ST. CLOUD -- There are three people running for an open seat on the St. Cloud city council. The seat is in Ward 4, which is the south side of town. This week WJON news will be talking with each of the candidates.

Today we hear from George Rindelaub. He spent 28 years as the Stearns County Administrator before retiring two years ago.

He says there's a lot to be excited about when it comes to the city.

Actually, the biggest reason is I'm really bullish on St. Cloud.  I think we're one of the top regional centers in the upper Midwest.  I think we can make this community an even better place to live.  And my goal really is to improve upon what I think is a pretty darn good community.

He says he feels St. Cloud is the number one regional center in Minnesota, despite the challenges of our location.

We are unique in the fact that we are the largest city in the United States that is located in three counties.  Over the years obviously there have been challenges, but I also think we've had a lot of successes in working together, counties and cities, in getting things done and I hope to build on that.

Rindelaub says even though he's never run for office before, he believes his long career in county government will translate well to working on the city council.

He says one of the biggest issues facing the city right now is what the community wants to be in 10 to 20 years from now.

If you look around, retail is in peril.  We've had a number of large stores whether it's Sears or Herberger's that have closed.  We've also had manufactures like Electrolux - a lot of jobs lost there.  And I think we need to take a more proactive view.

Rindelaub says the top issue he is hearing from residents continues to be anxiousness about streets and roads. He says among the things he thinks the city is doing well is collaboration efforts with organizations like the Rotary Club, which has created Summertime By George.

Rindelaub is facing Mike Conway and Adam Schnettler in the August 14th primary election. The top two vote-getters move on to the general election in November. Current Ward 4 council member Jeff Johnson is not running for re-election.

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