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.

Kathleen McMonigal is one of 17 candidates vying for the seat.

Background: McMonigal has lived in Kirkland for 30 years. She attended the University of Washington for engineering in 1984 and was certified there through the Leadership Certificate Program. She is also a graduate of the Boeing Executive Potential Program and is a certified information system security professional. McMonigal more recently studied senior and program management and leadership at the Boeing Leadership Center.

Experience: McMonigal’s community leadership comes from her 15 years as an elected official on the Houghton Community Council. She was an advocate and speaker for the Parent Coalition’s legislative forum and has volunteered around the Kirkland community.

Reasons for running: She wants to keep Kirkland as the city of choice for a diverse population over many years. Although she has helped make impacting decisions on the Houghton Community Council, she said she would like to contribute to the city on a greater level “to help balance our needs for all our community.”

Top issues facing the city: McMonigal acknowledges the city’s economic development and transportation issues as intertwined problems in Kirkland. She would like to see happy neighbors and more local business while also keeping in mind safer roads and reduced travel times.

But McMonigal believes housing should also be top priority.

“The city has explored creative changes to zoning and been involved with various organizations to meet ranges of incomes,” she said in her application. “The city will need to continue to be flexible and learn from other communities on how to have a balance of housing options in the future.”