The Dallas City Council is now reviewing résumés and scheduling interviews with four semifinalists for the city manager seat vacated by T.C. Broadnax earlier this year, according to an email recently sent to Council. Those candidates include interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, who began leading the city in May. The other three candidates are Fort Worth Assistant City Manager William Johnson, Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington, and Dekalb County, Georgia, Chief Operating Officer Zachary Williams.
Baker Tilly consultants Art Davis and Edward Williams, who led the search efforts for the city, provided a report on each candidate and résumés, as well as a timeline for the search moving forward.
Tolbert, of course, is the familiar option. Since taking the helm in the spring, she has overhauled city departments to streamline operations, tackled the city’s building permitting issues, created a budget that earned unanimous approval from the Council, and appointed veteran officer Michael Igo as interim Dallas police chief after Eddie García retired to move to Austin to work for Broadnax.
Council will get to know the other three through the interview process and from Baker Tilly’s reports, which include answers to a questionnaire. In his questionnaire, Johnson touts his experience in Fort Worth, where the city manager’s office crafted a budget based on a council directive to adopt a tax rate that was below the “no new revenue rate.”
“I have successfully taken on challenges of public safety, transportation, culture and tourism, infrastructure, water utilities, economic development, and other major challenges currently facing the city, and stand ready to build teams and partnerships to achieve success on behalf of the Mayor, Council, businesses, and residents of Dallas,” he wrote. He also indicated that a 2004 FBI investigation into then Philadelphia Mayor John Street had resulted in Johnson being “wrongfully accused of and indicted for misappropriating federal funds.” He was acquitted and subsequently worked in the public sector in Baltimore, Atlanta, and then Fort Worth.
Washington has been the Grand Rapids city manager since 2018 and has worked as an assistant city manager in Austin and in human resources in Fort Worth. His questionnaire lays out his experience in public service and his work as the city manager for Michigan’s second-largest city.
“Every budget I delivered in Grand Rapids has resulted in a lower tax rate to residents with maintained or enhanced service levels due to strong property valuation. Grand Rapids’ current budget is nearly $700M,” he said. “I have also helped develop budgets as large as $4.4B while an Assistant City manager in Austin, TX.”
He said there is nothing in his background that would be concerning, other than “issues that are normal local government challenges for many growing urban areas where a diverse group of residents agree or disagree with policy, services and decisions.”
Williams said his interest in the position dovetails with his desire to move back to Texas, where his aging parents live. In his current role, he is responsible to the county CEO and its Board of Commissioners. He writes that his experience working with the commissioners, the community, nonprofits, and the business community would translate well to the job of city manager. With a background in criminal justice, he also says he has implemented crime reduction programs, including video surveillance in high-crime areas, and a police community relations program that was recognized by the U.S. Attorney General’s office.
He also implemented homeless assistance programs that have resulted in a near eradication of homelessness among veterans. He has also worked with implementing wrap-around services for unhoused people, including job training, mental health, and addiction therapy. He said he was mentioned in a wrongful termination lawsuit in Fulton County 14 years ago, but it was resolved in court.
The council’s Ad Hoc Committee has tentatively scheduled a meeting for December 12 to choose finalists, and a background check and final report will subsequently be conducted by Baker Tilly. The community would likely get to meet the finalists between January 11 and 14, and the Council would conduct on-site interviews at that time. If all goes according to plan, the city will extend an offer to its pick in mid-January, and the new hire could begin as early as February 10.
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