Darby to seek mayoral seat

If Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman decides to run for a third term, he will have a challenger from within his own party.

Bart Darby filed paperwork Friday afternoon to seek the Democrat nomination for mayor of Portland.

Darby joins Republican John Boggs, who filed Wednesday, in the Portland mayoral race. Geesaman, who has served two terms, has said he has not yet decided whether he will seek re-election.

Also filing for office Friday were Kelly Watson for Dunkirk clerk-treasurer and Judy Hedges for Portland City Council.

Darby said he began thinking about running for mayor in 2000 while working as chief of police under then-mayor Jim Hedges. Now, with retirement from the police force looming, he felt it was time to bring that idea to fruition.

“I just thought it was a good time for me to run,” he said.

Darby is a 1978 Jay County High School graduate who went on to join Portland Police Department as a reserve officer in 1983. He shifted to Jay County Sheriff’s Office and graduated from Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in 1989, and then returned to the Portland force in 1991. He has served there ever since, including as chief of police from 1996 through 2004.

He has also served on Jay County Election Board and Portland Plan Commission.

He said he feels he can be a benefit to the city in a lot of areas and make a big difference as mayor. 

“A lot of people go on what’s the biggest important thing of the city. I don’t think there’s any big important thing. I think everything’s important,” said Darby, adding that he feels his 28 years as a government employee give him good insight. “And everybody needs to come together and join together and fix all the problems, such as flooding, revitalization, streets, recycling … just everything I think is important. And everybody needs to work together to try and fix it instead of kicking the can.”

Watson, a Democrat, will challenge incumbent Democrat Tina Elliott for Dunkirk clerk-treasurer. She currently works in the county auditor’s office.

Though she has yet to file, Elliott has said she plans to run for the office that she took over in January 2016. She was appointed following the resignation of Phonnie Kessler, who won re-election three months after giving up the job. (It was too late, at the time, to remove her name from the ballot.)

Hedges, who represents District 2 on Portland City Council, will seek her first elected term in office. She was appointed to take over her husband Mark’s seat following his death in 2017.

Democrats who have already filed to run are incumbent Portland clerk-treasurer Lori Aker Ferguson for re-election, Jack Robbins and Sandy Rollins for mayor of Dunkirk and incumbent Redkey clerk-treasurer Debbie James for re-election.

Republicans who have filed are John Boggs for mayor of Portland, incumbent Dunkirk Mayor Gene Ritter for re-election, Portland City Court Judge Donald Gillespie for re-election, incumbent Portland city council members Don Gillespie, Kent McClung and Janet Powers for re-election and Steven McIntosh for the Portland City Council District 3 seat that is currently held by Michele Brewster.

Election filing is open through Feb. 8. The primary election is slated for May 7.