POULSBO — In the new year the Poulsbo City Council will pick a new member to finish the term of Councilwoman Becky Erickson, and at least one candidate is lining up.

And in a twist, in the event of a tie on the six-person council, with Erickson sworn in as mayor, she may be in a position to cast the deciding vote on who takes her seat.

The Nov. 3 election won’t be certified until Nov. 24, but as of Wednesday the two incumbents up for reelection, Mayor Kathryn Quade and Councilwoman Kim Crowder, are trailing in the count by substantial margins.

Erickson leads Quade by 7.73 percent, or 1,506 votes to 1,288 votes. Former Councilman Jim Henry leads Crowder by 2.37 percent, or 1,355 votes to 1,292 votes.

City Clerk Jill Boltz said Wednesday the tentative plan for replacing Erickson is for the city to begin advertising the position next month and begin interviewing candidates and swear in a new councilmember in January.

Prerequisites to sit on the council include being a registered voter and having at least one year of residency in the city.

Erickson’s unfinished term expires at the end of 2011.

During the application process, the council would interview candidates at open meetings and make a final decision in public. However, the council can adjourn to a closed meeting to discuss qualifications of the candidates, Boltz said.

The six-person council, with Henry, would then vote. In the case of a tie Erickson could cast the tie-breaking vote.

“I haven’t found anything that says otherwise,” Boltz said.

The council cannot begin the process until Erickson is sworn in as mayor and her seat is officially vacated. The official transfer of power will likely take place at the last council meeting of the year, Dec. 16. Officials want to have the replacement sworn in by the end of January because of committee assignments and workload, Boltz said.

The position pays $6,000 a elections and politicking, the candidate application process is less stressful.

“It’s like going through an actual interview, rather than election,” Boltz said.

Of the three council seats up for reelection in this month’s election, only Crowder’s was challenged, both in the general and the primary.

Henry and Crowder beat Tom Foley in the primary election.

Foley, 56, a retired Navy marine engineer and regular at city meetings, said he will apply for the position.

“I see a lot of issues that interest me, particularly our budget woes over the next couple of years,” he said, adding that he opposes a proposal to buy the building where the Parks and Recreation Department is located and instead move some of those offices to the new City Hall. The idea of purchasing the $500,000 building owned by the ailing Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority is supported by many councilmembers.

Although Foley said he hasn’t heard of other people planning to apply, he doesn’t think he’ll be alone.

“I’m sure there is going to be several,” Foley said.