Meet the candidates: Albany Mayor

Albany Mayor 

Incumbent Tom Kasner and Harold Desautel are running for Albany mayor. 

Tom Kasner

Age: 61

Occupation: Retired golf course superintendent at the Albany Golf Club

Why are you running for this position? With new administration and police personnel, I feel the working relationship I have developed with them — along with all city employees — and my experience as mayor will be an asset as they gain experience serving the community. I care very much for this community. We have raised our family here, worked here and made a lot of friends here. I feel fortunate to have been able to be so involved with such a great community.

Share your organizational or business experiences. I oversaw many employees in my 37 years at the golf course and worked side-by-side with the city to create a balance between the two entities, along with creating and balancing budgets and purchasing and working with many people in the public sector.

What issue affecting your city do you find most pertinent and pressing? Why? Trying to maintain and retain our long-term employees while wages and benefits continue to keep rising everywhere and working to continue to make road and infrastructure updates and repairs to a community that has doubled in size since I moved here in 1987. All the while, the costs of these projects have nearly doubled in the last 10 years.

Are there other issues you want to address? Taxes. We have continued to maintain a tax capacity rate that has been and still is one of the lowest among many area cities. Primarily, taxes have risen because of property values continually rising, which is determined by the county and sales of property within our city. A home that was worth $150,000 10 years ago might sell for $300,000 today. It should be considered a good investment, but when taxes rise, we tend to forget about that. The costs of living and maintaining will be a challenge for years to come.

Harold Desautel

Age: 59

Occupation: Electrical engineer and president of Preferred Controls/High Performance Harry’s

Why are you running for this position? I have lived in Albany most of my life, only leaving to attend college and gain early work experience. I moved back in 2000 and started both my business and family. I’m fortunate to have children and grandchildren living in Albany. I can work together with the city council, residents and business community to improve Albany and hold the line on spending. I will openly and respectfully seek public input on city issues while understanding the money the city is spending belongs to the taxpayers. I have gone door to door meeting with Albany’s residents, and it confirms my position that important issues have been ignored for too long. …

Share your organizational or business experiences. Served on Albany’s Golf Club board of directors for three years. My fundraising for Albany includes the addition of Toptracer to the Albany Golf Club and North Park improvements. I am licensed to practice professional engineering in four states. I am a published author and a patent holder.

What issue affecting your city do you find most pertinent and pressing? Why? As I spend my time talking to residents, I have learned the No. 1 issue is taxation/levy growth. In 2022, Albany’s tax levy was $1,093,413. The proposed levy for 2025 is $1,650,412. That means taxpayers have over a 50% increase in four years. This is unacceptable. It’s time for new leadership. Many residents show a mutual love and pride for our special community but fear the growth in taxation through the levy is making Albany too expensive to live in, especially for elderly loved ones and young, growing families. If elected, I will not support the current 2025 budget proposal for remodeling city hall and adding additional city staff. 

Are there other issues you want to address? Yes, I am concerned about the number of residents expressing concern over safety hazards for children due to vehicles speeding in residential areas. Our law enforcement does an excellent job, but it takes more than them to fix this problem. Pedestrians are having numerous close calls with speeding cars on roads posted with 40-mph speed limits, which is too high in residential areas. As mayor, I will address with both the Stearns County board and the highway department, requesting these areas be lowered to 30 mph. The issue of the drinking water quality is something else I will address. My company works with similar water systems throughout the country. …