Albert Lea 5th Ward City Councilor John Severtson announced his bid for Freeborn County 3rd District commissioner back in March, but he said he thought about running 20 years ago, after his first term with the city. And the issues are the same, he said.

Severtson, 59, will go up against incumbent Jim Nelson in November. Severtson’s four-year City Council term is up at the end of 2008. He also served on the Albert Lea City Council from 1985 to 1989.

“The issues that were in ’85 to ’89 are the same issues that are present now,” he said.

Severtson wants to be a liaison between the City Council and the Freeborn County commissioners, he said, adding he understands the needs of the working relationship between both government entities. Being a city councilman, he said, he always tried to work with the county.

“Maybe they need a voice there that can explain some of the reasons we need support,” Severtson said. “There’s got to be a voice for the county residents that live inside the city of Albert Lea.”

Severtson could offer his experience on the City Council to the rest of the commissioners, he said. The City Council, he said, is “very progressive” and the county tends to be more conservative.

“For this county to grow you’ve got to be progressive,” Severtson said.

He said the two groups can work together politically and financially.

“For Freeborn County to grow, the city of Albert Lea has to grow. For the city of Albert Lea to grow, Freeborn County has to contribute,” Severtson said. “I think we can grow.”

Economic growth of the area is one of Severtson’s main concerns, he said. Through his own job at Enderes Tool Co. Inc. — where he has worked for 26 years — he said he can feel the tightening economy. Production is slow, so many workers are down to 36 hours a week, he said.

As a member of the steel union, he said he knows a lot of people affected by the closing of Progress Casting Group Inc. in 2007.

Another issue Severtson is concerned with, he said, is the annexation of the Stables area on the northwestern side of Albert Lea. Area residents might be annexed into Albert Lea city limits in order to connect with the city sewer system.

There should be some way to make a compromise, he said, because many residents in that area don’t want to annex into city limits. If the city could work with connecting Manchester to an Albert Lea transfer station, then something should be able to work out, he said.

With the City Council, Severtson sits on the Housing Redevelopment Authority board working closely with the county to develop housing programs. He is also on the airport advisory board and is trying to get a runway extension, he said.

Severtson was the first vice president of the Albert Lea Port Authority when it was established in the mid-1980s. In 1998, he served on the county courthouse facilitating committee to build the new government center.

He has worked the past four years, he said, with state representatives and senators, especially to get funding for the Edgewater Park landfill site. It is important, Severtson said, that the county, too, work closely with the state Legislature to get local initiatives accomplished.

Before working at Enderes Tools, Severtson worked in road construction for seven years. He has lived in Freeborn County his entire life except for the seven years he served in the Armed Forces. Severtson was in the Marine Corps for four years, served 13 months in Vietnam and two years in Spain.

He has been married to his wife, Becky, for 36 years. He has four children — Tabitha, Jessica, Jeremiah and Gina — and five grandchildren.

Outside of work and the City Council, Severtson is active with the VFW and participates in parades and the color guard. He set up fundraisers to help support the troops and participated in many city and county events. He said he tries to be active in the community.