Albert Lea voters have a clear choice this year. Do we believe that Albert Lea has a future and are we willing to do what it takes to move forward, or will we hunker down, pull the covers over our heads and hope to survive another year?

The clear choice is between Randy Erdman for mayor or Mike Murtaugh. Both are fine candidates, but they are polar opposites when it comes to their approach to the future. For 26 years we paid very low city property taxes and enjoyed a state tax subsidy of over 60 percent from the state of Minnesota. We were fearful of what would happen if we lost our meatpacking industry and didn’t invest much in our future. We were content to pump raw sewage into the lakes when it rained, patch our streets instead of fixing them, allow our lakes to become more polluted, drive around flooded streets and businesses, allow our downtown to deteriorate, watch our housing stock fall into disrepair — you get the idea. We seemed to be looking over our shoulders waiting for the next shoe to drop.

Randy was not content to let this continue. First as a city councilor and then as mayor, Randy Erdman has begun to turn things around. Some are urging him to retrench and hunker down because bad times are just around the corner. He believes that the future can be ours if we will just pull together and build a better future for ourselves and our children. We have begun rebuilding our streets, have committed money to clean up the lakes, have expanded the bike trail, constructed new lift stations, hosted new and expanded businesses such as Larson Manufacturing, Select Foods, Mrs. Gerry’s expansion, Freeborn Lumber, Love’s and Flying J truck stops, a new industrial park, Pro Trucking expansion, new Walgreens, new Prairie Center development, medical center expansion, a new 18-hole golf course and new housing developments with more than 200 new homes coming. The list goes on and on, but you get the idea. Albert Lea is now moving forward.

We will certainly face challenges in the next few years and it will require a disciplined and creative leadership to keep our community moving forward. Randy Erdman has those proven skills and has demonstrated his commitment to Albert Lea. He will need a supportive City Council as well as the support that our town does have a great future. Please cast your vote for Randy on Nov. 4.

Tony Trow

Albert Lea