Beckett, who is currently the city administrator in Riverdale, is one of two finalists for the city manager of Dothan, Alabama, Dothan City Commissioner Jason Rudd confirmed Tuesday.

"We've really started looking into the backgrounds of these folks because we want the best city manager we can get," Rudd said.

Beckett was Fayette's top executive officer for 15 years, and has been Riverdale's top administrator for the last two years.

But the recent mayoral election in Riverdale has created a newly adversarial atmosphere in the town just north of the Fayette County line, and Beckett is ready to move on to the next stop in his career.

"My contract expires at the end of May, but I'll be leaving before then at my choice," he said.

Beckett said he's worked with a "great" City Council, and the city still has many things to accomplish, but it's time for him to leave.

"I'm looking at several different government posts, and I've also contemplated working in the private sector," he said.

When Beckett took the Riverdale position, he described it as "a different animal."

In January, Beckett told the city that he would let his contract expire after Mayor Phaedra Graham was elected last year.

If Beckett heads to Dothan, he would be moving to "The Peanut Capital of the World." The southern Alabama city has just over 57,000 residents. The city's manager serves as the chief administrative officer of the city.

Dothan lies about two hours south of Columbus, Ga., on a much-traveled route to Panama City and north Florida beaches. It is the commercial center of an agricultural area in southeast Alabama known as the Wiregrass.