David Nachbar hasn't received the warmest welcome from some Democrats in the 29th Congressional District, but ultimately that's not why he's bowing out of the race. Chalk that up to his job.

In a letter sent this week to his supporters, Nachbar said he's pulling out of  the House of Representatives race because of the impending takeover of Bausch & Lomb by Warburg Pincus LLC. Right now he needs to focus on his job duties says Sean Hart, communications director for the county Democratic Committee. Nachbar is vice president of human resources at the company.

"We definitely can look to see more of him in the community and the party," Hart says.

Nachbar's candidacy was controversial from the start. Many grassroots Dems, particularly those with blogs, were critical of his bid. They argued that a candidate from suburban Monroe County (Nachbar lives in Pittsford) simply wouldn't appeal to the Southern Tier base of the district.

All of the town committees in Monroe County, as well as all of the county committees across the district, lined up behind Eric Massa for the bid. The Corning Democrat narrowly lost to Republican Randy Kuhl in 2006. Nachbar's withdrawal leaves him as the only Democratic candidate for the seat. In fact, he's the only candidate of any party who has declared his candidacy for the seat. Kuhl has not yet committed to seeking reelection.

The election for the 29th District seat in the House of Representatives will take place in November 2008.

The Rochester Board of Education has narrowed the candidates for superintendent down to two, says board Vice President Malik Evans.

There has been some speculation whether interim superintendent Bill Cala would stay with the school district. So far, both Cala and board members have said he is not a candidate.

But at least one board member would like that to change.

"I think he has done an excellent job in just the short amount of time he has been here with us," says board member Cynthia Elliott. "I would really like to talk to my colleagues about this to make sure that we are making the right decision here."

Evans would not disclose the candidates' names or offer much information about their backgrounds for fear of jeopardizing the candidates' current jobs.

"They both have superintendent experience and are familiar with large urban school districts," Evans says.

There are no plans for the candidates to make a public appearance, allowing parents to ask questions about their experience.

Evans says the board plans to make an offer within the next two weeks.

The new superintendent would replace Superintendent Manuel Rivera, who left the district in April to work as Governor Eliot Spitzer's Deputy Secretary of Education.