St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman may be acting a bit coy about his plans to run for a third term, but he's going out on the town tonight and serving beer at three new or expanded St. Paul bars and restaurants.

There's no doubt Coleman will run again, as he's raising campaign money and talks about serving as president of the National League of Cities in 2014 (if he's still mayor). But he's holding off on making the big formal announcement that would kick off a new campaign.

Coleman  raised $85,000 in the past year and has more than $100,000 in his campaign fund, reports Kevin Duchschere in the Minneapolis-based Star Tribune.

In Minneapolis, Mayor R.T. Rybak's recent announcement that he won't run again set off a political frenzy in the city as potential candidates positioned themselves for a shot at the open seat.

No such excitement is expected in St. Paul, awhere no major challenger to Coleman has emerged. Coleman first won in 2005, beating incumbent Randy Kelly in a landslide, and four years later easily won re-election to a second term.

Tonight, Coleman hopes to bring some attention to the three local establishments with his presence. The schedule:

• 5–5:45 p.m.,  The Bullpen Sports Saloon, 395 N. Robert St.
• 6–6:45 p.m., Ward 6 Food and Drink, 858 Payne Ave. 
• 7–7:45 p.m., The Neighborhood Café, 1570 Selby Ave.