Fort Smith city administrator search has 13 candidates

The second attempt by the Fort Smith Board of Directors in almost 19 months to hire a new Fort Smith city administrator has garnered 13 candidates as of Thursday (June 11). The application window has been extended beyond the initial June 5 deadline, according to City Director Lee Kemp.

Kemp, who was tasked by his board colleagues to lead the process to find a qualified pool of candidates, told Talk Business & Politics he would prefer to have more than 13 candidates, but said the number is “realistic” considering the city’s political climate may have a chilling effect on the process. (Talk Business & Politics has requested the list of candidates, and will update this story or post another story when the list is provided.)

“Obviously I would love to have more applicants, but I also think people who apply have done a Google search or watched some things, and have realized the context they would be working in,” Kemp said in a brief Thursday interview.

That context found in a Google search would most likely result in stories about an effort to change the city’s form of government. A group of citizens are working to collect at least 2,608 registered city voter signatures to place the question on the November 2026 ballot. The signatures must be submitted by late July or early August and verified by the Fort Smith City Clerk’s office for the item to be placed on the November ballot.

In Fort Smith’s form of government, the city administrator is the CEO. Changing to a mayor-council form of government would place city management responsibility with the mayor. If voters approve a change of government in November 2026, elections for the new government would be held in November 2028. If voters reject a change of government, state law prevents the question from returning to the ballot for four years.

“This is going to be an interesting adventure period, because the change of government is still being brought up,” Kemp said.

PROCESS BACKGROUND
The board fired Carl Geffken as city administrator in December 2024. Geffken was hired to be the city administrator in March 2016 with a salary of $175,000. His annual salary when he was fired was $204,513. Deputy City Administrator Jeff Dingman has been the interim administrator since Geffken’s firing.

Instead of hiring a national search firm, the board on Aug. 19, 2025, voted to have the city’s human resources department post the job on the city’s website. The board named Kemp as the board’s liaison with the city administrator search. After that effort failed, the board in early March agreed to work with Daytona Beach Shores, Fla.-based Colin Baenziger & Associates (CBA) to conduct a nationwide search for a city administrator.

In March, Kemp has said early conversations with the search firm and Eric Garvin, the city’s human resources director, indicate it is possible to have an administrator hired by mid-July. Kemp said Thursday a “decision target” to hire a city administrator is July 31.

‘POSITIVE SIGN’
In a June 3 note to Fort Smith Mayor George McGill and the Fort Smith Board, CBA Managing Partner G. Scott Krim said having 10 candidates – the number as of June 3 – was “an exceptionally positive sign” considering the city’s “recent circumstances and discussions.”

“Among the candidates, are a few that appear promising, and would be a great fit for the City,” Krim noted in the email. “As you may know, the position closes on Friday, June 5th. We previously mentioned to a few of you that we may want to extend the search. Frankly, as recruiters we get greedy, and want as many qualified candidates as possible. We will let you know if we decide to extend the search, but be assured, an extension will not affect the scheduled timeline. Simply, our firm will exert more energy to complete all assignments on time.

“We are continuing our recruitment efforts by advertising and making individual phone calls to potential candidates throughout the region. We are also working continuously with Director Kemp and Eric Garvin to ensure a trouble-free process.”

Kemp expressed concern that some board members may not vote for any candidate, no matter the qualifications, because they support a change in government. Despite the headwinds, Kemp said there is an optimistic angle to the process.

“The optimistic side of this is that strong leaders love strong opportunities to show what they can do,” he said. “If we can get a candidate that is a strong leader to come in, and to provide that leadership, you know, sometimes they love those opportunities. … I’m hopeful that’s what we turn up.”

If no candidate is hired from the ongoing search with CBA, Kemp said a “practical next step” could be to renew the search after the November elections, especially if there is no vote or if voters reject changing the form of government.