just wish him all the best and wish him the best success in his future endeavours.”