Dallas close on city manager hiring decision
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Dallas should have a permanent city manager soon, nearly a year after the former city leader announced he was leaving.
Why it matters: The city manager is essentially the CEO of Dallas, managing the $4 billion-plus budget and roughly 15,300 city employees.
- The city manager is hired by the City Council and handles all daily administrative operations for the city.
Driving the news: City Council members will interview three finalists behind closed doors Wednesday. They could make a hiring decision as early as next week.
- The finalists, including the interim city manager, met with residents during three community events over the weekend.
Friction point: The hiring process is significantly behind schedule. The original plan was to offer the job by Oct. 31.
- The search has been a mess, with infighting among council members, late requests to interview a prospect, and concerns that the search firm didn't present enough candidates.
Catch up quick: T.C. Broadnax was Dallas city manager for about seven years before he left in April 2024 for Austin.
- As Austin city manager, he has hired several top Dallas city leaders, including former police chief Eddie Garcia.
- The City Council appointed Broadnax's chief of staff, Kim Tolbert, to serve as interim city manager.
- In the interim role, Tolbert has overseen writing the current city budget and the approval of a new pension funding plan. She has kept the City Council updated on her goals, including submitting a 100-day progress report.
Meet the finalists: The three finalists, including Tolbert, have all served as assistant or deputy city managers.
- William Johnson oversees economic development and police as an assistant city manager in Fort Worth.
- Mario Lara manages public safety and community response departments as the assistant city manager in Sacramento, California.
- Tolbert was deputy city manager in Dallas, overseeing aviation, communications and the Office of Homeless Solutions before she was appointed interim city manager.
Between the lines: Two of the original city manager candidates withdrew from consideration in December. The firm conducting the job search said several candidates were concerned about the results of the city's November election, per WFAA.
- The city's financial outlook was downgraded in November after residents approved propositions that require Dallas to hire hundreds more police officers and allow people to sue city government officials who don't follow the City Charter, city ordinances or state law.
The bottom line: The search process may have been doomed from the start, when the Houston skyline was pictured on the hiring brochure.