Baldwin City ? Jeff Dingman, Baldwin City administrator for the past eight years, is resigning to be deputy city administrator for Fort Smith, Ark.

Dingman’s last day as Baldwin City administrator is May 27. He starts his new job June 6.

“The biggest single reason is for career advancement,” Dingman said. “I’ve had almost eight good years here. I’ll be joining a much larger organization with more complex and diverse projects. I felt like it’s a good time for me to look for my next career opportunity.”

Dingman served as the assistant Sebastian County, Ark., administrator from 1993 to 2000. He met his wife, Janel, after moving to the Fort Smith area. He became the city administrator of Baldwin City in July 2003.

“I was working for the county before I came here, so I didn’t have specific experiences managing utilities,” Dingman said. “Through the years, I’ve learned about those and the things I needed to know to help operate a city.”

Baldwin City Council, Mayor Ken Wagner and Dingman met in executive session at the end of Monday’s council meeting. During that session, Dingman said he might be resigning and taking the job in Fort Smith.