Rithy Uong, who set Mill City political tongues wagging when he pulled papers to run for City Council on June 26th, is not going to seek an At-Large seat after all.

For the better part of a week, multiple sources have been telling us that Uong had no intention of returning his signatures to secure a spot on the ballot, with one source familiar with his thinking telling InsideLowell “if I were you, I’d call Draft Kings and put money on him not returning papers.”

Today, Uong confirmed the speculation in a call, saying “after careful consideration with my family, I decided now is not the best time to run a Council campaign.”

Uong became the first Southeast Asian to win a seat anywhere in America when he scored a Council victory in 1999 and was subsequently sworn in with the 2000 City Council. Uong stepped down from his seat in August of 2005, amidst a State Ethics Commission sanction for accepting a job as Lowell High Housemaster in 2002, a position he gave up a month before resigning and returning to his previous position as a Guidance Counselor.

Most recently, Uong mounted an unsuccessful challenge to 18th Middlesex State Representative Rady Mom in 2018, a seat he is likely to pursue again in 2024.

“That is the plan right now,” he said when asked to comment on speculation he would be pursuing Mom’s State Rep seat next November.

Uong’s announcement brings the field of declared At-Large candidates back down to six, which means a preliminary election the day after Labor Day would not be necessary.