Business owner Curtis Smith said he is not like his fellow candidates for the Freeborn County Dist. 5 commissioner position, which is being vacated at the end of this year by Mark Behrends who announced in January he would not run for re-election.

“This is not a contest for me. I just feel I can help our community,” Smith, 43, said. “I think there are other qualified people. I just think I could do a better job.”

Smith, a resident of Southview Lane in Albert Lea, said he already has his platform lined up with three key points: Making tough decisions in a tough economy, making tough decisions on many issues and creating a better working environment between Albert Lea and Freeborn County.

“I just want to be a voice for District 5,” he said.

Smith is a business partner in Arrow Printing and Skyline Plaza and is the owner of Red Carpet Car Wash, all in Albert Lea. He has worked in customer service for years, since buying Arrow Printing in 1996, he said. Smith can handle indifference, he said, and is ready for any problems.

“I like being able to deal with people,” he said. “I just want to listen to what people have to say.”

He has lived in Freeborn County for 15 years. He and his wife of 21 years, Jana, moved to the area in 1992 after selling insurance for 11 years in Sioux Falls, S.D. They have two children, Brielle is 15 and Preston is 12.

If Smith is chosen, he said, he will not forget the people who chose him. If his constituents are concerned about an issue, he will vote for the constituents. He said he is not afraid to be the dissenting vote if it’s the right, but tough, decision.

When it comes to the economy, Smith said he is ready to work with budgets and will not be afraid to cut if needed. With his business experience, he said, he can look tightly at budgets.

“If something needs to be trimmed, I can do that,” he said. “I’ve had to do it where I work, and that’s why it’s a tough decision.”

There are times when Albert Lea and the county don’t communicate as well as they could, according to Smith. He said he thinks he can help with that issue through his communication skills and become a liaison to achieve results.

The city and county have the same goals, he said, and should be able to get along. Smith said he doesn’t think the city and county aren’t getting along, but the relationship could be stronger.

Since Smith became a business owner, he said, he always wanted to get into the political arena. The Albert Lea City Council conflicts with his social schedule with his kids, he said, so the county board seemed a good fit.

Political incumbents are tough to beat, Smith said, so since there is a vacancy in his district, he thought he would give it a try.

“The timing was right, based on where I’m at. Life is busy, but busy people get things done,” he said. “If I can help in the political arena, that excites me.”

Smith has volunteered his time in the community through work on the finance team at Crossroads Church, previous work as an ambassador with the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce, service on the Freeborn County chapter of the American Red Cross board, as a member of the Business Network International and as the top fundraiser for the 2008 Freeborn County Dancing with the Stars.

At Taylor University, a small Christian college in Upland, Ind., Smith earned a degree in communications, specifically with television broadcasting. When he couldn’t break into the TV business, he worked at a factory for a short time before taking an insurance job. Since he was 21, he said, he always worked his way to management.