Looking back

There’s a process Portland mayor Randy Geesaman, 66, goes through when making a decision. He used Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story,” an old radio show, as an example: he prefers to get all the information, the entire story, before making a decision. He said this philosophy has helped him during his eight years as mayor.

It wasn’t his decision for his tenure as mayor to end. He lost by 184 votes in the election last month. However, looking back, he said he’s proud of what was done and the choices he made while in office.

“There’s a lot more that needs to be done, but we’ve left the City of Portland in the best shape it’s ever been in,” said Geesaman.

He uses the city’s economic development, the “cohesiveness” of the town and the dedication of the city’s government as examples for why he thinks Portland is the best it’s ever been.

“There are communities our size that are dying. There’s communities our size that are stagnant. But we show tremendous growth,” said Geesaman.

He referenced the city’s assessed value increasing by $38 million and its cash balance increasing to $16 million during his tenure as examples of growth.

Geesaman noted the city has improved financially this decade despite Indiana lowering maximum property tax percentages across the board by 0.5%. Property tax is a primary source of revenue for local governments, and Geesaman said many communities lost millions of dollars as a result of the tax adjustment; however, Portland’s revenue from property tax has increased during that same time, which is indicative of companies investing in the city, he said.

Other things the mayor said he is proud of include the increasing number of job opportunities in the city, building a new water park and reducing property vacancy and blight. 

Geesaman said as mayor he utilized his ability to work with people, something he learned from more than 30 years in sales. Something he said didn’t carry over from sales was the speed at which things are done.

“In the private sector, you can make decisions on the spot. In government, there’s a whole process that you have to go through,” he said. “You have to learn to be patient.”

Patience is something he said Portland’s citizens should practice when interacting with their city’s government.

“People don’t have patience and understanding that you have to go through an entire process before anything can happen,” he said, adding that some projects take years to be completed.

Two of his biggest disappointments, he said, come from projects he worked on for years: trying to get another chain grocery store to come to the city following the closure of the Marsh store and the reoccurring flood problem in downtown Portland.

“We’ve talked to every single chain you could possibly have,” he said. “Nobody wants to compete against Walmart.”

He said that with the increase of online shopping, retail companies are more hesitant to invest in new stores, especially in a city of Portland’s size, something he said he learned after former State Rep. Greg Beumer tried to lobby the Indiana Retail Council for the city to get another big grocery store.

Geesaman said a big factor in the city’s flood problem is an unused railroad trestle that sits over the Salamonie River. He has pushed for Norfolk Southern Railway to remove the trestle, but thus far that has not happened.

“They just keep coming up with excuses on why they won’t be part of the solution,” said Geesaman. He added that the city has agreed to pay for the cost of the removal.

As he looks ahead, he said he has confidence in mayor-elect John Boggs, who will assume office next week.

Geesaman kept it simple when asked what advice he has for his successor.

“Don’t reinvent the wheel,” he said. “Do your homework. Don’t try to shoot from the hip all the time.”

Geesaman said his political career is likely over.

“It’s time to enjoy life and walk away, because I’ve put my heart and soul into it for eight years as a mayor and three years as a clerk-treasurer, so it’s time to relax,” he said, though he wants to keep working in some capacity.