Geesaman is in

After two terms in office, Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman would like to finish what he’s started.

That’s why on Wednesday Geesaman filed to run for a third term as the city’s mayor.

“I need another four years to carry on what we’ve already started and what we’re in the middle of,” he said Wednesday.

Geesaman, a Democrat, so far has one opponent for the May primary election. Bart Darby, Portland Police Department’s assistant chief, filed for the Democrat nomination for mayor on Jan. 11.

WPGW general manager John Boggs is seeking the Republican nomination for the position.

When filing for municipal elections opened Jan. 9, Geesaman had said he was still deciding whether he would seek another term. The 65-year-old spent the last six weeks mulling over his options.

“It can be very physically and mentally taxing on you, and that was one of the reasons why: do I have the energy and determination to move forward?” Geesaman said. “Because some new things have developed, I’m already excited and anxious to get going.

“In other words, I got my second wind.”

He named long-term flooding solutions, downtown revitalization and the planned extension of the airport runway as projects he wants to see to completion. Each has seen progress in the past few years, with more to come.

“I can’t just jump out when I know that we’re getting close to maybe making something happen there,” Geesaman said.

And since he took office in 2012, the city has seen the removal of blighted houses, the construction of Portland Water Park and several short-term flood mitigation projects.

“What I’m most proud of is, most of the short-term measures that we’ve done to address the flooding issues, the sewer backup issues, the combined sewer overflows, is working,” Geesaman said.

One of his goals has always been to be accessible to Portland residents. People approach him while he’s shopping at Walmart or eating at a restaurant, Geesaman said, and he welcomes them.

“You could be the maddest person in town, I’m going to let you walk in the door,” Geesaman said. “I believe in transparency and I am a listener. … I think that’s part of our job, that you shouldn’t just be a politician in the election year.”

If re-elected, Geesaman said he would focus on downtown beautification projects, housing development and getting young people involved in the city’s future. There’s always a new project to tackle, and he excited to keep working to improve Portland.

“You just can’t walk away from something that you feel … that it’s been very positive and you can continue to do positive things,” Geesaman said. “There’s no reason why (in) another four years, that I couldn’t continue what we’re already doing.”