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A man running for the 1st Ward Albert Lea City Council seat believes job growth will solve the city’s problems.

“There is only one relevant issue — jobs,” said candidate Craig Havener, who is facing Rich Murray for the seat. “Job growth is the answer to every question facing the city. We have more than one organization in the city dedicated to job growth, but they all work independently. If we want job growth, we need to find a way to work together as a team.”

He said the city government also needs to be committed to living within its means and looking for ways to reduce cost and improve service.

Recruitment is needed for job growth, Havener said, and this one of the reasons he recommended to hire experts like this Utah Country recruiting company. “We can’t wait for business to find us — we need to recruit them,” he said. “We need to develop a marketing strategy that highlights the advantages of living and working in Albert Lea, and then we have to actively solicit companies.”

Havener, a retired corporate executive, said one of the best resources for finding new business development is to find out where existing companies do business.

“We have to engage our successful businesses in the recruitment process,” he said. “Who are their suppliers, and how can we reduce cost of logistics for their processes and raw materials?”

In addition, he said he thinks Albert Lea needs an economic development officer to market the city and make doing business with the city professional and straight forward. He also pointed toward a more user-friendly process for planning, zoning and building.

“An economic development officer to the city staff would eliminate the tedious process of trying to navigate through various departments and dealing with multiple city staff,” Havener said. “In short, the economic development officer becomes the advocate for the interested party or company.”

Havener said the city also needs to limit or lower fees associated with business growth or expansion and provide tax incentives, such as job training incentives, reduce water and sewer rates and property taxes for a set time frame to entice companies to invest in Albert Lea.

“The city needs to establish a reputation as a community that has a we will make it happen attitude and reputation,” he said.

Havener also mentioned the city make individuals relocating to the community feel welcome by having a community group, which offers social events and local information that targets newcomers.

There needs to be collaboration between the city of Albert Lea and other local entities for the region to grow, he said.

“The City Council, Albert Lea Economic Development Agency and the Port Authority have to function as a team in order to provide consistent, not conflicting business startup information,” he said. “We need to remember that the goal is to best serve our customer.”

The city needs to increase its population and tax base to continue to make its downtown district vital, Havener said.

“In the end it is all about jobs, jobs, jobs,” he said. “Jobs will turn our declining population around, which will in turn increase consumer demands for local retail businesses.”

Havener said it is the council’s job to welcome and even encourage positive or negative criticism.

“We have an obligation to investigate and provide timely feedback to individuals we represent,” he said. “As a council, we should be as transparent as possible with our constituents by providing accurate and prompt answers to all questions and by addressing their concerns.”

Havener said he supports limiting or stopping the council’s use of closed sessions.

“If the council is discussing or debating spending tax dollars, the citizens have a right to know where their money is being spent, why it is being spent and what the return or payback on the investment. The term closed session implies secrecy, which is the opposite of transparency.”

Havener said he thinks the majority of the council’s decisions are made at Thursday work sessions before the council meeting, which does not allow citizens to speak or question the councilors during the work session.

He said he thinks the city needs to fix its existing infrastructure and flooding issues before building or expanding city facilities.

“We want new businesses, population growth and a growing downtown, but we ignore the lake on Main Street year after year,” he said. “We need to fix what we have before we build anything new.”

Havener said the Shell Rock River Watershed District needs to be held accountable for its actions.

A ballot measure on whether to extend the district’s half-percent sales tax will be on November’s election ballot.

“After 15 years of sales tax, dredging should become a reality, not a promise,” he said. “The Watershed Board and the city need to develop a closer working relationship in order to address the concerns of the citizens of Albert Lea. Again, information flow and listening to the citizen/customer must take center stage.”

As an executive for Thomas & Betts Corp. — a Memphis, Tennessee, based global company — Havener was responsible for acquisitions, procurement, transportation, travel, real estate and facilities.

Havener and his wife, Peggy — director of Albert Lea Public Library — have two children and two grandchildren.