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Dallas, TX
In messy city manager search, Dallas council failed in its fundamental job
The Dallas city manager search has unspooled in the chaotic style we’ve come to expect from this City Council. There was the ho-hum recruitment brochure draft featuring the wrong skyline. There was the council civil war over the timeline of the search and the flow of information about candidates. And nothing says “we’ve got our act together” like eleventh-hour candidate interviews the day before Christmas Eve.
When two original semifinalists and a former Dallas city official dropped out of the race, no one was surprised.
We wish the next city manager the best of luck because no amount of talent and hard work can overcome a fundamental flaw of this search, and that is the lack of formal, measurable goals by the City Council. Our city is about to hire its CEO, but its board of directors has no metrics to set expectations or hold that person accountable for the most important job in Dallas.
If you want to understand how dysfunctional the situation is, start with the fact that the council’s appointees — the city manager, city attorney, city secretary and city auditor — haven’t had a performance review in more than two years. Our last city manager, T.C. Broadnax, had his last evaluation in August 2022. He left in May 2024. Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, the front-runner for the job, hasn’t had an evaluation since her appointment last spring.
The council has hired a consultant over the years to help conduct the evaluations of its appointees. But no consultant can fix this council’s main problem, and that is its inability to come together to develop a consensus around four or five priorities and the metrics to measure progress in those areas.
Even when performance reviews for council appointees were happening, the process was broken. The council’s consultant called council members individually to solicit feedback, with the consultant identifying “themes” shared verbally with the council, and with no particular comments attributed to specific people, according to a 2022 memorandum from Management Partners, the firm hired to do the work. The city manager and other appointees were “invited” to prepare a report on their accomplishments and goals for next year, with the potential for “refinements” based on council input.
There was no written report from the performance evaluation, other than any goals reports produced by the appointees.
It’s a shockingly wishy-washy approach to evaluating an employee, let alone a C-suite executive.
And don’t expect even a veneer of transparency for taxpayers. Last year, we requested Broadnax’s goal reports and were told by the city that there were no responsive records, only to hear a council member remind her colleagues last week that Broadnax produced a memo with his goals after his last performance review in 2022. City staff failed to release this memo in response to our request. Such a document should be public under the Texas Public Information Act.
Now, on the brink of hiring its next city manager, the council is panicking about the fact that it hasn’t evaluated its council appointees in a long time and that it has no measurable goals for any of them. The council committee whose job it is to codify the annual review process can’t seem to agree on how to move forward.
Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins chairs the committee. In a December meeting, he led a discussion on next steps to resume performance reviews of council appointees. Council members learned that their previous consulting firm, Management Partners, had been acquired by Baker Tilly, the company that is leading the messy city manager search. But the woman who had worked closely with the council on previous performance reviews was no longer associated with either company.
The committee gave city staff mixed signals on how to proceed. Some council members said they wanted to continue working with the previous consultant. Others asked to hear from Baker Tilly. Some said they were dissatisfied with the previous consultant or concerned about Baker Tilly and wanted to hear from other vendors. Council members said to move quickly.
By the time the council committee picked the conversation back up this month, confusion reigned. Baker Tilly prepared a presentation that described a performance review process very similar to what the council had with its previous partner. Atkins indicated that the council was moving forward with Baker Tilly using an existing contract, and other committee members pushed back. Meanwhile, an assistant city manager and an assistant human resources director couldn’t answer a council member’s simple question about when the council appointees were last evaluated.
“Yes, we are overdue for these reviews, but I think that they should be pursued seriously with the appropriate time periods involved,” said council member Paul Ridley. “I don’t think we should out of convenience select someone who is doing other work for the city at the present time.”
Council member Jesse Moreno asked whether Baker Tilly would have a conflict of interest in facilitating the performance review of an executive the firm helped hire. A representative tried to assuage Moreno, but he is right to bring that up, given that Baker Tilly would be required to conduct a new search at no cost to Dallas if the city manager doesn’t last a year. Council members should be skeptical. (Keep in mind it was Baker Tilly that produced the hiring brochure for Dallas city manager. The cover photo was a shining image of the Houston skyline.)
