Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, in a CBS 11 interview, talked about City Hall, ongoing discussions to keep the Mavericks and Stars in the city and his trust of the latest cost estimates to repair the nearly 50-year-old seat of Dallas government.

In a 16-minute interview published Friday, Johnson directly responded to criticism about his focus as the city’s top elected official, insisting he is “fully engaged in everything that goes on around here.”

“I just know what I do every day, which is I wake up early in the morning, come to [City Hall] and give this city everything I have,” Johnson said in the interview.

Johnson said he accepted the latest City Hall repair estimates, including a $1 billion price tag over 20 years, calling the current building “not a great place to work” for employees.

He dismissed skepticism about the numbers, arguing the firms providing them are reputable and no better alternative exists.

He noted the City Council recently authorized City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert to explore all options — staying, repairing, or relocating — before making a final decision. His priority, he said, is doing “the best thing for the taxpayers.”

Johnson insisted the process has been “the definition of transparent,” citing public meetings and independent studies as proof.

While he respects the opinions of former mayors Mike Rawlings, Ron Kirk, and Tom Leppert, who argue relocating City Hall could revitalize downtown, Johnson said he won’t defer to their views.

He said he won’t commit to a scenario without seeing more data and the city manager’s report on private development interest in the City Hall site in May.

“I want the city manager to go through the exercise of actually exploring what private development options there would be, what interest would there be in this site,” the mayor said. “And if there are really great economic development opportunities for the city that would be unlocked by us leaving this site, I would be very, very compelled by that.”

Johnson confirmed active negotiations are underway to try to keep the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars in the city but declined to share details, citing the need to protect Dallas’ leverage in economic development deals.

He expressed confidence the city will “work this out” to retain both teams. The mayor shrugged off Plano’s reported discussions with the Stars, calling it competition that doesn’t concern him.

“I welcome anybody’s effort to compete with us,” Johnson said. “But I feel good about what we are going to be able to offer and what we’re able to do to keep our teams here.”

Council members respond

Council member Adam Bazaldua, one of six elected officials who have been pushing to revisit repair estimates, responded to clips from Johnson’s interview online.

“We owe it to our taxpayers to get a third party opinion and scrutinize the assessment. Anything less is subpar leadership,” Bazaldua posted it on X.

Bazaldua also highlighted a Mar. 26 post where council member Cara Mendelsohn questioned engineering firm AECOM’s repair cost estimates Wednesday.

In her post, Mendelsohn shared a 2023 Dallas Morning News article about the engineering firm having to pay a $11.8 million settlement for filing false claims to the Federal Emergency Management Agency that increased the price tag of repair and construction of schools in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“No matter what it is, how old it is, how well it functions, their estimate on city hall includes complete replacement and upgrades of every system, pipe, wire, window, floor, fixture, toilet, sink, because some folks want fancier government offices and want to build it to a Class A brand new standard,” Mendelsohn said in her post.

Council member Paula Blackmon told The News she agreed with Johnson that the city wants to keep the Stars and Mavericks in Dallas, but still wanted to have another review of City Hall’s condition and another set of revised estimates.

“I don’t trust that information and I will continue to ask to validate those numbers,” Blackmon said. “I don’t deny these groups put in the work, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t ask for a deeper understanding of how we got there.”

City Hall emails

In the CBS 11 interview, Johnson said he wouldn’t address a series of articles in The Dallas Morning News reviewing 5,000 pages of City Hall emails, which revealed undisclosed alternative City Hall site tours, AT&T’s criticism of city leadership and instances where business leaders struggled to reach him.

Johnson dismissed the articles, saying he “can’t spend time going back and forth with any media outlet about some emails.”

It’s at least the second time the mayor has refused to publicly discuss what came from the cache of emails. In his weekly newsletter to residents on March 15, he called coverage of news from the emails “tabloid-style articles” that were trying to frame routine city business as “scandalous revelations.”

A News review of 5,000 pages of emails exchanged over the past year among city officials, consultants, and others involved in City Hall’s future uncovered several key findings, including:

• City officials arranged private tours of at least 15 potential City Hall relocation sites — including Founders Square, The Epic and Red Bird Mall — for a select group of council members, without public disclosure.
• Before announcing a move to Plano, AT&T CEO John Stankey questioned Dallas’ “effective governance”, signaling concerns as the company explored suburban options.
• Emails reveal Scotiabank’s CEO couldn’t reach Mayor Johnson to thank him for the company’s Dallas headquarters deal, forcing city staff to intervene before a callback.
• Oak View Group, Fair Park’s former operator, is seeking $5 million from Dallas, alleging the city breached its contract after terminating their agreement.
• City leaders feared WFAA-TV might leave downtown after Dallas moved to seize the station’s parking lot for convention center expansion.
• The Dallas Economic Development Corp.’s CEO clashed with city staff over the group’s role in business recruitment, with emails exposing tensions over strategy and influence.

Staff writer Devyani Chhetri contributed to this report.

Inside 5,000 pages of Dallas City Hall emails: site tours, deals and disputes

Review of internal correspondence offers a rare look at officials navigating major civic decisions, disagreements and fallout from major projects.

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Dallas mayor calls City Hall debate ‘silly games,’ defends review of options

Mayor Eric Johnson says studying repairs, relocation and redevelopment of the aging headquarters is routine due diligence.

