A town councillor has thrown his hat into the ring to become the next mayor of Altona.

Al Friesen intends to run for the town's top job in municipal elections scheduled for late October.

Al FriesenFriesen is the only candidate to put his name forward so far after current mayor Melvin Klassen announced earlier this spring that he will not be running for re-election.

"I care about this community and have a lifetime of volunteerism and being a part of town council has been rewarding. I think there is an opportunity for growth in our community and I want to be a part of that," said Friesen.

Friesen was elected to town council in 2014 and is serving out the remainder of his four-year term.

He believes the town has made some significant improvements to put itself in a position for growth. Those improvements include expansion of the town's lagoon and landfill facilities and large investments in recreation such as the aquatic centre, curling rink, and baseball facilities.

Friesen believes, however, there needs to be a shift in priorities going forward.

"I think our next focus should be on more jobs. More jobs translates into more people and more people means more housing starts, it means more people in our schools and more people in our stores."

To that end, Friesen chaired a steering committee that explored ways to encourage economic growth. Out of that process, a regional development board was established this spring involving representatives from town council and Rhineland council and includes six local business leaders. This organization will spearhead ways to foster and encourage business growth in the area.

Friesen also feels there are a number of outstanding issues that need to be addressed soon including an upgrade to Main Street and the possible expansion of the town's composting curbside program.

This year's municipal elections will be held October 24th.