The council now seems poised to consider other consultants for the performance evaluations. Council members should do their due diligence instead of repeating their sloppiness for the sake of comfort.
Hire a consultant, if you must, to moderate the conversation or offer pointers, but a management firm can’t do the hard work for you.
Outgoing council member Jaynie Schultz said it best: “This problem is ours as a council. We have not done our work. And so we can try spending all of our time diverting all the problem and the blame on Baker Tilly. … The delay is us, 100% us.”
The council’s job is not to run the city but to set clear, measurable expectations for the people it hires to do that. It’s telling that council members have relied on a consultant to remind them to perform a fundamental duty.
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Dallas, TX
If the Dallas Stars move to the suburbs, what city deals could help fund a new $1B arena?
As speculation surrounds the Dallas Stars eyeing a move to the site of a Plano shopping mall, there are few details available on the NHL team’s potential new $1 billion arena — or the incentives cities may offer to attract the team in a competitive market.
From grants to tax breaks, there are several tools Texas cities can use for economic development. Some go to the ballot, but other incentives can go through without a vote as cities vie for the prestige, potential economic boost and tax revenue that comes with hosting a major sports team and its stadium.
After discussions with Frisco, The Colony, Arlington and Fort Worth, the Dallas Stars are considering relocating from the American Airlines Center in Dallas to The Shops at Willow Bend, two people with knowledge of the team’s efforts told The Dallas Morning News this fall, potentially following the lead of many major U.S. sports teams’ exodus to the suburbs.
Nola Agha, professor at the University of San Francisco, researches the economic impact of teams and stadiums. While a team’s move might not generate much new economic activity at the regional level, a move within North Texas can make things competitive, she said.
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“When you live in a suburb, and you care about your own tax base … you see this competition between municipalities for shifting that activity,” Agha said.
City officials will not comment on the Stars or a potential arena, but Plano has historically used incentives to attract companies like Toyota, Capital One and JPMorgan Chase to anchor regional headquarters in the city.
Ted Benavides, former Dallas city manager and a professor of social sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas, said Plano is well-positioned to pursue a deal with the Stars, as cities like Arlington and Frisco have done with major North Texas teams.
“They have money,” Benavides said. “They’re very active on the economic development front, so there’s a lot of things they could do.”
An exterior view of The Shops at Willow Bend mall at W Park Blvd and the North Dallas Tollway in Plano, Texas, October 28, 2025.
Tom Fox / Staff Photographer
Grants and loans
Texas law allows cities to use money to promote economic development. In addition to tax breaks, a city can award companies grants and loans to incentivize them to stay in, move to or invest in a city.
In 2006, the Plano City Council approved a property tax increase of two cents per $100 property valuation for an economic development incentive fund. The city caps annual contributions to the fund at $8.5 million, city documents show, and uses the money to offer loans and grants that promote economic development.
Benavides said Plano was likely motivated to compete with cities like McKinney, Frisco and Allen that use the sales tax they are not contributing to public transportation to fund economic development corporations.
Plano contributes a one-cent sales tax to Dallas Area Rapid Transit — $116 million in the 2023 fiscal year, according to DART documents. The city plans to hold an election to withdraw from the agency next May and, if voters choose to exit, eventually regain that penny of revenue.
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Cities can award grants for a number of reasons, including to promote redevelopment and revitalization of retail centers or cover a company’s fees to the city.
“It has to make financial sense for us,” said Doug McDonald, Plano’s economic development director and the city’s next deputy city manager.
McDonald would not comment on specific economic development projects not yet brought to the City Council, but gave insight into how Plano’s incentives generally work.
Economic development agreements involving grants typically last 6-10 years, he said, and factor in the tax revenue a project might generate and what service costs it might create.
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Redevelopment tools
Agha has found municipalities compete for sports teams to shift economic activity from one area to another, with cities traditionally using sales tax to finance sports development projects.
