Nathan Hunsinger
Audio By Carbonatix
Nine months after former Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax announced he was stepping down, the city has finally announced four finalists to replace him, according to a WFAA report.
On Monday afternoon, WFAA obtained a city memo that named current Interim City Manager Kimberly Tolbert as one of the finalists. Tolbert had been deputy city manager and the chief of staff for Broadnax before her current role.
Rounding out the final four are William Johnson, who currently serves as an assistant city manager in Fort Worth; Mark Washington, city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Zachary Williams, county manager of DeKalb County, Georgia.
Shortly after announcing his resignation, Broadnax announced he would become the city manager in Austin, where he began work on May 6. That was the first of many Dallas City Hall dominoes to fall into Austin’s lap; Deputy City Manager Jon Fortune and Broadnax’s chief of staff Genesis D. Gavino joined their former boss in his new home. Arguably the biggest shakeup from Broadnax’s exit came in September, when Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia announced he was retiring from the department and would join Broadnax in Austin as an assistant city manager for public safety.
One of the most pressing priorities of the new city manager will be hiring Garcia’s permanent replacement. For now, Michael Igo, a longtime veteran of the DPD, serves as interim chief.
The four candidates represent a wide range of experience and expertise. According to the WFAA report, Johnson’s primary responsibilities have involved “economic development, public safety and police and development efforts,” while Washington has experience in human resources and as an assistant city manager in Austin. Serving on the county level in Georgia, Williams has held his current role since 2013.
In April, the Observer asked a few council members about the qualities the next city manager should have and what the new hire might have in store for the city. A good working relationship among the city manager, City Council and mayor was cited, as that dynamic had not been strong in the years under Broadnax. Council member Chad West told us he looked forward to seeing just how the city manager would start addressing problems.
“I think that they should come in and identify what departments have performed well, and which ones have had consistent challenges,” West said. “I can pretty much tell you where we have challenges and where we don’t, and I think it should be pretty evident to whomever comes in, as well.”
