The Freeborn County 1st District commissioner’s race is one to watch &045; both challenger Neal Gjersvik and incumbent Glen Mathiason are knowledgeable on the issues and passionate about making the county a better place to live. But the advantage of experience lies with Mathiason and he gets our endorsement.

His understanding of the budget goes beyond how each department’s finances affect the overall picture: he also has a firm grasp of how &uot;staff-heavy&uot; departments can skew the numbers.

One such department, Health and Human Services, takes many people to provide services and has a reasonable reserve to accommodate budget reductions. Mathiason realizes pulling from reserves is only a temporary solution in a lean year and long-term solutions to shortages must be found.

As a farmer, he also has a grasp of the importance of the watershed’s efforts to improve water quality. Though he said he initially fought formation of the board, with solid, logical plans put forth by the board, he has changed his stance, favoring their efforts.

Mathiason’s knowledge and experience, added with his passion for improving all levels of county government, make him an excellent candidate for commissioner in our opinion.