Incumbent Freeborn County commissioners Glen Mathiason and Mike Lee filed their bids for re-election Tuesday morning on what was the first day of filing for public office.

Mathiason, 61, of Alden, has previously served three terms as the 1st District commissioner, and Lee, 56, of Albert Lea, has served a portion of one as 5th District commissioner.

“I was encouraged to run by quite a number of people who I have a lot of respect for,” Mathiason said. “Things have been going pretty good as far as the board goes, and I think we’ve been making some good progress. It feels kind of right.”

Mathiason said he thinks his experience on the board will be helpful in moving the county forward. As he looks ahead to the next few years, he would like to be a part of the anticipated changes with the human services and public health departments.

He noted he also thinks the county has made progress in the past few years on its budget — in part thanks to a conservative administrator and board.

He said he hopes people know they can call or e-mail him whenever they are concerned and he hopes to meet with different groups of residents in the next few months.

“It has been an honor for me to serve the people in the 1st District,” Mathiason said. “They’ve always treated me with a lot of respect, and I appreciate that very much.”

He and his wife, Jill, have one daughter and two grandchildren.

Lee, who was elected during a special election in March 2011 following the resignation and arrest of former Commissioner Linda Tuttle, said he looks forward to getting back out and visiting with the residents in his district.

“It has been one of the greatest privileges of my life being able to serve the citizens of District 5 as your county commissioner,” said Lee. “The experience I have obtained over the past 14 months of being on the board has set a solid foundation of which to build on to serve you better as your commissioner into the future.”

Lee noted some of his top priorities looking forward are keeping property taxes in check, allocating tax dollars wisely, creating local jobs, keeping roads and bridges safe, finding a solution to the Stables area and replacing the Albert Lea Lake dam.

He is employed at Helping Hands of Minnesota and Elm Homes. He and his wife, Renee, have four grown children and four grandchildren.

Filing continues through June 5.