FORT SMITH -- Fort Smith City Administrator Carl Geffken is out, following a unanimous vote by the city's Board of Directors on Tuesday.
The Board of Directors met Tuesday evening for a special session where it voted to remove the city administrator from his position after more than an hour-and-a-half discussion.
Geffken did not attend the meeting Tuesday and was not reached for comment afterward. The city sent a press release at 8:41 p.m. announcing his termination. He has been the city administrator for more than eight years. Jeff Dingman, the deputy city administrator, will take over the role temporarily.
Jarred Rego, vice mayor of the city, said before his vote he did not reach his decision to remove Geffken lightly.
"Carl was a driving force for so many good things in our community," Rego said. "This conclusion that we have reached brings me no joy whatsoever, but I felt it was the decision that had to be made to make sure that Fort Smith continues to prosper."
Director Lavon Morton, of Position 3 Ward 3, said Geffken was one of the main reasons the city got the Foreign Military training program.
Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith won the competition for training F-35 jet fighters sold under the Foreign Military Sales provision of the federal Arms Export Control act. The act allows the U.S. to sell defense equipment, conduct training and provide services to a foreign country when the president deems doing so will strengthen national security and promote world peace.
Fort Smith resident Terry Barclay was at the meeting and said he was surprised.
"I thought it was a thousand-to-one shot when we got here, because I honestly didn't think our board had the backbone to do it," Barclay said. "Several of them do whatever the mayor tells them to."
One of the issues some residents had with Geffken was how he handled dealing with a consent decree issued against the city.
Fort Smith entered into the consent decree with the U.S. Justice Department, the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality in 2015. The city agreed to repair and upgrade its sewer system after decades of sewage runoff into local waterways, including the Arkansas River.
The city agreed to spend more than $200 million over 12 years to upgrade its sewer collection and treatment. The original decree deadline was Jan. 2, 2027, but the city in 2020 received a five-year extension to 2032.
The EPA requires Fort Smith to annually submit an up-to-date financial management plan for consent decree work.
Geffken took over in 2016 from former City Administrator Ray Gosack, who announced his retirement in 20215 after 16 years with the city and three years in the job.
The other two finalists for the job were the acting city administrator at the time, Jeff Dingman, and Daniel Biles from Jefferson County, Ala.
Geffken served as the chief operating officer for Berks County, Pa., before becoming the city administrator in Fort Smith.