Dallas Residents Invited to Meet 3 City Manager Finalists at ‘Community Input Sessions’

Three public “meet and greets” to introduce the Dallas city manager finalists are set for 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, at Dallas City Hall, 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11 at Singing Hills Recreation Center, and 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12, at Fretz Recreation Center. Just three candidates are on the shortlist and a lot of people, including some of the elected council members who will serve as the city manager’s supervisors, are disappointed that the pickings are so slim. 

The small group of candidates for Dallas’ chief executive position includes Interim Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Fort Worth Assistant City Manager William Johnson, and Sacramento Assistant City Manager Mario Lara. 

There are a few working theories as to why there aren’t more candidates. One is that Baker Tilly, the search firm hired to conduct the search, flubbed it from the start by putting a photo of the Houston skyline on a recruitment brochure and keeping the search narrow in order to hand off the position to Tolbert.

Others believe the job just isn’t that appealing. The passage of charter amendments S and U in November means the city manager will be tasked with overseeing the hire of hundreds more police officers — which some say is impossible in a short time frame — and leave the city vulnerable to lawsuits because governmental immunity is waived. Another camp says that it looks like a faction of council members want Tolbert and have steered the process in a less-than-transparent way through an ad hoc committee that doesn’t include the full council. 

The new city manager will replace T.C. Broadnax, who resigned in February and took the CEO job in Austin. Read the full press release about the city manager search issued Friday evening by Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins. The meet and greet gatherings are billed as “community input sessions to interact with the candidates and hear their perspectives on the future of Dallas.”

Atkins has been tasked by the mayor to head up the search via the council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Administrative Affairs. 

Breaking Out the Jumper Cables

Council member Gay Donnell Willis, who represents Preston Hollow, addressed the search in a Dec. 23 newsletter to constituents.

“Four semi-finalists were sent to the Committee Chair on October 24, did not get sent to the Ad Hoc Committee until November 7, and then the full Council did not receive these names until November 14 — a three-week lapse,” she wrote. “Does this sound like a tight ship to you? It didn’t to me. What’s more, I had requested timeline updates and another colleague had requested the resumes in the previous weeks, with no response. Ridiculous. So, I joined two other colleagues and invoked a parliamentary procedure to have a special called City Council meeting. This was to reveal more broadly that the process was lagging and being inappropriately and narrowly controlled — leading to this process taking almost twice as long as other comparable cities. So to those who think this is about ‘rushing a process,’ it’s actually about breaking out jumper cables to restart the engine.”

Two previously-named finalists, Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington and Dekalb County, Ga., Chief Operating Officer Zachary Williams, withdrew their applications. Lara was added as a finalist in late December.

A hot take on the city manager search, penned by Builders of Hope Community Development Corp. CEO James Armstrong titled “All I Want for Christmas is a New City Manager Search,” appeared in the Dec. 23 edition of the Dallas Morning News. 

“Communication is the bedrock of transparency and a sure way to decrease clashes,” Armstrong wrote. “Council members must listen to one another, an often-forgotten twin element of communication, seek to collaborate on aligned interests and find ways to move our city forward.”

The Ad Hoc Committee on Administrative Affairs is slated to meet on Monday, Jan. 13, following the public meet and greet events. An offer could be extended at that time and a new city manager could start as early as Feb. 10, according to reports.

Here are the three finalists. 

Dallas Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert

Tolbert clearly has an advantage, as she’s been auditioning for the job since she took over as interim after Broadnax’s departure. But she’s also drawn criticism for being closely aligned with Broadnax, who didn’t leave on good terms. 

Interim City Manager Highlights First 100-Days Wins, Confirms Permanent Bid

According to a bio provided by the City of Dallas, Tolbert has served as interim city manager since May 2024, previously serving as deputy city manager overseeing the departments of Aviation, Water Utilities, Human Resources, and Homeless Solutions. Earlier roles with Dallas include Chief of Staff to the City Manager, as well as positions in finance and administration. Her career also includes 15 years in executive roles with the North Texas Tollway Authority.

Fort Worth Assistant City Manager William Johnson

According to a bio provided by the City of Dallas, Johnson has served as assistant city manager for Fort Worth overseeing Economic Development, Police, Public Events, and the City’s Water Utility since 2019.

Previous leadership positions include serving as the Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Public Works Commissioner for the City of Atlanta and Director of the Baltimore Department of Transportation. He also has senior leadership experience in the private sector, specializing in Emergency Services.

Sacramento Assistant City Manager Mario Lara

According to a bio provided by the City of Dallas, Lara has served as Sacramento assistant city manager for public safety overseeing the Police, Fire, Emergency Management, and Community Response departments since May 2022, previously serving as Director of Youth, Parks & Community Enrichment for nearly three years.

Additional local leadership experience includes positions in the Riverside City Manager’s Office, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, and with San Bernardino County.