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Albert Lea swears in two firefighters, proclaims Crash Responder Safety Week and hears Operation Greenlight pitch
Summary
At its Oct. 27 meeting the council ceremonially swore in firefighters Blair Bonnerup and Kyo Htoo, Mayor Rich Murray proclaimed Nov. 17–21 as Crash Responder Safety Week, and Freeborn County veteran service officer Jeff Dolan asked the city to participate in Operation Greenlight, citing a $30 million local economic impact from veterans' benefits in 2024.
Albert Lea officials used the Oct. 27 City Council meeting to mark personnel and public-safety occasions and to hear a veterans' recognition initiative.
Chief Laskowske introduced newly hired firefighters Blair Bonnerup and Kyo Htoo and praised their backgrounds; Karla administered the oath of office. “They both embody what we expect at Albert Lea Fire Rescue,” Chief Laskowske said, describing Bonnerup’s prior service with Hollandale Fire and Htoo’s path from paid-on-call to full time.
Mayor Rich Murray read a proclamation declaring Nov. 17–21, 2025, as Crash Responder Safety Week in Albert Lea, noting the national theme “safety starts with you: move over and slow down” and citing that 19 first responders had been killed nationwide while responding to roadway incidents as of Sept. 15, 2025. The proclamation encouraged residents to practice safe driving habits around incident scenes.
In the public forum, Jeff Dolan, Freeborn County veteran service officer, presented Operation Greenlight — an outreach effort running Nov. 4–11 that asks communities to illuminate buildings in green to recognize veterans. Dolan said Freeborn County has roughly 2,000 veterans and noted that, according to a 2024 report he cited, veterans and their families received more than $13 million in direct federal VA benefits and about $17 million in indirect benefits, for a combined economic impact of over $30 million locally. He urged Albert Lea to join the counties across the nation participating in Operation Greenlight; the council later approved a consent agenda resolution supporting the initiative.
Council members thanked the speakers, and Teresa joined officials for a photo after the proclamation presentation. The ceremonial items and the Operation Greenlight resolution were approved without further council action.
