April 17, 2015 at 5:35 p.m.
Two seek GOP bid
The Republican primary for mayor of Portland will pit a long-time city employee against a veteran of county government.
Doug Blankenbaker, who has worked full time for the city for more than three decades, is taking on Milo Miller Jr., who served for nearly 35 years as a county councilman and commissioner. The winner will earn the Republican slot on the November ballot and will take on the winner of the Democratic primary between incumbent Randy Geesaman and former Portland street and parks superintendent Jeff Harker.
Milo Miller, who lives on Bittersweet Lane in Portland, is chairman of the Republican Party in Jay County and served six terms — 24 years — as a county commissioner. He was on Jay County Council for 10 years prior to becoming a commissioner in 1991, and also worked as a contractor.
He decided to run for mayor, he said, after citizens prodded him to do so during late December and the first week of January.
Blankenbaker, an East Race Street resident, started his career with the city as a volunteer firefighter in 1981, was hired as a full-time firefighter three years later and served as chief of the department from 1992 through 2002. He moved to the street and parks department in 2005, and then transitioned to the wastewater treatment plant last year.
He explained that he believes some things with the city can be run more effectively and decided rather than complaining it would be best to get in the race and try to make a difference.
Both candidates said their No. 1 issue is to improve Portland’s appearance, but they had different focuses.
Blankenbaker noted the need to rehabilitate buildings, both downtown and in other areas of the city. He specifically mentioned the Bailey building on Main Street and the Sheller Globe south building on Bridge Street.
Miller placed his focus on overall beautification of the city, saying he wants to make sure trash is picked up and properties are clean. He lamented the number of properties that have cars and/or furniture in their yards and said he’d like to do more with code enforcement.
Doug Blankenbaker, who has worked full time for the city for more than three decades, is taking on Milo Miller Jr., who served for nearly 35 years as a county councilman and commissioner. The winner will earn the Republican slot on the November ballot and will take on the winner of the Democratic primary between incumbent Randy Geesaman and former Portland street and parks superintendent Jeff Harker.
Milo Miller, who lives on Bittersweet Lane in Portland, is chairman of the Republican Party in Jay County and served six terms — 24 years — as a county commissioner. He was on Jay County Council for 10 years prior to becoming a commissioner in 1991, and also worked as a contractor.
He decided to run for mayor, he said, after citizens prodded him to do so during late December and the first week of January.
Blankenbaker, an East Race Street resident, started his career with the city as a volunteer firefighter in 1981, was hired as a full-time firefighter three years later and served as chief of the department from 1992 through 2002. He moved to the street and parks department in 2005, and then transitioned to the wastewater treatment plant last year.
He explained that he believes some things with the city can be run more effectively and decided rather than complaining it would be best to get in the race and try to make a difference.
Both candidates said their No. 1 issue is to improve Portland’s appearance, but they had different focuses.
Blankenbaker noted the need to rehabilitate buildings, both downtown and in other areas of the city. He specifically mentioned the Bailey building on Main Street and the Sheller Globe south building on Bridge Street.
Miller placed his focus on overall beautification of the city, saying he wants to make sure trash is picked up and properties are clean. He lamented the number of properties that have cars and/or furniture in their yards and said he’d like to do more with code enforcement.
“The main topic for me right now is to try to get the place clean,” he said. “You don’t have to have money to have your place looking good. All you have to do is pick stuff up and put it where it needs to be … ”
“I think if we can have a little pride in our properties … (the city can) look picked up, look clean.”
Both candidates pointed to streets and sewer separation as key issues the city must deal with. Portland is under an agreed order to have its combined sewer overflows (CSOs) eliminated by 2025.
While it’s important to keep up with the separation work, Miller said he believes Portland can afford to take a year off from those projects occasionally in order to focus on other priorities. Working to repair streets would be one of his targets, he added, noting that there are many in the city that are in need of work and that he would seek funding sources beyond what is in the annual budget.
Blankenbaker expressed a need to continue working to separate storm and sanitary sewer lines while also alleviating flooding problems.
He agreed with Miller’s assessment of city streets, saying he’d make street repairs a priority. He said the key to success is making sure to focus on the biggest problem areas in Portland and making the most out of the funding that is available.
“We need to pave streets before we do anything in alleys,” said Blankenbaker. “We’ve got the north end pretty well taken care of, and the south end, a lot of it is taken care of. There are some streets in the south end that need attention, but the east and the west now are the ones we need to start looking at.”
Among other key issues, Miller mentioned the need for more work on economic development, in particular along county road 100 North between U.S. 27 and county road 100 East. He also said he believes the city needs to construct a spec building in order to help attract new businesses.
He added that he’d like to use his years in county government to help find ways for the city and county to collaborate, saying more is accomplished when the entities work together.
“I’ve got a lot of experience that I can put to use as far as being mayor of the City of Portland,” said Miller. “A lot of experience. I’ve dealt with engineers, consultants, lawyers, state officials …”
Other important issues for Blankenbaker include adding sidewalks, especially along Morton Street, for children going to and from school and walking paths for senior citizens. He’d also like to help spur continued improvement of city parks.
He emphasized his experiences in a variety of roles as a city employee, saying he believes they make him a well-rounded candidate.
“I have dealt with people in the worst times when I was fire chief, losing somebody or a building. I’ve worked with people when they’ve had problems, on the street and parks department. And I’ve worked with people on the sewage,” said Blankenbaker. “I’ve worked with people. I’ve been on both sides of management and working, and I understand both sides.”
“I think if we can have a little pride in our properties … (the city can) look picked up, look clean.”
Both candidates pointed to streets and sewer separation as key issues the city must deal with. Portland is under an agreed order to have its combined sewer overflows (CSOs) eliminated by 2025.
While it’s important to keep up with the separation work, Miller said he believes Portland can afford to take a year off from those projects occasionally in order to focus on other priorities. Working to repair streets would be one of his targets, he added, noting that there are many in the city that are in need of work and that he would seek funding sources beyond what is in the annual budget.
Blankenbaker expressed a need to continue working to separate storm and sanitary sewer lines while also alleviating flooding problems.
He agreed with Miller’s assessment of city streets, saying he’d make street repairs a priority. He said the key to success is making sure to focus on the biggest problem areas in Portland and making the most out of the funding that is available.
“We need to pave streets before we do anything in alleys,” said Blankenbaker. “We’ve got the north end pretty well taken care of, and the south end, a lot of it is taken care of. There are some streets in the south end that need attention, but the east and the west now are the ones we need to start looking at.”
Among other key issues, Miller mentioned the need for more work on economic development, in particular along county road 100 North between U.S. 27 and county road 100 East. He also said he believes the city needs to construct a spec building in order to help attract new businesses.
He added that he’d like to use his years in county government to help find ways for the city and county to collaborate, saying more is accomplished when the entities work together.
“I’ve got a lot of experience that I can put to use as far as being mayor of the City of Portland,” said Miller. “A lot of experience. I’ve dealt with engineers, consultants, lawyers, state officials …”
Other important issues for Blankenbaker include adding sidewalks, especially along Morton Street, for children going to and from school and walking paths for senior citizens. He’d also like to help spur continued improvement of city parks.
He emphasized his experiences in a variety of roles as a city employee, saying he believes they make him a well-rounded candidate.
“I have dealt with people in the worst times when I was fire chief, losing somebody or a building. I’ve worked with people when they’ve had problems, on the street and parks department. And I’ve worked with people on the sewage,” said Blankenbaker. “I’ve worked with people. I’ve been on both sides of management and working, and I understand both sides.”
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