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Collier County School Board District 2 candidate William Dooley has announced he will drop out of the School Board race.

In an e-mail to the Naples Daily News, Dooley cited a crowded field; difficulty raising money; and a lukewarm response to his bid for the board as reasons he was leaving.

"There were just too many people in the race who could take votes away from me," he said. "There are people who run for office who, when they look back, know they couldn't have won and they wonder why they stayed in it. I know I can't win, so why bother running?"

Dooley, who works as an instructor at the Lorenzo Walker Institute of Technology, said he will continue working in the classroom.

"That's more important than being on the School Board," he said.

Dooley was going to face a challenge from four others for the seat - Adrienne Markopolos, an intervention program supervisor at the David Lawrence Center; Joe Paterno, the executive director of the Southwest Florida Workforce Development Board; Lely High School substitute teacher Gary Smith; and Gulf Coast High School teacher Julie Sprague.

Dooley, who had a Web site set up for his campaign, said he saw more than 2,000 hits, but said he didn't see enough happening with his campaign to keep it going.

The District 2 seat is currently held by Board Chairwoman Linda Abbott, who has yet to file her candidacy. Candidates have until Friday, June 20, to file.