Don Persson announced Friday he will run for a fourth term on the Renton City Council.

The times are exciting, he said, but the city also is working through the recession’s impact on the city’s budget. Still, he’s optimistic.

“I see the light at the end of the tunnel in the next few years,” he said.

Persson said he still has more work to do on the council and he wants to finish what has already been started in his first 12 years on the council. Those initiatives include revitalizing the Highlands and downtown Renton.

Persson, 68, is known for his careful stewardship of residents’ tax dollars. He had a key guiding principle as he took difficult votes to balance the city’s budget.

“I wanted to be sure we gave the best services possible to our citizens and we were spending our money wisely and not frivolously,” he said. “We have accomplished that.”

The hardest part of balancing the budget was the need to lay off people he has known for years, “through no fault of their own,” he said.

He’s also practical.

Persson wasn’t happy when the City Council last fall raised the average monthly utility bill by about 24 percent.

But he and the rest of the council approved the higher rates, because the city had to play catch up after so many years of small rate increases.

Persson at one time opposed annexing the City of Renton to the King County Library System. But he told the Renton Reporter in August 2009 in voting to place the annexation on the ballot that the city couldn’t afford to run the library on its own anymore.

He also has joined Mayor Denis Law in warning that city services to current Renton residents would suffer if West Hill annexes without first closing a multimillion-dollar gap in revenue needed to extend services there.

Persson served for three decades on the Renton Police Department, rising to the rank of deputy police chief.

On the City Council, he has served two terms as council president and currently chairs the council’s Finance Committee. He has served on numerous regional boards and committees, including Eastside Transportation Partnership, which works to reduce traffic congestion in the region.

In the community Persson is known for grilling chicken, salmon, hot dogs and hamburgers for community groups and city events. He co-founded the Renton Seniors Thanksgiving Dinner at the Renton Senior Center.

Persson and his wife Vicky live on Renton Hill.

His campaign manager is fellow council member, Randy Corman.

“With his deep background in the community and strong management skills, Don has made major contributions to the revitalization of our city,” Corman said.