Voters on Tuesday selected 6th Ward Albert Lea City Councilor Al “Minnow” Brooks and challenger Matt Maras to move ahead to the general election.

Maras won the primary election with 130 out of 273 votes — or 47.62 percent — while Brooks received 126 — or 46.15 percent. Twenty-year-old college student Sergio Salgado Jr. received 17 votes, or 6.23 percent. Brooks and Maras were separated by merely four votes.

“I appreciate every last vote I got tonight,” said Maras, 54, the president of United Employees Credit Union. “It makes me feel good.”

He said he hopes to represent the 6th Ward the best he can and plans to begin campaigning for the November race.

Brooks, 59, the owner of Brooks Safety Equipment, was first elected to the council in 1998 and said it was welcome news to hear he was moving ahead to the general election.

“I’ll be looking forward to getting out and talking to people,” Brooks said, noting he is still determining his campaign technique moving ahead.

He said if he is elected he wants to concentrate his efforts on the infrastructure in his ward — namely water and sewer repairs. He also wants to look at sprucing up U.S. Highway 65 from Interstate 35 to Main Street.

For the remainder of this year, however, Brooks will focus on the budget and making sure Albert Lea’s seniors are protected.

Maras said if he is elected he hopes to represent his ward the best he can.

Salgado, a server at Perkins who is home from Bethany Lutheran in Mankato, said he anticipated not winning but was glad to have had the opportunity to get his name out in the community.

“I hope I showed the city there are a few young folks out there who care about Albert Lea,” Salgado said.

He said he was grateful for all of the support he received and wished Maras and Brooks good luck in the Ward 6.

“I know Ward 6 will be in good hands with both of these candidates,” Salgado said.

Ward 6 covers most of Albert Lea south of Fifth Street.