San Diego’s dramatic mayoral race – a spectacle that shifted from boring black and white to a real rainbow of colors with Donna Frye’s entry as a write-in candidate five weeks before Election Day – may finally be drawing to a close.

We hope that Frye, who brought not only color but clearer focus to the debates, will exit this race as spectacularly as she entered it. Unfortunately, while we were initially hesitant but equally excited to see her waltz into the race, being a real winner means now is the time to waltz gracefully out of it.

To emphasize the reasoning behind letting go of this race, let’s look at Frye’s own message: “Sour grapes” were what she and her supporters called legal threats to block vote counting when Frye’s write-in candidacy appeared to be in the lead.

Now, weeks after Election Day, there are no surprises. It was always going to be difficult for Frye to get more legal votes than her opponents. Everyone, especially Frye and her campaign staff, proclaimed from the beginning that success or failure would come down to the technicalities of the ballots. Leading up to the election, Frye spoke openly of the challenges facing her candidacy because of her status as a write-in candidate. The mechanics, or the technicalities, of the process were acknowledged – mainly that the bubble must be filled in. She repeatedly reminded detractors that the San Diego voting public could and would fill in the bubble if they intended to vote for her.

Of course all legal votes should be counted. Of course the democratic process is most important, and the courts should answer any questions about that process when they arise.

But Superior Court Judge Eric Helgesen, who ruled against recounting write-in votes when the write-in candidate’s bubble wasn’t filled in, has provided an answer, however disappointing it may be: The unfilled bubbles go uncounted, and Murphy wins by a measly 2,100 votes.

It’s the law on the books. It’s the law Donna acknowledged. It’s the law Donna should follow.

When she entered the mayoral race, Frye made it obvious why she is one of San Diego’s most popular politicians ever. She has an amazing grassroots following, garnered by sheer hard work. She has good political instincts and remains loyal to them. She has integrity, and openly considers what her mom would think more carefully than she considers the polls – how’s that for family values?

Furthermore, the quotable Frye is a field day for journalists. In a recent San Diego Union-Tribune article, she referred to her opponents as “Mr. Status” and “Mr. Quo.” In fact, Frye’s mere candidacy earned our city a refreshing break from the sun-baked, brain-damaged image of an “Enron by the Sea”. Articles in the Christian Science Monitor, USA Today and the Washington Post profiled our surfer-chick politician riding the waves of SoCal politics and making a splash among the conservative pinstriped suits of the establishment.

But Frye’s candidacy and her work as a city council member are about much more than image. When she said her plan – to encourage open government that represents what the people of San Diego want – was simple, she seemed to truly believe it; and the people of San Diego seemed to believe her.

In other words, Frye appears to be a politician with convictions she is willing to fight for.

But now the fight for the mayor’s seat is not the right battle. The election is over, the legal votes are counted and it’s no longer a fight based on what’s fair and what’s right for the city, but rather a battle based simply on winning. And that’s never been what Donna Frye is about.

Frye’s candidacy alone has been in many ways a triumph for San Diego. Her presence has focused the debates and raised the bar on openness in government in a city hall that needed open windows and fresher air. With Murphy in charge, Frye still comes to the table as an extremely popular politician with not only a local, grassroots base, but with some newfound star power. She’ll be listened to, and will have a couple of good years to increase her support for the next race – whatever that is.

In the meantime, Donna, trust those instincts that seem to come so naturally to you. Walk away.

As for County Supervisor Ron Roberts (whom this paper endorsed), we say let it go. You lost. Your attempts to overturn the will of the people paint you as a sore loser. And yes, we know you haven’t filed a lawsuit. It just so happens that your friends and supporters have. Go public. Go on the record. Tell them it’s wrong and to stop the lawsuits.