Fort Smith Directors note preferred qualifications of next city administrator

The next Fort Smith city administrator must have strong moral character, be a good communicator, have government management experience, and be financially conservative, according to responses from members of the Fort Smith Board of Directors.

With a unanimous 7-0 vote, the Fort Smith Board on Dec. 10 fired Fort Smith City Administrator Carl Geffken, who had been in the job more than eight years. The firing followed a Dec. 3 board meeting incident during which Geffken allegedly was heard through an open microphone saying “God these people are stupid,” after remarks from a citizen.

Now the board is responsible to hire a good fit for the city’s top job. (Comments from the board were sought prior to Dec. 31.)

“The next city administrator will probably be the most important decision the board will make concerning the future of Fort Smith,” said Director George Catsavis.

He said the person chosen for the position will first have to show him that priority issues, like the federal consent decree and the city’s water issues, will be addressed first.

The City of Fort Smith has been since 2015 under a consent decree from the U.S. Environmental Protection (EPA) Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) that mandates numerous and expensive improvements to the city’s sewer system.

“(We need) someone who understands the urgency of these issues. Past experience will be considered along with financially conservative spending. (We need) someone who will understand that major changes are needed, not business as usual,” Catsavis said, adding that the right candidate would be someone who will be accessible to the citizens and all city employees.

Director Neal Martin agreed the person hired would need to understand the importance of the consent decree.

“We need someone who can negotiate with the DOJ/EPA while also having a strategic mindset for the future of the city. They must be an excellent communicator who can articulate that strategic vision,” Martin said. “Fort Smith is a conservative town and this individual needs to be able to respect conservative principles such as individual freedom, limited government, the rule of law, fiscal responsibility, and human dignity (to name a few). They also need to be a champion for the city, seeking the best for all citizens. … They must be of utmost integrity to have the trust of the citizens and those who he/she is leading.”

Director Kevin Settle said the city’s next administrator should have experience in municipal government and the ability to lead a large organization.

“The next person must be a good communicator to the citizens and understand the challenges of our city. I would also like to have our next city administrator with experience with utilities,” Settle said. “Whomever we hire as the city administrator, it will be highly important on how we move forward with managing our consent decree.”

The new city administrator should be able to demonstrate patience and temperance in handling difficult situations, and have a clear, positive vision for the future of Fort Smith, said Director Jarred Rego.

“I am looking for someone who demonstrates decisiveness and a clear vision for the city. This is a position of public trust so I am looking for someone of high moral fiber and character who has experience building trust through fostering open communication by listening actively to residents, staff, and elected officials,” said Director Christina Catsavis. “The candidate needs to be adept at analyzing issues unique to our community and developing practical, innovative solutions. We also need someone with experience in municipal or public sector management, such as budgeting, planning, and overseeing public services.”

INTERNAL, OUTSIDE CANDIDATES
The board plans to interview Interim City Administrator Jeff Dingman and Deputy City Administrator Maggie Rice in the process to hire a city administrator, and many on the board believe hiring from within is the right choice. George Catsavis said he always advocates hiring from within because hiring headhunter firms is expensive and time-consuming. Christina Catsavis agreed that a headhunter firm is not necessary at this time.

“I believe we have a very qualified internal candidate that possesses the skill set to step into the role seamlessly. This candidate is already equipped to be ready on day one and has been involved in consent decree matters, FMS discussions and budgeting just to name a few qualifications,” she said.

Rego said hiring firms in the past have led the city to good candidates and internal or non-firm searches have also yielded good candidates. The City of Fort Smith, he said, is lucky in that it has numerous, top-caliber leaders and department heads. Settle said directors should talk to the city’s human resources department about internal options before considering an outside firm.

Martin believes all options must be on the table.

“If we have qualified candidates, we should look to hire them. If we don’t have qualified candidates, we should seek an outside firm to assist with this. But we shouldn’t make a quick, irrational decision,” Martin said. “It is wise of us to take our time and be measured as we seek our next leader.

CONSENT DECREE ‘CZAR’
Along with hiring a city administrator, Martin believes the city should consider hiring an individual whose sole focus is the consent decree in order to make certain the city meets requirements in a cost-effective manner.

“This is something I have thought a lot about. … Not having to focus on other aspects of the water/sewer department with a sole focus on the (consent decree) can offer an individual the flexibility to successfully complete the (consent decree) without continuing to overburden the citizens,” Martin said.

Christina Catsavis said she had been requesting that administration hire a consent decree czar for the past six months.

“I would like someone who will focus on meeting the city’s obligations under the decree. This dedicated role could help drive progress, manage expectations, and avoid costly delays or penalties by ensuring that the city meets its targets for compliance and progress. We need someone who has experience communicating with regulatory agencies and can coordinate with departments, contractors, and external consultants involved in decree-related efforts,” she said.

Rego said the idea is one that could be evaluated, but credentials and specific consent decree experience would need to be carefully analyzed.

FORM OF GOVERNMENT
Directors also were asked if the city administrator/board of directors form of government is the right form for Fort Smith. Some think it might be a good idea to look at a mayor-city council form of government for the city.

“I think there is growing support for this (mayor-city council) and I would support it as well. We are one of three cities in the state with this form of government, which we entered into in 1967.  It was a short 15 years later that we were hit with our first administrative orders filed against the city since then culminating with our current consent decree. It could be argued that this form of government has not served the city well in all capacities,” Martin said.

He said ultimately, the citizens would have to vote for a change in the governmental structure, but he would support it.

Rego said as someone who was personally involved in the campaign to make that exact governmental transition in Colorado Springs and who has seen up close and at a distance the success the change has been for that city, he knows great things can come from change.

“I am also a believer in following best practices and the current form of the Fort Smith city government is used by less than five cities in our entire state. If this is a change that were to be considered or made, it would be extremely important for the broadest possible cross-section of the community to be involved in the active, thoughtful, and necessary contemplation that would go into a major change of this magnitude,” Rego said.

Settle does not support changing the city’s form of government.

“Fort Smith is a unique city that is the only city in the state of Arkansas that owns its water supply and solid waste landfill. We also have everything from parks to transit to road construction to planning/zoning and everything in between. Our city is doing great things, and we do have some challenges, but having a city administrator form of government allows for the city to continue to move forward and grow,” Settle said. “This form of government is just not about the city administrator but having seven different city directors. Seven different voices representing the citizens makes our city great. Additionally, we have the F-35 military mission coming to our city. I do not want to change anything that could impact this mission to our city and to our nation.”