Why did voters throw out a good mayor?

I am saddened and disappointed at the results of the mayoral election in Albert Lea on Nov. 4. Randy Erdman spent four years as a city councilor prior to being elected Mayor. He is just completing his first two-year term. I couldn’t find anyone who could articulate any serious errors committed by Randy. Quite the contrary, he worked his heart out. Randy was a great cheerleader for the city and worked far beyond the call of duty. His occupation permitted him to be available at very flexible times for meetings, and his work was local. It was pointed out in the press that both candidates were good men. I agree with that.

However, Randy had the prior experience of time on the council and had completed one term as mayor. What kind of message does this send to the citizen who desires to serve his community? Campaign hard, get into office, work hard on the job, and as a reward, we will throw you out at the first election! Sour grapes? No, indeed. Think about it! We re-elected Tim Walz and Robin Brown, but we throw Randy Erdman out! Doesn’t make sense to me. Probably the answer is to change the charter and make the mayoral term four or six years. We will monitor closely the progress of the new “administration.”

Warren Jensen

Albert Lea