You're So Vain

Downtown Dallas' big Eye tries not to roll on National Selfie Day

Eye is totally not judging you for your selfie endeavors.

Photo by Billy Farrell

In a display of extraordinarily good sportsmanship, Eye, the 30-foot-tall eyeball sculpture in downtown Dallas, will open to the public for two special-occasion days of perhaps dubious distinction in June.

This follows an Eye opening in April, when the Joule Dallas opened the space on April 6 in observance of Dallas Arts Month. Eye is generally not available because it sits on a lot that is a private outdoor event space used by the hotel.

And yet, barely two months later, are two more openings:

National Leave the Office Early Day
According to a release, The Joule Dallas will open the gates to the Eye on June 1 for "National Leave the Office Early Day," which, who knew was a holiday. In New York during the summer, people hardly work on Fridays at all.

If you did know that National Leave the Office Early Day was a holiday, perhaps you also knew that it is actually celebrated on June 2. But this year, June 2 falls on a Saturday. Having a leave-the-office day on a Saturday would make no sense.

TimeandDate.com says that when National Leave the Office Early Day falls on a weekend, you're supposed to move it to Monday. But National Day Calendar says it should be celebrated on the closest day, which would be Friday. From these divergent opinions, the Joule wisely chooses Friday.

They will throw open the gates to Eye at 12 noon and remain open until 5 pm, with the following activities:

Gelato available for purchase from Commissary
Pop-up cash bar under the pergola of Copper Bar at Forty Five Ten overlooking the lawn
Kick around a giant beach ball or play a game of corn hole
Bring your lunch or grab a sandwich to go from Commissary and relax in lounge chairs underneath umbrellas

National Selfie Day
Why? Why why why. Isn't every day a selfie day? But no: Thursday, June 21 is National Selfie Day, a day dedicated to selfies. They should just call it National Narcissism Day. (There is also a No-Selfies Day, but that's harder to celebrate. How do we know it happened without a photo?)

To celebrate National Selfie Day, the Joule is hosting a selfie contest, with prizes. To enter, you must take a selfie in one of the common areas of The Joule, including the event lawn with the Eye sculpture.

Eye will be open to good-naturedly endure your selfies from 10 am-6 pm.

Other hotel common areas include the Lobby, The Lobby Bar, the Taschen Library, Mosaic Corridor, Americano, CBD Provisions, Weekend, and Midnight Rambler.

Post your picture on Instagram or Facebook, then follow and tag @1530main.

The prize will be two day passes to the Joule's rooftop pool that can be redeemed any Sunday through September 2. Valued at $50 each, the passes include pool access, valet, one food item, and one drink of your choice from the pool menu. Terms and conditions will be posted at 1530main.com/selfie and available at the front desk.

downtown

Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

politics