Winning an unopposed race Tuesday, 1st Ward councilor Vern Rasmussen Jr. said he’s excited at the opportunity to continue with the positive things that have been happening within the city.

“It’s been an exciting four years for me, and I look forward to the next four years,” Rasmussen said. He received 1,803 votes.

In July, he said he was seeking re-election to the Albert Lea City Council because he wanted to continue to be part of the city’s advancements. He was first elected to office in November of 2004 and is nearing the end of that term.

“I started doing this because I love the city,” he said in an interview with the Tribune when he announced his bid for re-election. “I really enjoy the community, and I want to continue to help it to be the best it can be.”

His biggest goals during his next term will be to continue to stay positive about the city’s direction, to improve the city’s infrastructure, and to find creative and efficient ways to provide services to the city, he said.

“I think money’s going to be an issue,” he said.

Though he noted his next term will not be an easy one, he said he looks forward to the challenges.

“As a community, we are on the forefront — we are moving ahead,” Rasmussen said. “That’s pretty exciting to me. But the challenges we have with money and continuing to progress is hard. It’s going to be a difficult one.”

He encouraged the entire community to be involved. He said for Albert Lea to be successful people in the community need to have a glass that’s half full, not half empty.

“We need to understand that it’s OK to say we are a good community, he said. “We don’t always have to look at the problems.”