For example, in 2004, Arlington voters approved a half-cent sales tax increase and other increases to hotel and rental car taxes to help pay for the city’s $325 million contribution to AT&T Stadium, where the Dallas Cowboys play. The Cowboys paid the remaining cost of the $1.2 billion venue, according to the city.
“That’s fallen out of favor … because people don’t like to be taxed,” Agha said. “It usually has to go up to a vote, and it very commonly gets voted down. Because of that, the most popular financing technique, especially for smaller cities, is tax increment financing.”
This tool captures the growth in a property’s tax revenue created by new development within a defined area. When businesses and property owners invest in improvements in the area and those improvements increase tax revenue, that increase can be used to reimburse project costs or fund additional improvements that spur continued growth in the area.
A view of The Shops at Willow Bend mall sign at W Park Blvd and the North Dallas Tollway in Plano, Texas, October 28, 2025.
Tom Fox / Staff Photographer
Frisco and its school district have used this economic development tool to fund several projects, such as Toyota Stadium, PGA golf courses, the Ford Center and more.
“It’s popular because it’s relatively hidden, meaning the taxpayers don’t have to know that a city is using property tax and giving it back to a developer,” Agha said. “They don’t have to vote on it, and it can incentivize a developer to build something.”
But when economic development projects happen without voter approval, there may be fewer opportunities for residents to weigh in.
Plano currently has four such reinvestment zones, which are historically in “blighted or underdeveloped areas,” according to the city’s website. The existing zones are in East Plano, at Silver Line stations, at Collin Creek Mall and in Plano’s Legacy district.
“The intent of these districts is to help encourage areas that are in need of redevelopment and reinvestment,” McDonald said.
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Bond funding on the ballot
Cities can also ask voters to approve issuing bonds to fund projects and borrow money.
“Every once in a while, there are different things that come up in the community that are important enough that the bond committee of citizens puts something on the ballot,” McDonald said.
Some cities have funded large sports projects with bond funding. In 2016, Arlington voters approved $500 million in bonds to partially fund Globe Life Field.
Tax breaks
Another economic development tool is a break from certain taxes. Cities can offer companies tax abatements, reducing taxes for businesses on improvements to property. These can apply to things like commercial construction or facility expansions.
Tax abatements are an option if a company is adding significant value to a site, McDonald said.
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“We don’t typically use tax rebates or abatements when the building is already there unless there’s going to be a significant or complete demolition and rebuild,” McDonald said.
Agha said for large projects, tax breaks are a drop in the bucket.
“Arenas and stadiums are running close to a billion dollars,” Agha said. “Property tax abatement is probably a very small piece of what the total cost would be.”
What’s at stake
Economic development projects are meant to add value to the community in the form of high-paying jobs, sales tax, property tax and more. Their incentives often have expiration dates.
“Our hope is that the company stays here and continues to invest in the community,” McDonald said.
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Suburbs with more land flexibility can add development around the stadium to “sweeten the pot,” Benavides said, and add different streams of income. For example, the Texas Live! entertainment and hotel complex in Arlington near its ballpark received tax and grant incentives.
But new developments can disrupt traffic and the regular patterns of economic activity. They are not always popular. McDonald said city officials listen to concerns and will try to mitigate them.
“There’s potential for gain,” Agha said, if economic activity shifts from Dallas to Plano.
“The important caveat to that is, will the city enter into some sort of financial agreement where they essentially give back all that new economic activity to the team?” Agha asked. “The devil can be in the details.”
Email tips on all things Collin County to lilly.kersh@dallasnews.com.
Former American tennis professionals John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, John Isner, and Sam Querrey will play in the 2026 Dallas Open All-American Classic, the tournament announced Monday.
The exhibition event will take place at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2026 ahead of the tournament’s main draw beginning on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.
“We’re thrilled to bring together four beloved American tennis stars for what promises to be an unforgettable evening of entertainment,” said Dallas Open tournament director Peter Lebedevs in a news release.