Starting next year, every 3- and 4-year-old in Dallas ISD will be able to enroll in pre-K tuition-free.

The district’s board adopted a new universal free pre-K plan at a board meeting Thursday. The proposal passed by an 8-0 vote, with no discussion.

Currently, the district offers free pre-K to students who qualify under certain federal, state and district guidelines, and charges tuition to all other students. Under the policy adopted Thursday, the district will drop its tuition rate for non-qualifying students to $0 beginning with the next school year.

The district’s current pre-K tuition rate is $5,000 a year for full-day classes for 3- and 4-year-olds, and $2,500 a year for half-day classes for 3-year-olds. During a March 12 board briefing, Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde told the board that about 267 families are paying pre-K tuition this year.

Elizalde told The Dallas Morning News this month that it costs the district more to manage those families’ tuition payments than those payments bring in. The district’s pre-K classes have enough open seats that district leaders don’t expect to have to hire more teachers after the new policy goes into effect, meaning the financial impact to the district is expected to be minimal.

Dallas ISD isn’t the first North Texas school district to offer tuition-free pre-K. Fort Worth ISD implemented universal free pre-K more than a decade ago, and Arlington ISD offers free, full-day pre-K for all 4-year-olds and half-day classes for 3-year-olds that are free to students who qualify with a tuition rate of $2,295 for those who don’t.

Dallas ISD’s pre-K registration for the 2026-27 school year opens April 1.

The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, Judy and Jim Gibbs, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Ron and Phyllis Steinhart, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.

Mayor Eric Johnson said he hasn’t made up his mind about the future of Dallas City Hall, the iconic I.M. Pei-designed landmark, but remains confident in the cost estimates to fix it.

City‑hired experts said it will cost $329 million to repair the nearly 50‑year‑old building and about $1 billion to rehabilitate and modernize it for the next 20 years.

Johnson said he trusts the numbers.

“I believe that those numbers are accurate,” Johnson said. “I just want to say that right up front, because I do know that there’s questions about whether or not these numbers are or have been inflated, or should we trust these numbers? I don’t know where we’d get another set of numbers that would be more trustworthy. 

“These companies that have looked at this are very reputable, and so, I believe the numbers. I really believe that our jobs as a council and as a city are to do the best thing that we can, the best thing we can for our taxpayers. Not a good thing, but the best thing with the taxpayers’ dollars.”

The mayor said he, like everyone else, is waiting for more information. Earlier this month, he and eight council members voted to have the city manager determine how much it would cost to move City Hall to another building and compare that to staying and making repairs.

The city manager is also evaluating whether the current site could support private development. That report is due to the council no later than May, and the Finance Committee may be briefed on May 26. The full council could vote in June.

Development potential enters the conversation  

Many people have floated the idea of a new arena and entertainment district downtown for the Dallas Mavericks, though no proposals exist. 

Former mayors Ron Kirk, Tom Leppert, and Mike Rawlings have urged city leaders to move City Hall, saying it could attract billions in new development.

Johnson said he wants data, not instinct.

“I can’t govern the city based on a hunch or instinct or gut feel. I have to look at data. I would like to see what comes back and what they say this site could unlock,” he said. “Does my gut tell me that the best use of this part of downtown, is not to be a government center, which I think is kind of a dated concept in and of itself, to have a cluster of government buildings right in the middle of what could be the most vibrant part of your downtown that by definition closes at 5 p.m. 

“My gut tells me that’s not a great idea. But I want the city manager to go through the exercise of actually exploring what private development options there would be. What interest would there be in this site? If there are really great economic development opportunities for the city that would be unlocked by us leaving this site, I would be very, very compelled by that.”

Preservationists push back strongly  

Residents and preservationists have been vocal in their opposition. Former Mayor Laura Miller told CBS News Texas she doesn’t want City Hall sold or torn down and believes the process has lacked transparency and been “riddled with self‑interest.”

Johnson rejected that.

“I’m not sure why former Mayor Miller feels that way because I can tell you that the process has been the definition of transparent,” he said. “It’s just not true that this process hasn’t been transparent. You can go back to what I initially sent out, a memo. I put it in writing. I distributed it publicly, saying to the council, I want a committee to look at options for City Hall. 

“So, that was very transparent. The meetings that were called subsequent to my request were all open to the public. Discussions were had at those meetings, and every single thing that has happened has been compelled by council action.”

Emails raise questions about engagement  

The Dallas Morning News recently reported on 5,000 pages of emails related to the project and others, raising questions about how engaged the mayor has been.

Johnson dismissed the criticism.

“I’m fully engaged in everything that goes on around here. I’ve been fully engaged, and honestly, I’m going to decline to go quibble with the Dallas Morning News,” he said. “I don’t even know what these emails that they have found say. I do know what I do every day, which is I wake up early in the morning, come to this building, and give this city everything I have. 

“I work tirelessly on behalf of the city, and I do everything I possibly can to make sure this city is represented well here, locally, nationally, internationally.”

Sports negotiations happening in parallel  

The debate over City Hall comes as city leaders negotiate with the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars to keep both teams in the city. Johnson said he cannot discuss negotiations publicly.

“Keeping the Dallas Stars and keeping the Dallas Mavericks playing in the city of Dallas is one of the highest priorities of my administration, and it has been since I got here,” he said. “I can tell you this: We are going to do everything we possibly can to make these deals work for both of those teams and keep them in the city. I am confident that we will work this out.”

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