The 2023 Lowell Municipal election continues to develop, with the big announcement earlier this week from Councilor John Drinkwater confirming that he will not seek re-election serving as the catalyst for heightened jockeying for position, and a pair of names who garnered plenty of votes in their respective State Representative races last Fall are at the tip of tongues wagging in “the bubble.”

Earlier his morning we contacted Zoe Dzineku and Tara Hong, both of whom came within  a whisker of serving at the State House, to gauge their interest in a potential run either citywide or their respective districts for a seat on the Council or School Committee.

Hong, who almost upended Rady Mom in the 18th Middlesex District, says he will not be a candidate this fall. That impressive showing had political observers speculating over the recent months that he might mount a challenge to Mayor Sokhary Chau in District 6, the majority-minority district also referred to as the Lower Highlands. Drinkwater’s announcement also led to speculation Hong might consider an At-Large campaign, but the 2022 UMass Lowell graduate doused both flames.

Dzineku, who came up just short in a hotly-contested Democratic primary against Rodney Elliott in the 16th Middlesex District, confirms she is indeed contemplating a run for City Council, thought whether that would be for an At-Large or District seat is dependent on what District 2 Councilor Corey Robinson decides to do. Earlier this week, we reported that Robinson is “weighing his options” between seeking re-election in the Centralville District or spreading his wings into a citywide race.

Dzineku and Hong are not the only familiar names being bandied about. As we continue our efforts at InsideLowell to bring you the best political coverage in the city, we are reaching out to all of them, as well as any new names that pop up. Stay with us for updates on any new developments.