Fort Smith PR manager talks about lessons learned, successes

Josh Buchfink^[1] stepped into the role of Fort Smith’s public relations manager in 2023^[2] without a day of public relations experience, but he believes 13 years of experience as a pastor at least somewhat prepared him for the roller coaster ride that awaited.

“I really think my role as a pastor prepared me for this in ways that I wasn’t really expecting it to,” Buchfink said. “Qualities I need there – public speaking, relating to others and empathy – are very helpful and crucial in this role.”

A number of headline grabbing events, including the sudden departure of the city administrator, a major sales tax election, continuing consent decree negotiations, and efforts to improve public outreach, have presented challenges over the past two and a half years.

“It’s been a roller coaster, but I think I’ve learned a lot through all of it. There are things I wish had done differently. There are some moments that may have caused me heartburn, but they have forced me to stay humble and rely on others for insight and clarity before moving forward,” Buchfink said. “These things just remind me that we (the city and its residents) are full of grit, full of determination. Even when things do not go exactly according to plan, we tend to overcome hurdles and obstacles that come our way and remain steadfast.”

Things like the constant pressure of the consent decree and not knowing who the next city administrator will be since former City Administrator Carl Geffken was fired from his position in December 2024 have forced the city and city leaders to learn and grow, he said.

LESSONS LEARNED
Inexperience and an eagerness to prove himself led to a few stumbles as Buckfink started in his role with the city.

“In the beginning, I was really trying to prove myself to myself and everyone around me that I had the aptitude to do the job. I was trying to push things fast,” Buchfink said.

One of the first big projects Buchfink took on was textmygov, a program where residents can text a complaint or report issues they see, like a pothole. Residents text a number, and it goes to the department responsible. Then they resolve that issue. Or at least that’s the idea.

“My desire to see something enacted like that led me to push it through fast. It just wasn’t the best program. I did not seek feedback from other departments before implementing. I just kind of pushed it forward and I think in hindsight I would not have pushed so quickly, would have researched, sought feedback,” Buchfink said.

He’s now working to implement another program to replace textmygov, but he’s approaching it differently. He’s getting feedback and opinions on the front end.

“That is just one example, but I think that has been an overarching theme especially for the first year of this role,” Buchfink said.

Make My Move was another program that didn’t work quite the way originally imagined. The Fort Smith Board of Directors voted in March to discontinue incentives for the program that sought to recruit workers to Fort Smith. The city teamed up in 2024 with MakeMyMove, a company that specializes in the promotion and advertisement of regional amenities and quality of life to attract workers to relocate to an area. The program was expected to recruit 175 workers to Fort Smith, but directors agreed earlier this year that funding for incentives should be stopped in order to save the city money.

“It was not a failed program. It did get people to move here and put a spotlight on Fort Smith from a different angle. It’s a good program, but the timing wasn’t correct. That taught me that timing is everything. Maybe even though there are good programs out there, those programs might not be suitable for right now. I should just keep them in front of me for years down the road. It taught me to think about timing and context before rushing into something,” Buchfink said.

SUCCESSES
Along with a few stumbles, there are things Buchfink thinks he’s done well during his tenure with the city. The city’s spay and neuter voucher program is very successful, he said. Nearly 4,000 animals have been sterilized through that program.

“It may take years to see the dividends from a program like that, but we are making a dent,” Buchfink said.

The city also has grown its social media presence for one.

“We have really focused on putting more information out there in an effort to be as transparent as possible. There is always going to be people who distrust government, but I’m going to try my hardest to make what we do available for people to see and to hear,” Buchfink said.

The city also has improved the way it livestreams meetings, he said. All the board of director meeting archives are now online and the city has added YouTube to the city’s streaming platforms, he added.

Growing the city’s email database has also been a priority.

“When I started, we had about 5,000 people signed up for govdelivery. We’ve seen that grow to nearly 18,000,” Buchfink said. “Ultimately, I would love to see every household on there.”

Buchfink also wants to share more consent decree projects and issues with the public, including what projects are complete, what funding is available and what projects are next to come.

“I would like to make it to where everyone can understand what we are doing. We’re working on educational videos right now that will be coming out in the next month or so,” Buchfink said. “I want people to have access to government. I don’t want there to be such a chasm between the municipality and the residents of that municipality.”

FOIA ISSUE
But that didn’t keep the city from having issues with the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The board passed a resolution in August^[3] to pay $1,771 in attorney’s fees and costs and settle a lawsuit against the city that alleged Acting City Administrator Jeff Dingman violated provisions of the FOIA by not providing all documents, and not providing documents in a timely manner. Fort Smith attorney Joey McCutchen filed the lawsuit on behalf of Fort Smith resident Marilyn Moore.

The documents requested in the FOIA request were related to meetings between the city and state officials about the city providing water to a proposed 3,000-bed prison in Franklin County.

“I think that truly was a matter of getting people on the right seat on the bus and not spreading ourselves too thin. Obviously, it was a costly lesson to learn, not just monetarily but from an erosion of public trust standpoint as well,” Buchfink said.

He said the city now has “the right person in place now” – James Gentry, the city’s chief information officer – to respond to all FOIA requests.

“That is what it takes someone to dedicate their time and attention specifically to that. We get a lot more FOIA requests than people think. It is going to make all the difference. It already has. Jeff was overseeing all of it, along with the myriad of what he was doing. That was just too much,” Buchfink said.

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