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Rasmussen said he feels comfortable with the media and letting them know about various things going on in the city.

There may sometimes be time-sensitive issues because of business that may not be able to be talked about initially, but otherwise, he noted he thinks it’s important to keep the media in tune to what’s going on.

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He said he sees the media as part of the team — in that the city relies on the media to get their jobs done and vice versa. The Kehr's team, the vitality team and let's not forget the Chamber's team...just what we need Vern...another pocket man of the Chamber.

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Rasmussen said he feels comfortable with the media and letting them know about various things going on in the city.

There may sometimes be time-sensitive issues because of business that may not be able to be talked about initially, but otherwise, he noted he thinks it’s important to keep the media in tune to what’s going on.

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New Albert Lea City Manager Jim Norman is the subject of a pending investigation into alleged misconduct, Albert Lea Human Resources Director Mike Zelenak confirmed Tuesday.
The Albert Lea City Council briefly reviewed the allegations during a special meeting Monday. The nature of the allegations is concerning the use of the city credit card during Norman’s relocation to Albert Lea.

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Mayoral candidates:

Could you tell our citizens/taxpayers how you feel about Ellen Kehr’s SHIP coordinator paid county job and being a city councilwoman? Do you feel that there is a conflict of interest or not?

Even though the Tribune is a member of the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce, I was wanting more answers from the Tribune on this issue. Where is this money?

The SHIP grant is $190,000; if you go to www.healthyfreeborncounty.org, only $8,300 has been spelled out.

In the near future, another mayoral forum will be held, but the chamber decides what questions are worthy. Somehow, I don’t think it was wrong to ask at the last forum whether or not the executive director, Randy Kehr, and his wife’s numerous positions are conflicts of interest. Hopefully, the editor will allow the question here.

Is this right? What will you, if anything, do about it if elected as mayor? In Mr. Mike Murtaugh’s case, why wasn’t anything done?

Points to ponder for the citizens, taxpayers and mayoral candidates:

• The city statute statement that was used as a reason for Kehr to keep her position as a city councilwoman and/or SHIP coordinator for the county was written and hasn’t been amended since 1979. It mentions nothing about county jobs or county positions.

• Both Randy Kehr and Lois Ahern (who hired the unqualified Kehr being paid $22 per hour due to who she knows rather than interviewing anyone else for the position) are both on the Vitality Team, which can also apply for grants in which Ellen Kehr decides on.

• Ellen Kehr is the wife of the executive director of the Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Kehr is president of ALEDA and the Port Authority, which Dan Dorman proclaims that these two are not the same entity. There needs to be more transparency about these roles.

Tonya Lynch

Albert Lea

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Could you tell our citizens/taxpayers how you feel about Ellen Kehr’s SHIP coordinator paid county job and being a city councilwoman? Do you feel that there is a conflict of interest or not?