Hire-fire authority issue back on the table

Here we go again.

Fort Smith City Director Philip Merry Jr. has requested the Fort Smith Board of Directors  reconsider a policy change that would give the Fort Smith city administrator the ability to hire and fire city department heads.

Presently, city code places the decision to hire and fire city department heads with the Fort Smith Board of Directors.

“With hire-fire comes the word accountability,” Merry said. “You find me a CEO of a business out there in the private sector that runs the business but doesn’t have that (hire-fire authority). … I just believe it is a fundamental and good and best way of doing business.”

The issue was tested in early 2009 when then City Administrator Dennis Kelly requested hire-fire authority as part of his organizational analysis. Kelly’s request was opposed by then Fort Smith Mayor Ray Baker who called Kelly’s idea “petty stuff.”

Eventually, five of the seven directors opposed Kelly’s request, and Kelly dropped the idea from his analysis plan. The directors opposing the plan who remain on the board are Directors Andre Good, Don Hutchings, Kevin Settle and Steve Tyler.

The directors opposed Kelly’s request for the authority shift because they said the request came too soon after a 2008 conflict between then City Administrator Randy Reed and Fort Smith Police Chief Kevin Lindsey. Reed resigned when his recommendation to fire Lindsey was not approved by the board.

Kelly was fired by the board on Nov. 4, with longtime Deputy City Administrator Ray Gosack hired Jan. 4 as city administrator.

Merry said he has some support on the board to change the hire-fire rule. He also said giving the city administrator the authority creates a more clear chain-of-command.

“This is not about a personality or a person. It’s a structure thing. … I just think everyone needs to know who their bosses are,” Merry explained.

The hire-fire issue could come before the board as early as the Feb. 8 study session.