Geesaman challenging Hosier

Portland clerk-treasurer Randy Geesaman will challenge incumbent Bruce Hosier for mayor.
“I’m in,” the 57-year-old Democrat said this morning.
Geesaman withdrew his candidacy for clerk-treasurer and filed for mayor Wednesday.
“I believe I’m a legitimate alternative choice for mayor,” Geesaman said.
Also seeking the mayoral seat is Richard McGalliard, who filed as an independent.
A 1972 graduate of Pennville High School and a 1976 graduate of Indiana University, Geesaman majored in political science and minored in business administration. He worked for 30 years in sales before being appointed by city Democrats in March 2009 to follow Linda Kennedy as clerk-treasurer after Kennedy resigned.
Geesaman’s decision to run for mayor leaves a vacancy on the Democratic side of the ballot for clerk-treasurer. The deadline for parties to fill vacancies on the ballot is June 30, though independent candidates may file after that time.
Also filing Wednesday was Herman Ingram, 311 W. Penn St., who will be the Democratic candidate facing incumbent Republican Bill Gibson for the District 1 seat on the Portland City Council.
“I believe anybody who runs for mayor should first sit in my position as clerk-treasurer,” Geesaman said. “When you’re CFO (chief financial officer), it gives you perspective on how the city should be run.”
Geesaman was critical of the Hosier administration’s spending habits, noting that expenditures this year to date have exceeded revenues by more than $1million.
“I don’t think we want that to continue,” he said, calling for greater competition among bidders for services provided to the city.
Geesaman said he had been weighing a run for mayor since November and made his decision after hearing from city Democrats “and people outside the party.”
“I want people to know I’m running for the right reasons not the wrong reasons,” Geesaman said. “I haven’t been butting heads with the mayor.”[[In-content Ad]]