Voters elect 1 new council member, re-elect 4 others

City News November 4, 2026

In the Nov. 3 general election, Albert Lea voters chose a new member for their city council: Joey Neely will represent Ward 4.

Neely was elected with 721 votes (68.7%), compared to challenger Charles Alkula, who received 325 votes (30.9%).

The current councilor, Reid Olson, opted to step down at the end of his current term after serving two stints on the council. Olson served on the council from 2007 to 2022, and was then appointed to the seat in 2024 due to the resignation of the city councilor who beat him by 23 votes in the 2022 election.

Voters re-elected the following to the council:

• Mayor Rich Murray over challenger Tiffany Fearing. Murray received 4,318 votes (65.4%), compared to Fearing’s 2,273 votes (34.4%). Murray was first elected as mayor four years ago, after serving as councilor for Ward 1.
• Ward 2 Councilor Larry Baker over challenger John Caucutt. Baker received 616 (64.5%) against Caucutt, who received 334 votes (35%). Baker was first elected to the council in 2006.
• Ward 3 Councilor Ted Herman who ran unopposed. He was appointed to the council earlier this year to fill the seat vacated by Jason Howland who moved to a different city.
• Ward 6 Councilor Brian Anderson, finishing his first term on the council, also ran unopposed.

All newly-elected representatives will take the oath of office at the Jan. 11, 2027 council meeting.