“You could just tell it was done,” Blackmon said. “It was just time. You can just tell it was time to go.”
That’s why Blackmon, along with seven other council members, asked Broadnax to resign. Broadnax announced his resignation in February, saying he hopes his departure will allow Dallas to reset, refocus and transition to a new city manager who can continue to move the city forward and will have a more effective working relationship with the mayor and City Council. Now, the city is embarking on a search for that new city manager.
City Council members said they hope the next city manager is a good communicator who can work collaboratively with the council and mayor, as well as with regional partners.
Broadnax is leaving Dallas to become the city manager in Austin. His start date for the new position is May 6. He will earn $470,017.60 a year in Austin, according to Spectrum Local News. He'll also receive a cellphone allowance of over $1,600 a year, an executive allowance of $7,000 a year and $5,000 a month for six months to offset the cost of temporary housing in the city. That's a raise in base salary, as Broadnax was making about $423,000 a year in Dallas.
Blackmon joked that Dallas might need a therapist to work through its city manager woes. But she said the next person to fill the position should have a good understanding of the city manager form of government, in which the city manager acts as Dallas’ CEO and takes direction from the City Council. That’s important, Blackmon said, because “with that comes a certain dynamic.” She wants to see a city manager who can manage and execute plans, and communicate with council along the way."You need a CEO, you need a manager, you need somebody who executes." – Dallas City Council member Paula Blackmon
tweet this
She said the outgoing city manager was a great administrator who took the council’s direction and tried to implement what it wanted. But the council wasn’t matching the city manager’s rhythm and vice versa. “When we as a council are not in step together with that, and we’re maybe a step behind him or her, you don’t get the results that you want or need,” Blackmon said. “You need a CEO, you need a manager, you need somebody who executes. I'm not saying he [Broadnax] didn't do it. I'm just saying I think us as council maybe didn't give him clear direction on where to go.”
Dallas City Council member Chad West said there comes a point in every city manager’s career when it is time to move on. To West, it was just that time for Broadnax, which is why he asked Broadnax to resign in February. For the next city manager, West is looking for a strong leader who is familiar with the city manager form of government and is used to taking direction from 15 bosses (the 14 council members and the mayor.) West also wants a strong communicator.
Whoever the next city manager is, they need to be ready to hit the ground running.
“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.”
Dallas City Council member Gay Donnell Willis said the next city manager should be good at communicating “proactively versus reactively.” This would include informing the City Council when big things are happening, like when there’s a massive data breach at the Dallas Police Department. Broadnax was one of a few people who knew for months that 22 terabytes of DPD files had been erased and didn't tell the City Council or the public. The failed rollout of a new sanitation schedule starting in December 2022 is another instance when there should have been more communication between the council and city manager, Willis said. The schedule change led to some Dallas residents missing trash pickup days. “As a council member, I had to initiate the phone call when things were going off the rails versus hearing from [the city manager],” Willis said.
She also thinks the next city manager will need to be good at working with regional partners, such as local school districts and nonprofits. “I would also want someone who could think really big and know who to bring to the table, who in the region to convene, to help get ahead of, or better understand where we're going with our sense of public safety, and our workforce and economic mobility,” she said.
Willis hopes the city can find a new city manager before the end of the year, before budget talks in 2025. She believes that stepping into the city manager's role would be a great opportunity for anyone.
“I think this is just one of the most amazing jobs that would be open in this country,” Willis said. “What an amazing time to be in that CEO seat for Dallas, Texas. And I think that right person is out there, and we've just got to find him.”
