Geesaman will run for 2nd term

As his third year in office comes to a close, Randy Geesaman is turning his sights to a second term.
Geesaman, a Democrat, announced this week that he will run for a second term as mayor of Portland. Filing for city and town elections begins Jan. 7 and runs through Feb. 6.
“I’ve always had the feeling, even when I was in the private sector, that I wanted to do community service and be in the political process,” said Geesaman. “I feel like I can make a serious contribution, and I feel like we have for the last three years.”
He touted a variety of initiatives that have occurred during his first three years in office, including the decision to build a new city pool and an agreement with Indiana Department of Transportation to include new sewer and water lines, sidewalks and lighting in the upcoming Ind. 26 East project. He also noted flood mitigation projects, such as the upcoming west-side sewer work, and the attraction or expansion of local businesses such as IOM Grain, FCC, Fort Recovery Industries and the Berne Ready Mix project that was announced this week.
The additional businesses’ activity, he said, has helped increase the tax base, which will result in the tax rate dropping from $1.42 per $100 of assessed valuation in 2014 to $1.37 in 2015.
Working to fix downtown flooding will continue to be a key issue as he hopes to focus on downtown revitalization if elected to a second term, he said.
“Nobody’s going to invest in downtown if they know three or four times a year it’s going to be flooded out,” he added. “If we could come up with a plan that will reduce the flooding and the (combined sewer overflows), people will start taking an interest in downtown … That’s my No. 1 goal.”
The city is ahead of schedule on its agreed order with Indiana Department of Environmental Management to separate its sewers, he added, saying the city now has time to find the best, most-cost effective solution. The next phase of the separation is not scheduled until 2016, and the overall separation deadline is 2025.
Though attendance has been up-and-down, Geesaman added that he’s tried to be accessible to the city’s citizens through his public forums and “10 minutes with the mayor.”
He plans to continue those efforts in the future and said his door is always open.
In critiquing his first term, he said he tends to try to be too much of a people pleaser and at times needs to be more direct and firm.
Geesaman took office in 2012 after defeating two-time incumbent Republican Bruce Hosier 768-630 in the 2011 general election. He previously served as Portland’s clerk-treasurer.
“I just feel very humbled and privileged for the last three years I’ve been serving the City of Portland,” said Geesaman. “We’ve got a lot of great things that we’ve accomplished, but I’d like the opportunity to take that another step forward …”