City of Fort Smith announces "retirement" of Chief Human Resources Officer Rick Lolley

Rick Lolley, the Chief Human Resources Officer for the City of Fort Smith, has retired effective immediately amid controversy surrounding a failed hiring process for an internal auditor.

Lolley, who has served in his role since 2018, was involved in the hiring of Rebecca Cowan as the city's internal auditor. However, after it was revealed that Cowan faced a felony charge, the Fort Smith Board of Directors rescinded her hiring just two days later.

The board later authorized Acting City Administrator Jeff Dingman to initiate disciplinary action against Lolley, citing concerns that he failed to notify them of Cowan’s background.

Further complicating the situation, Fort Smith attorney Joey McCutchen filed a lawsuit in May, alleging that the city did not provide requested documents related to the hiring process under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

A Sebastian County Circuit Court judge ruled on June 5 that the city and Dingman had violated FOIA laws, noting that Lolley had provided background information on Cowan, but those records were not preserved or produced in response to the FOIA request.

Despite the controversy, Dingman praised Lolley’s professionalism and contributions to the Human Resources Department over his tenure. The city has announced that it will begin the process of identifying new leadership for the department