FORT SMITH (KFSM) — Another Fort Smith city official could soon be leaving office.
Jeff Dingman, Fort Smith deputy city administrator, was named a finalist to become city manager in Topeka, Kansas.
Dingman is one of five individuals vying for the position, and will be interviewed next Friday and Saturday (July 21 and 22), reported CBS affiliate WIBW. Topeka announced the candidates on Friday (July 14), and Dingman is up against a current Topeka official, as well as candidates from Illinois, Iowa and Salina, Kansas.
Dingman has more than 20 years of local government experience. In addition to Fort Smith, he has also served in Baldwin City, Kansas; University Park, Texas; and Sebastian County.
“I’m very excited to be in the running for this opportuning,” Dingman told 5NEWS. “However, I’m only a finalist. There are some very qualified candidates, and still a long way to go in the process.”
City administrator Carl Geffken said that he knows Dingman is up for the position, and city officials and board members are also aware.
Recently Fort Smith has seen some turnover in city management. The city has has fired two sanitation directors in the past two years, Baridi Nkokheli and Mark Schlievert, and has had a police chief, Kevin Lindsay, resign.
