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An Albert Lea man running for the Ward 6 council seat says his lifelong residency in the ward would help him relate to residents if elected and make decisions with their interests in mind.

Brian Anderson, 51, said he has considered running for the Albert Lea City Council for many years, and when he heard longtime Councilor Al “Minnow” Brooks was not running for reelection, he decided to give it a try. 

“I’ve always taken an interest in what’s going on,” Anderson said. 

He said he is the kind of person who has always believed if you’re going to complain about the way something is being done, you should get involved and work to make a difference.

He grew up on Eighth Street as the oldest of six children and eventually bought a house near there. Many in the family also still live in the ward. 

“I can’t say I’m going to agree with everyone on every single issue, but I can guarantee I can look at things through the view of the south side,” he said. 

Anderson said a lot of people might know him from his time at McDonald’s from 1989 to 2001, where he was in management and did a lot of hiring. He also worked in auto financing for about 20 years at different locations and while he was doing that became a signing agent. During the COVID-19 pandemic, that job turned into a full-time job. He also is a musician and disc jockey through his company, Digital Dream Sound, and owns a handful of rental properties. 

While every candidate can stand for jobs, he said he thinks there are plenty of jobs in Albert Lea but the city needs some better ones. 

He said accessibility is important to him, and if elected he would want people to know they can email and call him, and they will always get a response. 

“I have the time to devote to them,” he said. 

Transparency is another characteristic that is important to him. 

“There’s this feeling people don’t know what’s going on — that decisions are made in smoky, dark rooms. I know that’s not the case, but we need to do a better job of being transparent,” Anderson said. 

One issue he said he has been interested in recently is the rise in his property taxes. He would like to see where some of that taxpayer money is going. 

He also referenced some parking needs and the need for more lighting on what he described as the “Wilson Turnpike,” on the Front Street extension where the road turns into Garfield Avenue. 

“We have things we need to do, and I want to make sure we’re always being represented,” he said.