Dallas City Manager Interviews Continue Wednesday After Public Meet and Greet Sessions

In a series of meet-and-greet sessions with residents over the weekend, Dallas city manager finalists touted the importance of relationship building and public safety. Just one candidate — William Johnson of Fort Worth — mentioned affordable housing without being prompted. Dallas Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert highlighted her three decades of service in Dallas, most recently closing a massive budget gap to save taxpayer dollars. Mario Lara of Sacramento noted his efforts to reduce homelessness by 40% in his northern California community and launch new youth programs amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic. 

The meet and greet gatherings, facilitated by executive search firm Baker Tilly and held at Dallas City Hall, Singing Hills Recreation Center, and Fretz Recreation Center, were streamed online but left viewers and attendees wanting more. Though the format varied slightly at each of the three events, residents basically heard brief stump speeches from each of the three finalists and got to line up for a two-minute one-on-one Q&A afterward, meaning the whole room didn’t get to hear the questions being asked or the answers provided.

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

The three finalists are vying to be the CEO of the ninth-largest city in America, reporting directly to the mayor and 14-member City Council, and overseeing about 13,000 employees. 

Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins is chairing the City Council’s Ad Hoc Administrative Affairs Committee and asked via memorandum for candidate interviews to be conducted during an executive session on Wednesday, Jan. 15. A draft timeline suggests the new city manager could be in place by mid-February. Other members of the ad hoc committee include Cara Mendelsohn, Jesse Moreno, Paul Ridley, and Kathy Stewart.

“Finding the right city manager to lead us into the future is one of the most significant decisions we will make, and it is a decision that requires the voice of our community,” Atkins said at one of the Saturday gatherings. 

Resident surveys were posted online and at the meet-and-greets but the window to submit one closed Sunday evening. 

William Johnson

Johnson is currently an assistant city manager in Fort Worth, overseeing Economic Development, Police, Public Events, and the City’s Water Utility since 2019. Previous leadership positions include 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.

“I focus on engagement with communities,” Johnson said. “I like to see cities invest equitably across the city. I’ve been in places where some areas got all of the public investment and others kind of got left behind. That should not be the case in any city.”

Dallas leadership should be focused on transparency and accountability, he added. 

“I don’t look at this as something that I’m going to do alone,” Johnson said. “We’re going to do it together. At the end of the day, without that engagement, without that buy-in, we’ll continue to have disparity and we’ll continue to have disagreements in communities.”

Johnson, a former football player at the University of Mississippi, has served in leadership positions in large metro areas over a 30-year period. 

“Today I’ve heard a lot of talk about homelessness,” Johnson said at a meet and greet on Saturday. “I’ve heard a lot of talk about affordable housing. I’ve heard a lot about crime in our communities. These are areas where I have lots and lots of experience. As assistant city manager in the City of Fort Worth, I’m responsible for public safety. I’m responsible for economic development. I’m responsible for culture and tourism, which includes the convention center expansion, the Fort Worth Stockyards, and the Will Rogers Complex … I’m also responsible for transportation infrastructure [and] water infrastructure.” 

Mario Lara

Lara is currently Sacramento’s 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.

Lara introduced himself to Dallas residents as an immigrant from Central America. His parents were educators, he said. 

“From them, I learned the importance of integrity, the importance of service to others, and the importance of hard work,” Lara said. “I am not pursuing any other opportunities other than the city manager position with the City of Dallas. I am focused only here because I see the potential here and I believe in the future that we can build together.”

Lara said he is aware of the challenges Dallas faces but noted the community is strong, vibrant, and resilient. 

“I think that with collaboration, innovative thinking, and dedication, we can implement solutions that will benefit all residents,” he said. 

Lara highlighted the need for a fresh perspective in Dallas. 

“I am an external candidate, but I don’t see that as a limitation,” he said. “I see it as an asset. My experience has been with large organizations, serving diverse communities through tough times, through economic downturns, through a pandemic … through social unrest. I can bring a fresh perspective, new energy, innovative ways of thinking, a new set of eyes looking to long-standing challenges, figuring it out and asking questions. ‘Why are we doing it that way?’”

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert

Again it appears as though Tolbert is the frontrunner in the eyes of the public. A crowd at Singing Hills Recreation Center burst into applause after she simply said, “Good afternoon, Dallas.” 

Tolbert has served as Dallas’ 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 included chief of staff to 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.

“I came here as a budding rose from Tyler, Texas, and Dallas allowed me to bloom,” Tolbert told attendees at the meet and greet events. “I have been with this city through moments of crisis and moments of triumph, and I have led with a focus on stability. As your interim city manager, I am proud of the work that I have been able to accomplish.” 

Tolbert started her career in Dallas as an intern and has worked for seven mayors and five city managers, she said. 

“In less than 100 days, I closed a $38 million budget gap,” Tolbert said. “I worked to find efficiencies within the organization, consolidating and merging departments, eliminating duplication of services, saving you $13 million annually. I delivered a $5.2 billion budget that put public safety first, maintenance, infrastructure, and the things that matter to you and improve your quality of life. I did that with my team, delivering the largest property tax rate reduction in the history of this city.” 

Tolbert added that she is an inclusive and decisive leader. 

“I am a leader who clearly empowers and inspires others from a place of yes,” she said. “I envision Dallas as a global city where everyone in this city can thrive and reach their potential.” 

Dallas City Manager Hiring Process

There are a few working theories as to why there are only three candidates in the mix. 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 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.