Incument Poulsbo City Councilwoman Connie Lord and challenger Becky Erickson earned endorsements Monday night after proving to the North Kitsap Herald Advisory Board they were both forward thinkers who have the best interests of the city in mind.

Lord earned a unanimous 6-0 vote over Position 2 challenger Joe Price, while Erickson edged out Position 3 incumbent Jim Henry with four votes in her favor, one against and one abstention.

The board liked Erickson’s fervor and can-do attitude. Her leadership experience is extensive and — with cities being run more and more like businesses — would serve Poulsbo well.

When Erickson was faced with the prospect of 119 new homes around her property and some 547 additional houses on Noll Road, she sprang into action. In four days, she had created a non-profit, bought a full-page newspaper ad and rallied her neighbors in time for a city meeting on the issue. (Four days. It was hard not to imagine what she could get accomplished in four years.)

Her actions brought about a moratorium on development in the city, which forced the council to revisit and revise how it handled growth. While some on the board were concerned Erickson would be a one-trick, no growth pony, she has instead become a sponge for information on all things Poulsbo.

She’s been a constant at council and committee meetings since September 2006 and has viable ideas that the board agreed would have immediate, positive impacts on the way the city does business. Overhauling the committee system by adding a simple “Notice for Quorum,” she said, would not only increase awareness of issues within the context of the city council by allowing members to legally sit in on important issues but would improve the way the committee system is currently run, she suggested.

Erickson seems to have a good grasp on balancing the needs of the environment with the needs of citizens and finding a “middle course” to ensure things get done.

“Extremes lose out,” she said, noting the city had to become less reactive and more proactive on issues pertaining to development — something which she said she wasn’t against, but must be guided. ‘“The only way the Growth Management Act works is with planning.”

Henry, meanwhile, has done an admirable job, built bridges with city, county and state officials throughout Washington, and helped move Poulsbo forward and has helped the city make “good financial decisions” during his tenure.

As a retired Navy man, board members appreciated Henry’s forthrightness and candor. He cornered former Gov. Gary Locke when it appeared the city would lose out on its State Route 305 funding in the wake of Initiative 695 — the vision of which is priceless — and has taken the lead of every council committee in the city since taking office.

However, Henry was unclear on the city’s growth expectations in relation to its sewer capacity. That, coupled with his viewing a new city hall as one of the biggest issues facing Poulsbo didn’t sit well with the majority of the board.

Councilwoman Lord has been a proven leader on council for years and couples a useful knowledge of where the city has been with a realistic idea of where it is and should be headed.

While she admitted infrastructure — primarily sewer — “is not a very sexy topic,” she did point to its vital importance as far as growth issues are concerned.

Citing years of sewage leaks into Liberty Bay, Lord pointed out that the health of that body of water should be the city’s No. 1 priority.

“Everything flows to the bay,” she said of Poulsbo’s topography.

With this in mind, the board liked Lord’s call for a sensible annexation policy which doesn’t mislead developers or put the environment in jeopardy. Planning ahead for growth, acting instead of reacting, was something the city should strive to accomplish.

Lord’s business background and active role in the community are noteworthy, too. She’s served the citizens well and the board saw no reason why she shouldn’t be allowed to do so for four more years.

Editor’s note: Lord’s challenger, Joe Price, did not return calls by the Herald and was a no-show at the candidate interviews.