Deputy City Administrator Dingman rescinds resignation

Fort Smith Deputy City Administrator Jeff Dingman, who resigned his position with the city last week, has decided to stay put.

City officials said Dingman submitted a letter of resignation after 8 years with the city, and the mayor and board of directors were told of the resignation Friday (June 21) by City Administrator Carl Geffken. The resignation was to be effective July 24. Thursday (June 27) Dingman said he had rescinded that resignation.

“It was all for personal reasons. It never had to do with a work issue,” Dingman said. “I am staying, and I am excited to be here.”

During his tenure with the city, Dingman has served as the interim director of parks and recreation, interim director of sanitation and interim city administrator following the late Ray Gosack’s retirement in 2015 and prior to Geffken’s hire.

According to the city’s website, the deputy city administrator is responsible for the sanitation, streets and traffic control operations, transit, engineering, building safety and neighborhood services and planning and CBDG departments as well as downtown development and Blackboard communications.

June 12, Wally Bailey, director of planning for the city, announced his retirement after serving as a city employee for 42 years. Last week saw his last day in office. Also, Fort Smith Director of Finance Jennifer Walker announced she is leaving her position to move out of state, telling city directors that June 20’s budget study session would be last time she would deliver a report to them.

Dingman was also among three finalists for the then open city administrator job in early 2016. Daniel Biles, a 23-year veteran of the Air National Guard and the United States Air Force, and now a deputy county manager in Jefferson County, Ala., (Birmingham); and Carl Geffken, then the chief operating officer, Children and Youth Services, for the County of Berks, Pa., were the other finalists. The Fort Smith Board would eventually hire Geffken.