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The Freeborn County Board of Commissioners selected two candidates to bring back in January for second interviews for the position of county administrator after a first round of interviews and deliberations on Wednesday.

The two candidates are Melanie Aeschliman, current city administrator of Blooming Prairie, who is pursuing a doctorate in public administration, and David Stiernagle, who is originally from Freeborn and who has been in the private sector for 37 years and recently retired as vice president of lubrications and corporate accounts at Coastal Chemical Co., running the largest of four revenue focus sectors for the company.

The two others interviewed were CJ Holl, former county administrator in Wadena and Mahnomen counties, who was also former city administrator of Wells and finance/business manager for the Pelican Rapids school district, and Kyle Harris, former city manager in Benson, who had also served as a county commissioner in Saginaw County, Michigan, before that for six years.

The person hired will fill the opening left after former administrator Ryan Rasmusson resigned in October for a new opportunity.

The board asked a series of questions to all of the candidates on topics ranging from backgrounds, experience with budgets, union contracts and integrating new technology; management and leadership; building unity as a staff; communication; and community involvement, among others.

Check back for more from the interviews.