Five men wishing to become the next 1st Ward Albert Lea city councilor will face off in less than a week in a special primary election to narrow down the field to two candidates.

The candidates — George Gillespie, Harold Kamrath, Dave Klatt, Stuart Olson and John Schulte V — range in age by more than 50 years and have a variety of experience.

A sixth candidate, Jeffrey McLaughlin, announced last week he is no longer seeking the seat, though his name will still be on the ballot.

Here’s a brief look at each of the candidates, listed in alphabetical order. They each offer ideas on how to improve the city, along with why they think they should be elected.

The position opened up after former 1st Ward Councilor Vern Rasmussen accepted an immediate appointment as mayor following the Nov. 3 election.

George Gillespie

George Gillespie

Gillespie, 55, of 327 Lloyd Place, has lived in Albert Lea since 1987.

The owner of The Web Room, a computer service center on Marshall Street, he has sought public office three times prior. Most recently, in 2010, he sought the mayoral seat.

In a previous interview, Gillespie said he is running for office because he wants to “help be a part of the brain that’s going to solve the problems that we are facing right now.”

He said he wanted to wait until tonight’s candidate forum at Albert Lea City Hall to talk about his ideas for handling the city’s budget, along with other issues of importance.

When asked why people should vote for him, Gillespie said he is in town 99 percent of the time and is available throughout the day or in the evenings to listen to concerns. He noted that people could come into a relaxed atmosphere at his business to talk about any issues they have.

Gillespie is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 15024 and has volunteered on several occasions in community projects, he said. He has been involved with the Albert Lea Hockey Association for the past 15 years.

Harold Kamrath

Harold Kamrath

Kamrath, 63, of 326 Glenn Road, said he decided to run for office after seeing his property taxes go up.

“I want to make sure I have a say in where the property taxes go, to use them more efficiently and wisely,” he said. “I think I could use common sense in making decisions.”

Kamrath, who has lived in Albert Lea for 40 years, is a retired Albert Lea teacher.

He said he wants to see Albert Lea become a tourist mecca, a place where people want to come from all over the country. He also hopes for some progress with the Freeborn National Bank Building, which the city spent more than $2 million on renovating. He is proposing to put an antique store there.

He said city officials also need to do something with utility prices, noting he is frustrated with prices going up 2 or 3 percent each year.

When asked how he would handle a potential budget crisis, Kamrath referenced the city’s budget reserves and the police and fire fund. He said he also doesn’t support putting sidewalks all over town.

He supports combining city departments, including the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office and Albert Lea Police Department and wants to promote transparency in government.

Kamrath is married to his wife, Ledene, and has three children and one grandchild.

He has been attending council meetings and other meetings around town for several years. He said he thinks he is a good listener, a good decision maker and a hard worker.

Dave Klatt

Dave Klatt

Klatt, 50, of 1309 Oriole Drive, said he is running for office because he felt it would be an opportunity for him to offer his experience in the fields of insurance and financial services, among others.

“I think we have a real opportunity right now,” said Klatt, who has lived in the city for 16 years. “A lot of people are looking at the local government aid cut as a real negative thing. I think it’s an opportunity to make some real smart decisions about what we need versus what we want.”

He said he gets disappointed when people say that to fix a budget crisis a city will have to either raise taxes or cut services.

Having served on the citizens committee that made budget recommendations to the City Council in recent years, he said he understands the importance of collaboration with Freeborn County and other communities and hopes to see more collaboration in the future.

“I want to sustain the lifestyle that we have in Albert Lea, and I don’t believe we have to raise taxes or cut services,” he said.

Klatt noted that he’s not a micromanager of the city budget, but he will ask a lot of questions to form his opinions.

He said he doesn’t think there need to be changes to how the city operates — things just need to be modernized.

“If we need more taxes, we need to increase our tax base, bring businesses in,” he said. “There is a reason we chose to move to Albert Lea, and that reason is still here.”

Klatt is married to his wife, Shari, and has three children. He is an insurance agent and financial services adviser for Dave Klatt State Farm Insurance.

He has been involved with numerous organizations, including the Albert Lea Family Y, Good Samaritan Society, the United Way and 4-H, among others. He is a Blandin graduate and a past township firefighter.

Stuart Olson

Stuart Olson

Olson, 86, of Richway Drive, previously served as a city councilor in 1988 after being elected to fill a vacancy in the 1st Ward.

He served two years under Mayor Harlan Nelson. He said his firsthand knowledge from that term would serve him well on the council, even though times are different.

“I enjoy this type of thing,” Olson said. “I’ve done it, and I know what to expect.”

He noted that his knowledge of the 1st Ward is extensive, as he has lived there for 48 years. He has lived in the city his entire life.

Most people know Olson from his time driving a tour bus for Four Seasons and Albert Lea Bus Co. for 18 years. He said he drove a bus for a total of 2 1/2 million miles, including numerous trips to Branson, Mo., with Freeborn County residents.

Prior to that, he worked 32 years at Wilson & Co.

“It shows good results of what I’m capable of,” Olson said.

Calling himself a busy person, he said right now he’s “free as a bird.”

“I thought now is a good time to go back and see if I can get on the City Council,” he added. “I have a good idea of what needs to be done and the time to check out people’s requests.”

He said he has been brainstorming ideas to bring to the City Council, which he did not want to expand on at this time.

Olson is retired and is married to his wife, Lavonne. He has four children and multiple grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He is a lifetime member of the American Legion Leo Carey Post 56 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 447, a member of the Careyaires men’s vocal group and a member of the First Methodist Church choir. He has also been active in the Elks organization.

John Schulte V

John Schulte

Schulte, 34, of 212 Lee Place, said he’s running for office because he sees the need.

Plus, with his work as a licensed civil engineer and partner at Jones, Haugh & Smith, he’s had quite a bit of experience working with different councils. He said he thinks he can contribute.

“I feel like I’m a good leader and thought it was a good fit for me,” he said.

Some of the issues he said he thinks are of a priority for the 1st Ward include what to do about the Stables area, the development of the former Albert Lea Country Club and even adding a dog park in the city.

He called the dog park a “high value, relatively low cost.”

Schulte said he is in touch with the city’s budget struggles and understands the difference between levies and fees. He noted he also understands the process cities go through to develop infrastructure.

Regarding tough budget times for the city, he said solutions will lie in raising taxes, cutting services or combining services.

Born and raised in Albert Lea, Schulte graduated from Albert Lea High School in 1995 and the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2000.

He moved back to Albert Lea in 2004. He is married to his wife, Mary.

The candidates will debate at 7 p.m. today at Albert Lea City Hall.