Dallas City Council expected to pick a new city manager today

Dallas city leaders are expected to pick a new city manager on Wednesday.

Dallas City Manager Search

The backstory:

The search for a new city manager has been ongoing for nearly a year following former City Manager T.C. Broadnax's resignation to take a job in Austin.

The process had produced friction among city council members who complained about a lack of transparency and the number of top-level applicants to choose from.

Nevertheless, the field was narrowed to three finalists – interim Dallas City Manager Kim Tolbert, assistant Fort Worth City Manager William Johnson, and assistant Sacramento City Manager Mario Lara.  

One of those finalists should emerge as the new city manager.

What's next:

Council members are expected to meet behind closed doors on Wednesday morning for a hiring discussion.

After that deliberation, they’ll return to the public meeting and possibly hold a vote. 

Whoever is named to the position will be appointing a new police chief and a new fire chief.

They’ll also have to contend with several new ballot measures approved by voters. One of them gives the city less spending flexibility when it comes to public safety.

Related

3 Dallas city manager finalists share their strengths, accomplishments

We're learning more about the three finalists for the Dallas city manager job. Council members will vote for their favorite candidate a week from today.

Who are the finalists?

Kim Tolbert

Kim Tolbert

Many consider Tolbert the frontrunner, in part because of her familiarity with the job. She’s been doing it in the interim capacity since last May.

She has also served as Dallas’ deputy city manager and chief of staff to the city manager and has worked in finance and administrative roles with the city.

William Johnson

William Johnson

Johnson has been an assistant city manager for Fort Worth since 2019.

He also worked as the Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Public Works Commissioner for the City of Atlanta, and as Director of the Baltimore Department of Transportation.

Johnson also worked in the private sector, where he was a member of senior leadership specializing in Emergency Services.

Mario Lara

Mario Lara

Lara is an assistant city manager in Sacramento, where he oversees the city's police, fire, emergency management and community response departments. He has worked in the role since 2022.

Prior to that, he worked as the Director of Youth, Parks & Community Enrichment for nearly three years.

Lara also worked in the Riverside City Manager's Office, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, and with San Bernardino County. 

The Source: The information in this story comes from the Dallas City Council agenda and past news coverage.

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