Council member incumbents John Harlander and Keith Heitzman, along with Berleen Hollenkamp and Charlene Ohmann, are vying to fill two seats. Bruce Winter, who was appointed to fill the seat of council member Adam Rushmeyer, who resigned, is running for the special election council seat.
John Harlander
Age: 63
Occupation: Owner of the The Woodshop of Avon Inc.
Why are you running for this position? To help the city continue to provide high quality public services to the residents, such as police, fire, water and sewer. Also, to help the city continue to run smoothly with the retirements of Tom Schneider and Ozzie Carbajal. Together, they had close to 50 years of service to the city of Albany. I’m very interested in continuing with street reconstruction improvements, replacing infrastructure that is over 60 years old.
Share you organization or business experience. I am currently completing my third term on the council, and I am also a retired member of the Albany Fire Department. I have been involved with the city and the community for over 40 years. I have been a member of the Albany Economic Development Authority for over 30 years and also served on the planning commission for 20 years before being elected to the city council.
What issues in your city do you find most pertinent and pressing? Why? Issues include federal and state mandates that affect the operation of the city’s water and sewer systems in addition to three-plus reconstruction projects that we have left to do west of Eighth Street. While many improvements increase debt, the council and myself have maintained a moderate city tax rate the last 25-plus years compared to nearby cities. This was accomplished with the assistance of a financial consultant and the prior city administrator.
Are there other issues you want to address? Employee retention: The best thing we can do for our residents and businesses is to make sure we have long-term employees. High inflation: Try to keep our water and sewer costs under control. City tax rate: To be able to continue with several street reconstruction projects and keep our tax rate as low as possible. Having accomplished so many reconstruction improvements, main street storefront improvements and most recently a mill and overlay improvement has been all well-received by community businesses and residents.
Keith Heitzman
Age: 49
Occupation: I work at Rotochopper Inc. as an assembly technician and am also a substitute bus driver for the Albany Area Schools bus service.
Why are you running for this position? I like to see the city improve while looking forward on issues such as adding sidewalks for public safety and working on finding safe routes to school. I look forward to seeing projects coming to fruition and staying ahead of any problems that may arise by rebuilding our city sewer and water infrastructure and roads. I see the importance of this position and take it seriously because we are ensuring that future generations have a safe and current city to live in.
Share you organization or business experience. I don’t have a lot of business experience, but I have learned a lot during my years on the city council. I am also the president of our neighborhood homeowners association. I don’t see this as a detriment, as I feel I can relate well to the majority of the residents of Albany. I am just a regular guy that has the same concerns as everyone else.
What issues in your city do you find most pertinent and pressing? Why? As a city, we need to try lowering or maintaining our tax capacity levy. With the housing market growing like it is and the cost of materials and labor increasing, we have to keep looking at our capital improvement funds. I don’t want to see us short on funds when we’re rebuilding our city sewer and water infrastructure or improving our roads.
Are there other issues you want to address? I would like to see the city start looking at maintaining and improving our other established parks. I want them to remain a safe place for children to play for many years to come. I’d also like to see more family restaurants established in Albany — a nice place to have a sit-down meal.
Berleen Hollenkamp
Age: 52
Occupation: Homemaker
Why are you running for this position? Albany is in my DNA, and my family has been calling it home dating back to when it was just a settlement. Albany’s where my heart is, and I’m ready to give the residential community a voice. City council meetings? Been there, done that. I have been attending almost every meeting for the last few years. Now, I’m ready to join the club and make some noise.
Share your organizational or business experiences. I am a co-founder of Albany Friends and Neighbors, a community group on Facebook. I manage and interact with over 3,000 members and keep them in the loop on local events and shenanigans. My prior managerial experience in one of our local businesses, including serving as executive secretary for the Albany Chamber of Commerce, has honed my ability to collaborate with business leaders and owners.
What issue affecting your city do you find most pertinent and pressing? Why? What’s the one city issue that’s driving me crazy? Communication and community involvement, or lack thereof, is my top contender. Imagine if residents and business owners had a megaphone to the council — we’d be unstoppable. Time to turn up the volume.
Are there other issues that need attention? Not anything in particular at this time, but I plan to promptly address any emerging concerns in our city, whether related to budget and taxes, maintenance, public services or parks, considering the needs of the entire community.
Charlene Ohmann
Age: 47
Occupation: Licensed dental hygienist
Why are you running for this position? To serve as a voice for the people in our community. I will listen to my neighbors and advocate for their needs and try to ensure everyone’s voice is heard.
Share your organization or business experience. I am a lifelong resident of Albany and have worked in town throughout my career. I have been married to my husband for 25 years and have two children who are attending the public school in Albany. My family and I are members of the Seven Dolors Catholic Church.
What issues in your city do you find most pertinent and pressing? Why? After speaking with many residents of our community, the most important issue is keeping property taxes affordable and avoiding any increases. Albany has always been an affordable town to raise a family in, and it is important to keep it that way.
Bruce E. Winter
Age: 66
Occupation: Retired
Why are you running for this position? I value the community and believe we must stay informed.
Share your organizational or business experiences. I held membership in the Local 49 Union, cement masons and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
What issue affecting your city do you find most pertinent and pressing? Why? I believe resolving water, sewer and park issues is of paramount importance at present.
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