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Portland Commissioner Dan Saltzman has been in office since 1999.

Portland Commissioner Dan Saltzman announced Friday his intention to seek a sixth term on the City Council.

The decision sets the stage for the May 2018 primary race and is an uncharacteristically early announcement for the politically coy Saltzman. The declaration may serve as an official warning to potential challengers emboldened by results from last month's election, when Portland's first incumbent since 1992 lost a re-election bid.

Saltzman, who turns 63 this month, has served on the City Council since 1999. If he wins re-election again, his sixth term would run through 2022, when he'd turn 69.

Saltzman's decision was first reported by Willamette Week. Known inside City Hall for taking long weekends, especially since building a beach home, Saltzman was out of the office Friday afternoon and unavailable for comment.

"I officially can confirm it," Brendan Finn, Saltzman's chief of staff, said of his re-election decision.

Over five terms, Saltzman has earned a reputation as a solid but sizzle-less manager. He's championed elderly and youth causes while serving as the City Council's financial conservative. He's overseen virtually every city bureau and is now responsible for housing, scoring a series of wins -- including a $258.4 million bond measure. And when controversy or trouble springs up, he usually takes his lumps and moves on.

Saltzman, the son of a real estate developer, is independently wealthy. He reported about $1.6 million in outside income in one annual disclosure statement, more than 10 times his salary as a city commissioner. While Saltzman at times has seemed disinterested in the job, he's seemingly been rejuvenated by his current assignments and appears eager to work with Mayor-elect Ted Wheeler, who takes office in January.

Saltzman has never been involved in a competitive re-election bid. Most recently, he waited until August 2013 to announce his re-election plans for May 2014, meaning Friday's announcement comes eight months ahead of schedule.

But times have changed at City Hall. The power of the incumbency took a hit this year when Commissioner Steve Novick lost to novice Chloe Eudaly.

Saltzman's announcement lets any would-be challenger know they'll need to take him on, as opposed to organizing under the assumption he might retire and leave a rare open seat.

Saltzman has served in office longer than anyone in recent history. But he's still a long way from the record: Commissioner William A. Bowes served 30 years until dying in office in 1969.

Commissioner Nick Fish is also up for re-election in May 2018. Asked whether he'll run again, Fish declined to directly comment but offered a smiley-faced emoji.

-- Brad Schmidt

bschmidt@oregonian.com

503-294-7628

@cityhallwatch