Three file to run for mayor

The first day of the 2015 municipal election filing Wednesday saw immediate heat in the race for Portland mayor.
A handful of Republican incumbents also made their intentions known in their pursuit of Portland seats.
With three candidates already putting their hats in the mayoral ring, incumbent Democrat Randy Geesaman will face former street and parks department superintendent Jeff Harker in the May primary for the Democrat candidacy. Both candidates filed Wednesday morning.
Doug Blankenbaker, a former Portland fire chief, filed Wednesday to run for mayor as a Republican candidate.
Geesaman won his first term as mayor in 2011, defeating two-time incumbent Republican Bruce Hosier 768-630. He was selected by Portland Democrats as clerk-treasurer in 2009 to replace the retiring Linda Kennedy.
Harker had served as street and parks department superintendent for nine years before Geesaman replaced him with Ryan Myers in 2012. Blankenbaker was a longtime firefighter before retiring in 2005 and becoming assistant street and parks superintendent.
Republican incumbents Donald Gillespie (Portland City Court judge), Mickey Scott (Portland clerk-treasurer), and Portland City Council members Bill Gibson (District 1), Don Gillespie (District 4) and Kent McClung (District 5) also filed their paperwork Wednesday for re-election, with no contest from Democrat candidates.
The seat of city council member at-large saw one candidate file, Republican Mark Iliff.
Positions in Bryant, Pennville, Salamonia, Redkey and Dunkirk, including Dunkirk mayor and judge, saw no filing action Wednesday.
Municipal election filing ends Feb. 6.