Broadnax out as Dallas city manager
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TC Broadnax has had quite an eventful run atop local government. Screenshot: Dallas City Council
TC Broadnax's tenure as Dallas' city manager will come to an end this June — after seven rocky years.
Why it matters: In Dallas, the city manager is similar to the CEO of a corporation. Broadnax is the city's highest paid public official.
- His staff manages the city's day-to-day operations and a multibillion-dollar budget, balancing city council's goals and each department's needs.
The big picture: Broadnax came close to losing the Dallas job multiple times but managed to stay employed — and get raises — despite criticism over the years from Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and city council members.
The intrigue: Broadnax's resignation was in the works for several weeks — with city council members in the loop — but kept secret from Johnson "so the mayor could not control the narrative and make it appear as if Broadnax was being fired," according to WFAA.
- "After careful consideration, it has become apparent that the relationship between the mayor and the city manager has not been conducive to effective governance and the advancement of Dallas' interests," several council members said in a joint statement.
Zoom out: Dallas will be the largest Texas city without a chief executive. Austin and El Paso have vacancies at the top of their city governments and both have interim city managers in charge.
How it happened: A majority of city council, which is led by the mayor, had to ask Broadnax to resign in order to trigger a severance clause allowing him to choose his last day in office and leave to work for another city without any restrictions, per WFAA.
- The station reports council member Jaime Resendez arranged for council members to meet Broadnax personally and ask him to resign.
- The mayor said in a statement to WFAA that he found out about the resignation "via memo" on Wednesday, the same day it was made public.
- "We did not always see eye to eye, but we still worked together to help move this city forward. … I want to wish him well on whatever comes next," Johnson said.
What he's saying: "It is my hope that my departure provides the City Council an opportunity to reset, refocus, and transition to a new City Manager that continues to move the City forward," Broadnax said in his resignation statement.
Flashback: Broadnax, a Kansas native, got his master's degree in public administration from the University of North Texas in 1993 and knew then that he wanted to work in North Texas.
- He had stints in San Antonio and Tacoma, Washington, before coming to Dallas in 2017 to be the city manager.
What's next: City council plans to meet on Tuesday to talk about next steps, which will likely include naming an interim city manager.
- Johnson said in a memo Thursday that he doesn't plan to attend the special meeting but has tasked the Ad Hoc Committee on Administrative Affairs with overseeing the search for Broadnax's replacement.
What we're watching: The hiring process for high-ranking public officials tends to be costly and time consuming. And, in Dallas, it's usually filled with speculation.