Forest Park is putting all its chips on one candidate. On Monday, the city named Carl E. Geffken as its sole finalist for permanent city manager, positioning a veteran municipal turnaround executive a step away from leading the Clayton County community. The move kicks off a state-mandated review window that gives residents and stakeholders at least two weeks to dig into his record before the council can vote. With Fort Gillem redevelopment and downtown revitalization already topping the local to-do list, the choice immediately turns the spotlight on those projects.
The announcement, posted June 22, formally identified Geffken as the lone finalist. According to the City of Forest Park, he brings more than three decades of senior public-sector leadership and most recently served as a municipal executive in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Turnaround Experience on His Resume
Geffken founded Carl Geffken Consulting in June 2025, marketing himself as an interim and advisory chief for local governments. His consulting biography outlines decades of finance and operations work, while Fort Smith announcements note that he served there as City Administrator for more than eight years, overseeing a roughly $192 million total budget and about 1,100 full‑time employees. Those same bulletins document a leadership transition at the end of 2024, after which Geffken moved into the private sector.
Who He Would Replace
If the council signs off, Geffken would succeed Interim City Manager Latosha Clemons, who has held the role since Ricky Clark resigned last summer. As reported by Atlanta News First, the nomination marks the next step in a process the city says will adhere to state open-records rules and a required public notice period. City officials have highlighted Geffken's background alongside the priorities they have laid out for Forest Park's future.
What the Law Requires
Georgia's Open Records Act requires agencies to make the records of finalists available and to allow at least a 14-day public inspection period before taking final action on an executive hire. The Georgia Municipal Association details how the statute applies to searches for chief executives. Forest Park has said the earliest the council could vote on Geffken's appointment would be July 6, 2026.
Next Steps and Local Stakes
The council cannot act until the statutory review period ends. After July 6, the nomination could appear on a meeting agenda for formal consideration, with any contract negotiations to follow. Geffken's experience renegotiating large consent-decree projects and proposing sales-tax funding mechanisms lines up with the city's push to redevelop Fort Gillem and to move ahead on downtown efforts such as The Grapevine food incubator, which local coverage has tracked.
For now, Forest Park officials say day-to-day operations will continue under interim leadership while the public-notice period runs its course. The city has posted its announcement on the municipal website, and stakeholders will be watching council agendas after July 6 for any sign of a final decision.
