Two of the original semifinalists for the Dallas city manager’s role are no longer in the running for the position.
City leaders also reached out this week to Carl Simpson, a former Dallas official and current city manager of Jackson, Calif., to interview, but Simpson told The Dallas Morning News he was tapped too late in the process.
“I didn’t hear anything until Monday. I submitted my application back in October,” Simpson said, adding that he would have had less than a week to prepare for the Dec. 23 interview. “For me, it just wasn’t a fair competition at this point.”
Meanwhile, semifinalist Zach Williams, executive assistant and chief operating officer for DeKalb County in Georgia, confirmed to The News he was not in the running when reached by phone Friday morning. WFAA first reported Mark Washington, city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan, also withdrew his application.
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The remaining candidates are interim city manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert and William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth.
The changes follow a week of infighting between council members over the number of semifinalists and the time it’s taking to name a finalist. Several council members said they expected to see at least more than 10 names when the semifinalists were named in November.
Art Davis, a representative of Baker Tilly, told council members in a Dec. 12 meeting several contenders also dropped out due to the Nov. 5 election, when voters approved propositions that waive governmental immunity and direct 50% of any new revenue year-over-year to the police and fire pension system and other public safety initiatives. One of the propositions also mandates the city hire 900 more cops to maintain 4,000 public safety officials in the workforce.
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Days after the election, top credit rating firm Moody’s signaled a potential impact on the city’s ability to borrow and sustain debt following the passage of the propositions. The credit rating firm downgraded the city’s debt outlook from “stable” to “negative” because of concerns over how diverting revenue can limit the city’s flexibility to pay for other expenses.
Council member Cara Mendelsohn, a member of the ad hoc committee, said she was surprised at the Dec. 12 meeting that the semifinalists did not include a Hispanic candidate, seeing as the community is one of the largest ethnic groups in the region.
The committee then announced a meeting for Dec. 16 at 1 p.m. to revise the list of semifinalists.
The next day, however, three council members — Paula Blackmon, Jaynie Schultz and Gay Donnell Willis — sent a memo to call for another meeting the same day at 9 a.m. The three council members said they wanted to speed up the search for the city manager.
There are several departments whose leaders are serving in interim roles, they said. The absence of a permanent city manager means City Hall employees are left wondering if they should carry out duties assigned by their interim boss’ instructions or wait until a permanent official is appointed.
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Mayor pro tem Tennell Atkins, who chairs the ad hoc committee on administrative affairs and is leading the search for Dallas’ city manager, told The News the City Council will name a final candidate in January.
This week, Tolbert, who made dramatic changes in City Hall, from hiring a new leadership team to reorganizing departments, racked up endorsements from the Dallas Fire Fighters Association and the Dallas Hispanic Firefighters Association.
“Kim has proven her leadership through action,” DFFA President Jeff Patterson said in the letter of endorsement.
Tolbert, he said, built “collaborative relationships with Dallas Fire Rescue” and promoted former fire rescue chief Dominique Artis to an assistant city manager role and assistant fire chief Justin Ball to the interim chief role, demonstrating an “ability to put the right people in the right positions to lead us forward.”
“Dallas cannot afford to lose momentum,” Patterson said.
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Stefani Salinas, president of the Dallas Hispanic Firefighters Association, stated stability and continuity are essential during these transitional times.
“Kimberly Tolbert, Chief Dominique Artis, and Chief Justin Ball have already demonstrated their ability to lead with purpose, integrity, and vision,” Salinas said. “We strongly urge the Dallas City Council to solidify their positions so that our city can continue to move forward under their proven leadership.”
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Council members are scheduled to virtually interview semifinalists on Dec. 23
