Two Fort Smith city administrator candidates withdraw applications

And then there were two. The city of Fort Smith announced July 22 plans to interview three of the four city administrator candidates during a July 30 executive session of the Fort Smith Board of Directors. On Monday (July 27), the city announced that two of the three outside candidates withdrew from the process.

The board could vote to hire a city administrator during the Aug. 4 regular meeting.

The city has been without a city administrator for almost 20 months. The board fired Carl Geffken as city administrator in December 2024. Geffken was hired as city administrator in March 2016 with a salary of $175,000. His annual salary when he was fired was $204,513. Jeff Dingman has been the acting city administrator since Geffken’s firing, and is one of the two remaining finalists.

The candidates who withdrew were Joseph Lessard of Austin, Texas, and Richard McGill of Sikeston, Mo.

Lessard was the former city manager for Ashland, Ore., a city with a population 21,061, and assistant city manager for Austin, with a population 578,608. According to his LinkedIn profile, Lessard is now working as an independent consultant. McGill was former city administrator for New Madrid, Mo., population 2,512. According to his LinkedIn account, McGill is now a principal consultant with Truman Strategies.

Robert Sivick of Dalton, Ga., is the only outside candidate to remain in the process. He is the county administrator for Whitfield County, Ga., population 106,866. Sivick, a U.S. Army National Guard veteran, has held the job since September 2021. He also was a county manager in Wisconsin (May 2017-February 2021) and a city manager in Willamina, Ore. (July 2016-May 2017). He also practiced law in Omaha for more than 15 years.

Following is the complete statement the city of Fort Smith issued Monday evening.

“The City of Fort Smith will move forward with two candidates in the search for its next City Administrator. Robert Sivick, County Administrator for Whitfield County, Georgia, and Jeff Dingman, Fort Smith’s Acting City Administrator, remain under consideration.

“Earlier today, Colin Baenzinger & Associates notified the City that two previously identified candidates had withdrawn from the process. Richard McGill accepted another employment opportunity, while Joseph Lessard withdrew for family reasons.

“Sivick and Dingman will participate in the public meet-and-greet as previously scheduled on Wednesday, July 29, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm at the Riverfront Pavilion, also known as the Glass Pavilion, at 100 N. B St.

“The Board of Directors will hold a special meeting on Thursday, July 30 at 4:30 pm and convene into executive session to interview Sivick. The Board determined that Acting City Administrator Jeff Dingman remains under consideration and that no additional interview is needed, given his current role, a prior interview during the search process, and the Board’s ongoing evaluation of his performance.

‘An executive session will be scheduled following the Tuesday, August 4 Regular Meeting to discuss a hiring decision.”