After Bob Sternoff resigned from his Position 2 seat on the Kirkland City Council in March, the council was forced to make a quick decision to appoint a new council member by April 16.

Benjamin Wobker is one of 17 candidates vying for the seat.

Background: Wobker, 37, lives in the Finn Hill neighborhood and has lived in Kirkland for eight years. He graduated from Redmond High School in 1994, received his bachelor’s degree in science and psychology from the University of Montana in 1998 and graduated with a master’s degree in science and physical therapy in 2000. Wobker owns Lake Washington Physical Therapy, LLC in Kirkland.

Experience: Aside from being a small business owner, Wobker is the organizer and developer of the Kirkland Shamrock Run and the Hopelink Can Madness food drive throughout the years. Wobker also co-chairs the Redmond Derby Days Dash and has volunteered at events such as Summerfest, the Christmas Tree Lighting, the Kirkland half-Marathon, the 12Ks of Christmas and the USO fundraiser.

Reason for running: Wobker says he is constantly striving to make Kirkland a better community for his friends, family and patients to live and work in.

“Every day I work to make both downtown where I own a business and in Holmes Point where I live, a better place through innovation, volunteerism and financial contributions,” Wobker said in an email.

Top issues facing the city: Wobker thinks commercial development in conjunction with smart zoning could be one of the engines of the Kirkland economy and should be an area of focus along with continuing to reach out to the Totem Lake and annexed areas.

Wobker also believes “Kirkland needs to harbor a more welcoming attitude to small businesses as they strive to survive and compete against other local cities.” He thinks one way to help would be to address parking availability in the city.