My name is Dr. Christopher Shoff, and I am running for re-election as 4th District Freeborn County commissioner. I was first elected to the Freeborn County Board of Commissioners in 2006 and re-elected in 2010.

I am the last of eight children of Dr. Niles and Orrie Shoff. I graduated from Albert Lea High School in 1992, attended the University of Minnesota, then attended and graduated from Logan College of Chiropractic. I have been in practice in downtown Albert Lea since 2002.

With the support of the entire Freeborn County board, I have seized the opportunity to become more involved as a commissioner outside the borders of Freeborn County. I have served on the transportation committees at both the state and the national levels. The contacts and resources that have been made have been and continue to be brought back to Freeborn County.

I have been involved in bringing back the benefits of innovative ideas, new ways of operating programs, new sources of revenues to be less reliant on property tax revenue, upcoming changes at the state and federal levels that affect counties and state lobbying efforts through the Association of Minnesota Counties that netted Freeborn County around $750,000 in benefits in 2013.

Freeborn County has had many amazing accomplishments. The proudest moment is the selection of Albert Lea for the new VA Clinic. This was a project that we started working on in December 2007. We secured the federal jail contract in 2009 that continues to employ 18 people as well as contributing 2.5 million a year in revenue.

This year we implemented the single-sort curbside recycling program that benefits every neighborhood in Albert Lea. The majority of the implementation cost was borne by Waste Management. Our meetings are now televised, we have reduced staff through attrition and retirements, and we have a full time emergency management director.

All of these accomplishments have come while decreasing the amount of county property tax that the people of the 4th District pay but also increasing county reserves to an acceptable level according to the state auditor.

My father Dr. Niles Shoff was Albert Lea mayor from 1959 to 1969. As someone who grew up with that background, grew up in this community, and came back to this community to work and live, I have had a passion for serving Albert Lea on the Freeborn County board.

During my time as commissioner we have had historic cooperation with the city of Albert Lea. The county switched to the ARMER radio system and paid the city’s entire cost of $1.5 million. Freeborn County’s information technology department serves both the city and the county.

We will be taking over the dispatch operations over the next few years that will shift almost $400,000 from the city budget to Freeborn County. We have cooperated in many ways in economic development including loan programs and the recent developments on Bridge Avenue.

The Bridge Avenue development included the signalized intersection that provides additional safety to our citizens with no financial burden to the taxpayers. We have also explored the option to merge management, law enforcement, and attorney’s offices to better serve the taxpayers. There are still projects to work on, problems to solve and past, present and future issues to address in a collaborative and cooperative manner. We have laid the groundwork to continue to work together to use property tax dollars wisely and efficiently.

I look forward to the future of Freeborn County and its continued development and growth. My name is Dr. Christopher Shoff and I ask for your continued support but more importantly I ask for your vote on Nov. 4 for 4th District Freeborn County commissioner.

Christopher Shoff is an Albert Lea chiropractor.