Albert Lea resident David Shoff is giving it another try.

On Tuesday, the last day of filing for public office, Shoff filed his third straight bid to become a 3rd District Freeborn County commissioner.

He will face off against incumbent 3rd District Commissioner Jim Nelson, who has a farming and trucking background, and Ron Steckman, the former Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services president.

Shoff, who is starting a business to help hotels with sales and marketing, said when he ran for and lost the same seat in 2008 he thought that would be his last run for office. However, in the years that have followed, he has seen numerous trends taking place in the county that make him concerned.

One is that the population in Freeborn County over the next 20 years, he said, is expected to remain flat. Another is that the available workforce for people under 65 is expected to decline in the double digits, he said. On top of that, he said, the poverty rate is rising.

He wants to see what he can do to reverse these trends.

“We need to kickstart it, and we need to get the growth moving,” said Shoff, 48.

He talked about how he and his wife, Laurie, have a 1-year-old son, Peter, and when he looks at the future of Freeborn County, he’s worried about where the county is headed.

“I refuse to believe the best of Freeborn County is behind us,” he said.

He suggested forming a committee made up of city, county, chamber and school district representatives to discuss how to grow the county.

Shoff said when he ran in 2004 and 2008 there were several of the same key issues that need to be addressed as there are in 2012.

One of those, for example, is what to do about Bridge Avenue. Shoff said he thinks the north end of Bridge Avenue needs to be changed to include stoplights and turning lanes.

Another key issue is the Albert Lea Lake dam.

Shoff said he plans to get out and meet with as many voters as he can possibly reach and talk about their concerns.

“I believe in this county, and I believe that we can be successful,” he added.