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More than 20 people have applied for appointment to a seat on the Roanoke City Council that was vacated last month, when Alfred Dowe resigned amid allegations he double-billed taxpayers for travel costs.

When the deadline to apply for the appointment passed Friday afternoon, 22 people -- representing a variety of geographic backgrounds and experience levels -- had applied for the post, including three former council members.

On Monday, the council will review the applications and select probably three or four candidates for interviews, according to Roanoke Mayor Nelson Harris. Those not selected will be eliminated from the process.

Council members will interview the finalists at 4:30 p.m. Thursday and hold a public hearing on them at 7 p.m. Thursday. The council will make its selection on March 31. The decisions to select candidates for interview and make the appointment will both be done by a public vote.

The new member will be sworn in to a term that lasts until June 30, 2010.

"My sense is that given the length of the term -- which is almost 27 months -- that council will probably look for an individual that can bring some knowledge of the city to the position," Harris said.

"That doesn't necessarily mean they've been a previous member, but we are going to look for someone who is grounded in the current state of our city and some of the challenges out in front of us over the next couple of years," he said.

The appointment might change the balance of power in city hall, particularly in light of the May elections for mayor and three council seats.

Dowe was an important part of a voting majority consisting of Harris and Dowe's "For the City" running mates, Gwen Mason and David Trinkle. With the council facing decisions on topics including whether to build a restaurant on Mill Mountain and an amphitheater at the site of the demolished Victory Stadium on Reserve Avenue, the decision may be hotly contested.

The field of applicants:

n Kirk Ballin: Chairman of the interfaith committee for Valley Character and a board member of Roanoke Area Ministries.

n Bill Bestpitch: Served on the council from 2000 to 2004. He is first vice chairman of the Roanoke City Democratic Committee.

n Evelyn Bethel: Gainsboro neighborhood activist who attends most city council meetings.

n Helen Butler: Director of Brain Injury Services of Southwest Virginia. She has also worked with Downtown Roanoke Inc., the Council of Community Services and United Way.

n Amy Cosner: Enrolled in the Roanoke Leadership College and has been involved in a number of neighborhood watch associations.

n Rupert Cutler: Served on the city council from 2002 to 2006. He was an assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, executive director of Explore Park and head of the Western Virginia Land Trust.

n Scott Dreyer: Teaches in the Center for the Humanities at Patrick Henry High School. He speaks Mandarin Chinese and German, and he serves as the city schools' liaison to the Roanoke Chinese community.

n Dale Edmonston: Serves on the Human Service Advisory Council and also is running as an independent in May's council elections.

n Gordon Hancock: Chairman of the Roanoke Electoral Board and a member of the city Economic Development Authority.

n Don Hogan: Owns a Roanoke office of Proserv, which provides process serving, skip tracing and court filing services. He has run for the city council as well as for the U.S. House of Representatives.

n Stuart Israel: Resource development coordinator for Roanoke Area Ministries and western region director for Event Staffing Inc.

n Robert Logan: Executive director of the Western Virginia Emergency Medical Services Council, a nonprofit group that coordinates crisis health care in a region that covers 12 counties and seven cities.

n Granger Macfarlane: Served in the Virginia Senate from 1984 to 1991. He is the president of Eastern Motor Inn Inc.

n Michael Morrissett: Managing director and financial advisor for Wachovia Securities.

n Alvin Nash: Served on the Roanoke School Board from 2004 to 2007. He is president and CEO of Blue Ridge Housing Development Corp.

n David Parr: Works at Yokohama Tire. He is a longtime resident of Roanoke who coaches youth sports.

n Jack Parrott: Served on the council from 1994 to 1998. He is retired but has worked as chairman for the Stadium Study Committee and the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center Commission.

n Earl Reynolds: Director of housing and community development for Total Action Against Poverty. He served as Roanoke's assistant city manager and Martinsville's city manager, as well as the deputy executive director of the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority.

n Vivian Sanchez-Jones: School liaison for Refugee and Immigration Services. She was a founding member of Avancemos Roanoke and was named as the winner of the 2007 Martin Luther King Jr. Local Hero Award.

n Charles Turpin: Self-employed resident of Northwest Roanoke who listed his previous qualifying experience as a "down to Earth man."

n Christopher Walters: Financial adviser for Merrill Lynch. He served a year as an assistant commonwealth's attorney and serves on the city's parks and recreation advisory board.

n Martha Williams: Counselor for the Roanoke Treatment Center. She served as a coordinator for Neighborhood Services.

Dowe had held the seat for six years when he resigned in late February after it was revealed he had billed both the city and the state for some of his travel expenses.