Mike Lee has a passion for helping people. That is why he is running for the Freeborn County District 5 commissioner seat currently held by Mark Behrends, who in January announced he will not run for re-election.

“I’m just a common person,” Lee, 52, said. “I like standing up for the little guys, making sure the little guys’ voices are heard, too.”

Lee said he is running for county commissioner so he can get out and help people even more. He said he likes talking about issues with people and wants to get things changed, if possible. Lee said he can work both sides of the political aisle, even though the Freeborn County Board of Commissioners is a nonpartisan board.

People can expect to see him out door knocking and talking to people about the issues at hand. He said he has been attending county, city and watershed meetings whenever his schedule allows so he can be informed about what’s going on.

He calls himself a citizen activist. Many people may recognize Lee’s name from the many letters to the editor he has written on various topics.

“I’m just a regular citizen,” Lee said. “I have my views, I work hard.”

The county Board of Commissioners needs to look forward, Lee said, and do what it can to expand the economy and create safe county roads — two issues that are important to Lee.

“As a board we need to be looking to the future,” he said.

With the baby boomers aging, Lee said, the county needs to look at what type of services it can provide to help citizens with the costs and needs of an aging population.

And the Freeborn County economy needs a boost, he said. The county needs to do anything it can to encourage economic growth and bring jobs.

One step in the right direction, according to Lee, is to encourage younger generations to return to the area after college and raise families.

“We need to sell our community,” Lee said. “It’s a beautiful community.”

Lee has lived in Freeborn County most of his life. He grew up on a farm just outside of Glenville. Agriculture and 4-H were big parts of his life growing up, he said, so he understands rural issues in the county.

For the past 12 years he and his family have lived in Albert Lea, so he knows urban issues, too, Lee said.

“Living in both the city and rural areas will serve me well in the ability to look at the issues from different sides,” he said.

Lee worked for Farmland Packing Plant just three weeks shy of 25 years before the plant burned down in 2001. After that he was classified as a displaced worker and spent some time helping other Farmland displaced workers find jobs through the unemployment office.

As a displaced worker, Lee become an advocate for others like him at the state level, speaking for a bill that extended unemployment to the Farmland former employees.

After receiving training through Riverland Community College, Lee has worked with Elm Homes, a group home for people with disabilities, for the past five years. This is a job he really likes, he said. Lee is an activist and advocate for people with disabilities.

Lee’s wife of 31 years, Renee, is also a displace worker and, after going through training, will be a special education teacher at Alden-Conger School this fall.

Lee and his wife have four kids, three of which are grown and out of the house and one who is still in high school. He has three grandchildren.

“Freeborn County has given me so much,” Lee said. “I feel it is time that I step up and give something back.”