Who is Running Dallas’ Department of Sustainable Development And Construction?

Recently, I received a text from a fellow consultant about the state of business in Dallas. The conversation is the same among us in the industry — what is coming back strong post-COVID, what is taking longer, and what is never going to be the same. All based on our years of experience with a pinch of heavy opinions that come with the territory.

Eventually, my friend asked, “Have you heard what’s going on at City Hall?”

As a former employee, I get into this discussion a lot. The reality is working for the city is not what it once was. Many of the major players in firms around town are filled with colleagues and friends. Some left the city on their own terms. Some did not.

“Have you heard about Planning?” My friend commented. 

“Besides the delays?”

The significant delays in the development process is something I wrote about recently and got a major response. I recently experienced the ordeal firsthand for a client and expected to hear how things just aren’t getting better. 

“Worse. David is gone and Kris isn’t running Planning.”

My friend had my attention.

Recently, the long-term Assistant Director of Current Planning, Neva Dean, had retired. A long career and well-deserved retirement. This we knew, but who else was leaving?

My friend showed me the memo, and there it was. The former Director, David Cossum, who had been serving as Development Services Administrator over at Jefferson was retiring, too. After enduring the last few years seeing more than 15 directors and assistant directors leave, he was the last man standing. Now he was leaving, too.

Also moving was Kris Swekard, the current director of Sustainable Development, who took over just over three years ago after getting the attention of the current leadership. He was not retiring like the former director, rather he was taking over Aviation. I’ll leave it to you to figure if this was a promotion.

But aviation is at Love Field not City Hall or Jefferson (The Oak Cliff Municipal Center, home of Building Inspections), so read between the lines.

Reading this memo, I asked out loud: “Who’s in charge?”

Over the last year or so this has been the same. As directors retire or leave Dallas, the department becomes led by one of the chiefs (the current leadership’s way of titling assistant city managers).

As we chatted, my friend suggested something. “You still have friends there. It would be interesting to know who is really in charge.”

A few texts and emails and I could tell what is going on. Eventually, it was announced quietly that leadership was bringing a consultant to run things.

I feel for my colleagues. The same situation happened in Housing. Between the lines, we know what’s going on here. Leadership has lost confidence in how things are run, usually by someone from the past regime or someone with an independent streak. Both are things not compatible with the current way things are done.

And now it’s happening to Sustainable Development.

The truth is, developers and property owners are ready to be “back in business,” but the city is not prepared. They’ve implemented a housing policy that has gone nowhere. They’ve advocated for affordable housing changes with results that are mixed at best.

This leads me back to what is going on at Sustainable Development. As a city that boasts about transparency, it’s difficult when, as a developer, no one seems to be running the shop. We’ve seen three significant leaders gone in less than 60 days, handing off the department to a chief and a hired consultant. Meanwhile, city staff is barely able to keep above water.

As this ordeal came up, I called a friend who’s pretty high up at the Jefferson office. He loves his job and the work. In the past, the politics and bureaucracy were just part of the job, something that comes with the territory. But he had no desire to leave as he knew his bosses had his back and he could do his work — good work that made the city run.

I asked how are things there? How is staff reacting? He paused. I could tell the weight of the words and the situation were sitting on his shoulders like a 100-pound sack of potatoes. I was in his spot not that long ago.

“It’s bad” he continued. 

I asked, what are you going to do? 

“I’m looking.”

That’s how it ends for many of us at Dallas City Hall.

Especially in this current leadership. Something is wrong when staff has no leader they can turn to who knows the system and who is there to make things happen. Now, they are led by a temporary hired hand who has no relationship or reason to make sure development keeps running. He has one direction – keep the lights on as we decide what direction we want things to go.

This is disheartening for my former colleagues who do great work but have been handicapped by a system bogged down by delays and a regime slow to change or accepting of mistakes.

In the end, we need to ask a simple question — how many people have to be removed or leave before the Dallas City Council wonders if it’s the staff that’s the problem or the leader?