Freeborn County Administrator John Kluever has been selected as one of six finalists to be interviewed for the job of Sherburne County administrator.

Kluever started in Freeborn County in June of 2007 following the resignation of former administrator Ron Gabrielson. He came to Albert Lea from Laramie County, Wyo., where he was a grants manager.

Kluever, when contacted by the Tribune Wednesday, said he is pursuing the position for both personal and professional reasons.

Sherburne County has about 88,000 people and has a budget about twice as large as Freeborn County’s with about twice as many employees, he said. Elk River is the seat. Other major cities are Big Lake, Becker and Clear Lake. Most of the exurban population is along the U.S. Highway 10 corridor on the southwestern side of the triangular county, which lines the Mississippi River.

Metro Transit’s Northstar commuter rail line terminates in Big Lake and has a stop in Elk River.

The county has 451 square miles. Freeborn County has 723.

According to the St. Cloud Times, 35 people applied for the position. The other finalists are:

• Monty Headley, Benton County administrator for the past 11 years, who worked as the chief deputy clerk in Oklahoma City, Okla., prior to that.

• Duane Hebert, Winona County administrator for the past four years, who has also worked as the administrator in Barron County, Wis.

• Tim Houle, Crow Wing County administrator for the past five years, who before that worked as the county coordinator and administrator in Morris County.

• Pat Melvin, McLeod County administrator for the past five years, who worked as a special projects administrator in Wright County prior to that time.

• Steve Taylor, Carver County assistant county administrator for the past eight years, who worked as a senior budget and management analyst for the city and county of Denver.

Finalists will be interviewed Sept. 18 and 19.

The position has been vacant since Aug. 1, when the former administrator retired after 14 years, according to the newspaper.