Longtime Poulsbo City Councilmember Ed Stern announced Dec. 11 his intentions to run for mayor of the city in 2025.

“There is much to be proud about, our ‘Little Norway’; there is much to be done still ‘to form a more perfect city’ to be sure,” Stern posted on his Facebook account. “I would be honored to have your support to be able to have passed to me the baton of leadership for our community.”

Mayor Becky Erickson has already announced that she will not be filing for re-election for the position in 2025. Erickson has served as mayor since 2010.

Council previously approved in October for the mayor position to become part-time in 2026. The move coincides with the city actively looking to hire a full-time city administrator. The position is budgeted for 2025, and the city is hoping to fill that spot while Erickson is still in office to allow for some “crossover time” before the new mayoral term begins Jan. 1, 2026, city clerk Rhiannon Fernandez previously told Kitsap News Group.

The city administrator will be hired by the mayor and must be confirmed by a majority of the council, city documents state. The position, under the direction of the mayor, acts as the chief administration officer of the city for day-to-day operations and makes recommendations to the mayor and council for policy, per the job description.

Stern has served seven consecutive terms as a city councilmember, first being elected in 1998. His current term ends at the end of 2025. He is currently the deputy mayor of Poulsbo. He has also served on the board of the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance, Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council, Puget Sound Regional Council and Association of Washington Cities.

Upon moving to Poulsbo in 1986, Stern became a financial advisor and managed three different brokerage offices before retiring in 2019.