Geesaman to face off vs. Harker

Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman will face a primary challenge from one of his former employees.
Former street and parks department superintendent Jeff Harker is running against Geesaman for the Democratic nomination for mayor. The winner will advance to the November general election against either Milo Miller Jr. or Doug Blankenbaker, who are running for the Republican nomination.
Geesaman, a Floral Avenue resident, is in the final year of his first term as mayor after defeating Republican incumbent Bruce Hosier in 2011. The Indiana University graduate had a 33-year career in sales before entering city government when he was selected as clerk-treasurer in 2009 after the resignation of Linda Kennedy.
Harker, who lives on East Race Street, served with Portland Police Department for 23 years, including two as chief in 1992 and ’93. He has also worked for Jay County Highway Department, Createc and Portland’s street and parks department as superintendent from 2004 through 2012, when Geesaman replaced him with current superintendent Ryan Myers.
The decision to run for mayor for Harker came while he was working for the city in 2006, when deciding he would mount a campaign after then-mayor Bruce Hosier was done serving in the position. He said he’s following through on those plans, along with his interest in seeing continued progress after having been a part of projects such as the widening of Industrial Park Drive, the extension of Lafayette Street and the construction of Hudson Family Park.
Geesaman, who studied political science at IU, noted that public service was always his first passion. He said he feels his administration has been able to deal with some important issues, such as sewer separation, in his first three-plus years, and added that he’s looking forward to the opportunity to focus on items such as sidewalks, flooding, downtown revitalization and economic development.
One of the accomplishments he touted from his first term is Portland Water Park, which is scheduled for construction this summer with a grand opening in 2016. It is especially important, he said, that more than 30 percent of the funding is coming from private donations, which allows the city to continue to work on other priorities.
“There’s going to be people who say, ‘Gosh, that was a lot of money for a pool,’” he said. “But, I think that the fact that I insisted that it would be a public/private partnership where we paid 68 percent and the private sector came up with 32 percent makes sense because we have all these infrastructure needs.

“The only way it would work was if the private sector came through. And they absolutely did more than their share to make this work.”
Harker agreed that there iss a need for a new pool, adding that he likes the fact that the facility will be a water park with a variety of features. But he questioned whether it was a good financial move to spend $2.25 million in city funds on the project and to use tax increment financing (TIF) money as well.
“Nobody knows that we needed a pool better than me,” he said. “That thing was repaired many times.
“I still question giving the money away when we’ve got so much infrastructure here that needs to be taken care of.”
While Harker referred to finances as his No. 1 concern, he also discussed the importance of making sure sewer separation projects are completed correctly and the need for beautify Portland. Two key areas of concern he mentioned were the Wayne Street book bindery building that was torn down with the rubble not yet cleared, the Bailey building on West Main Street and the Sheller Globe south building on Bridge Street.
He added that the condition of city streets is an issue, which he believes is exacerbated by not repairing cracks in the fall and then using steel blades instead of rubber when plowing snow.
Geesaman pointed to the $6 million-plus that the tax base has been increased over the last three years by way of new businesses and expansions and said that’s a process he wants to continue.
Two other key issues — flooding and downtown revitalization — are tied together, he said. It will be difficult to fill downtown buildings until flooding issues are solved, he added, and noted the importance of televising and mapping of sewers that have allowed for some short-term fixes and better planning for the future.
Harker agreed that economic development is a key issue, saying he wants to focus on Industrial Park Drive and the Lafayette Street extension as areas to bring in new businesses.
He said his experience working with other government entities such as Indiana Department of Environmental Management and Indiana Department of Transportation would be keys to success as mayor, and said good communication would be an important part of his administration.
“I think if people vote for me they’ll see a change in city functions. They’ll see a change in the way city business is done,” said Harker. “I’m more proactive than I am reactive … I hate waiting for things to happen.”
Geesaman also noted the importance of staying ahead of the game, whether it be in working on sewer separation or finding ways to bring in more funding in case the state legislature makes further cuts to municipal funding.
He emphasized his accessibility to citizens and his effort to work collaboratively with his city council, department heads and other local officials as reasons he deserves a second term as mayor.
“From the first day that I walked in the office, I’ve had an open door policy,” he said. “I’ve had the public forums. I’ve had the 10 minutes with the mayor. … I’m very accessible.”