The race for the 2nd Ward seat on Middletown City Council will be between John Soppanish and A.J. Smith as incumbent 2nd Ward Councilwoman Leslie Ford has decided not to file as a write-in candidate for re-election.

Ford told The Journal late Tuesday night that she was not going to file as a write-in candidate by the 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2 deadline because write-in candidates don’t have a lot of success in winning.

No write-in candidate seeking a seat on Middletown City Council has won a seat in recent memory.

“Basically, I would file if I had a reasonable chance of success,” Ford said. “If another opportunity presents itself, I’ll take a look at it. But I will be back for sure.”

Ford filed her petitions with the Butler County Board of Elections but learned many of the signatures she collected were invalid for a number of reasons. She withdrew from the race before the elections board certified the petitions for the Nov. 3 general election so that she could still run as a write-in candidate.

She ran unopposed and was elected in 2007 to complete the final two years of former councilman William “Kip” Moore’s unexpired term after he resigned in 2006.

Although she won’t be running for re-election, Ford said she “is going to advocate for keeping the ward system and seven members on council.