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Guest column by Brad Edwin

Hello, my name is Brad Edwin and I’m again running to be your District 1 Freeborn County commissioner. I’ve had the honor over the past four years to represent you in local government. To share a bit about me, I have been married to my beautiful wife for what will be 50 years in December and have three daughters and two grandchildren. I have been a resident of Freeborn County my entire life. I’ve been active locally over the years as a Manchester Fire Department volunteer and served on the Salvation Army Advisory Board, to name a couple, along with many other committees and organizations. I feel it is important to be involved and give back to your community.

I feel that serving you on the county board is also giving back, and it allows me to be your voice on local issues. I am always available for your questions and concerns, and if it goes beyond local government issues, I will contact our state and federal elected officials to help find resources and get answers. I’m available for not only those in my district but anyone throughout the county who wishes to contact me.

Serving you on the board over the last four years has been very rewarding, and I am currently serving as the board chair. I’ve realized how local government functions to provide you with the infrastructure and services that are needed. Being on the board includes involvement in various committees that focuses on different areas of community services such as housing, economic development, health and water to name just a few. I’m also involved with a state group that lobbies for policy at the state level that helps our local communities. But the main focus of being a commissioner is on setting county policy and creating and maintaining a budget. Our budget process begins in late spring/early summer and is completed in December for the following year. It is a lengthy process that involves the commissioners, administration and department heads working together to come up with a budget that is responsible and provides for the needs of those that live in our county. A responsible budget provides for our needs and also services that are mandated by the state in a way that has the least impact on your ability to enjoy living in our great community. Not all state mandated services are fully funded by state tax dollars, so it is up to the board to find ways to still get the job done.

I take the budget process very seriously as it is one of the main functions of the board and directly affects the financial well-being of our local citizens. Inflation has had a direct effect on services and goods. This, along with having to be competitive with wages and benefits, means that we must find ways to become more efficient. The ability to do more with less has to be prioritized. This becomes even more important when the state reduces mandated services funding and also reduces county aid.

I have been in involved in business administration my entire life. I have experience in business marketing and finances, managing people and budget development. I’ve experienced the hard work it takes to operate within a budget and control expenses. I have hands-on experience with developing and growing a team. I am a “roll up your sleeves and get the job done” type of person. I also know how to utilize the strengths of the team, how to capitalize and grow those strengths and how to identify the weak areas and implement strategies to improve productivity. Every team member has value and input. Communication is very important and big part of communication is being a great listener.

I have enjoyed being your county commissioner over the last four years and hope you will consider voting for me again in this election to be able to serve you for another four years. There is much to be done, and I will always work with your best interests in mind.

Brad Edwin is the incumbent 1st District Freeborn County Commissioner seeking reelection.