A former member of the Albert Lea City Council, resident John Severtson is running his fourth time for the office of mayor.

Severtson, 65, will face off against incumbent Mayor Vern Rasmussen, a physical therapist, in the Nov. 4 general election.

Retired from Enderes Tools, Severtson resides at 214 S. Pearl St. with his wife, Becky. They have three grown children and four grandchildren.

Severtson served as the 5th Ward councilor from 1985 to 1989 and from 2005 to 2009. He also ran once for the office of 3rd Commissioner District seat on Freeborn County government.

“I’ve got the time,  and I’ve got the knowledge of the city,” he said. “I’ve lived here all my life.  I’ve seen a lot of downs, but I haven’t really seen a lot of ups.”

He talked about the need to streamline staff at the city and said he agrees with the proposal from City Manager Chad Adams to reorganize the organization.

“We duplicate a lot of stuff,” he said.

He noted he values the Department of Parks and Recreation in the city and said he thinks that whatever happens with this department that it is important to remember that quality of life is one of the keys to getting people to move to Albert Lea.

He said he is concerned with how the Port Authority is operated and thinks it should be returned to the city to lead it.

“I don’t have any issues with Vern,” he said.  “My issues are these, and I want to see how many people agree with me. “

Since his term on the Albert Lea City Council ended in 2009, Severtson has been active in the community.

He serves on various positions throughout the community including as the commander for American Legion Post 56 until June, chairman of the local Beyond the Yellow Ribbon group,  a member of the Albert Lea Planning Commission and a board member for the local union center. He served in the Marines during the Vietnam War.

In his spare time, Severtson said he enjoys woodworking and attending garage sales.

He said he is a good candidate for office because he gets along with most people and tries to talk with them. He noted he still, even five years since he was on the council, has people call him who still think he is on the council who ask him to get things done.