McEnroe, 66, is a former world No. 1 in both doubles and singles and the only men’s player to ever hold both simultaneously. He has won multiple major titles in both with 7 singles majors, 9 doubles majors and one mixed doubles major.
Roddick, 43, is a former world No. 1 who won his only career major at the 2003 U.S. Open. He played in four other major finals (one at the U.S. Open and three at Wimbledon) losing them all to his rival Roger Federer.
“The Dallas Open has quickly become one of the premier events on the ATP Calendar,” Roddick said. ”I’m honored to play alongside these guys and be part of the night. We all know how to compete and have fun on the court, which is what this night is all about.”
Isner, 40, is a Dallas resident and former top-10 singles player with 16 career ATP titles. He was known for his powerful serve, which averaged about 140 mph, but which went over 155 mph on occasion. He’s also played in the longest tennis match of all time, winning over five sets and 183 games against Nicolas Mahut that took 11 hours and five minutes across three days at Wimbledon in 2010.
Querrey, 38, peaked at No. 11 in the men’s singles rankings, winning 10 career titles and having a career-best majors finish at the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2017.
Tennis fans will also recognize the quartet from their contributions in the media after retirement. McEnroe is a prominent tennis commentator for ESPN at major tournaments. Roddick hosts the “Served” podcast while Isner and Querrey are part of the “Nothing Major Show.”
Tickets for the exhibition are available with prices around $100.
The ATP-500 level Dallas Open tournament is set to feature top-ranked Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton as well as top-level Europeans in Casper Ruud and Grigor Dimitrov. It will take place from Feb. 7 to Feb. 15, 2026 in Frisco.
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The Dallas Wings once again have the first overall pick after winning the 2026 Draft Lottery on Sunday evening. The 2026 WNBA Draft isn’t scheduled until Monday, April 13th, so there is a lot of time for the Wings to evaluate the draft class, but also explore other options for the pick.
Could the Dallas Wings explore trading the first overall pick? It’s certainly not out of the question, and Wings GM Curt Miller is at least open to the idea.
Drake Keeler of IX Sports reported that Wings GM Curt Miller said he he “already received more calls about potential trades for the #1 pick in the upcoming draft than he did in the lead-up to the 2025 draft.” But a lot of that is due to the talent available at the top of the draft.
“The Cailtin Clark draft, there was not going to be a trade, Paige [Bueckers] was not going to be traded, but it will be interesting, and it makes our job fun to listen to those phone calls that come in for the #1 pick. And we’ll do what’s best for our franchise.” Miller said.
Miller is saying that every team knew that they wouldn’t have traded the Paige Bueckers pick last year, and the Indiana Fever wouldn’t have traded the Caitlin Clark pick. Those were generational superstars from the moment they entered college, and the star power and popularity alone would’ve made it hard to trade those picks. The Indiana Fever are the most popular team in the WNBA because of Clark, and no team saw more social media growth this year than the Wings because of Bueckers.
Curt Miller said he’s already received more calls about potential trades for the #1 pick in the upcoming draft than he did in the leadup to the 2025 draft.
— Drake (@DrakeKeeler) November 24, 2025
READ MORE: Dallas Wings win WNBA Draft lottery, will pick No. 1 for second straight year
As of now, there is no player that is a lock to go first overall, but there are plenty of players who could be considered, including Lauren Betts, Awa Fam, Azzi Fudd, Ta’Niya Latson, and Olivia Miles. If it stays like that all year, and unless the Wings fall in love with a particular player, trading down a few spots may be a great opportunity to gain future draft capital.
If they enter the draft saying “We’d be happy with any of these three players,” they should trade back to the third pick, if the opportunity presents itself and the capital makes sense.
They could also use the pick to trade for a readymade star. A lot of players around the WNBA are entering free agency this offseason, which Miller says having Bueckers and the first pick will be a huge draw in free agency, but the Wings can also be aggressive in trades because of the pick.
READ MORE: Paige Bueckers praised by Cooper Flagg after support at recent Mavericks games
Stick with WingsGameday for more FREE coverage of the Dallas Wings throughout the offseason.
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