Councillor Kathleen L. Born's surprise announcement Monday night that she will not be seeking reelection this fall adds a new element of potential for "new faces" to jump into the fray in the upcoming City Council election.

"Up until Kathy announced, it looked like nine incumbents," said Glenn S. Koocher '71, a local political observer and host of "Cambridge Inside Out."

The open space on the council could generate more interest in the election, said Ken Carson, the president of Born's party, the Cambridge Civic Alliance (CCA).

"T'm completely confident that with an open position available there will be substantially more interest in newcomers coming into the race," Carson said.

The status of the CCA, Cambridge's more liberal party, which traditionally has fielded four or five spots on the council, is in flux. With Born retiring, there will be only two CCA incumbents running for reelection in November----Henrietta C. Davis and first-termer Jim Braude.

"Now, if you're looking for an established good-government candidate, Henrietta Davis is the only one left," Koocher said.

Carson points out that Davis and Born share common concerns, such as housing and zoning.

But with Born's withdrawal, somebody new, likely from the CCA and maybe a "North Cambridge neighborhood" candidate, will enter the field, Koocher said.