Doing Good in 2014

Carry The Load wins tight race to close out first-ever CultureMap Charity Challenge

The votes have been tallied, and after a close race, Carry The Load has been named CultureMap's service project for 2014 as determined by our charitable readers.

Twelve deserving local nonprofits battled it out in the first-ever CultureMap Charity Challenge presented by Briggs Freeman Sotheby's. Carry The Load snuck away with the win, capturing 32 percent of the votes. The LEAP Foundation came in close behind, with 25 percent of the votes. The Family Place rounded out the top three with 11 percent.

Other contenders included American Red Cross, A.W.A.R.E., Men of Nehemiah, SPCA of Texas, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, Birthday Party Project, Salvation Army, Trinity Trust and Wilkinson Center.

"We are excited to partner with CultureMap to raise awareness for Carry The Load and reach as many people as we can with our vision to restore the true meaning of Memorial Day," says Brian Gile of Carry The Load. "We invite the CultureMap community to join us by participating, volunteering or donating."

Former U.S. Navy SEALs Clint Bruce and Stephen Holley, co-founders of Carry The Load, are no strangers to success in the Dallas community. If you remember, they won the 2013 Good Works Under 40 Award presented by the Dallas Foundation back in November.

Carry The Load aims to restore the meaning of Memorial Day and honor fallen heroes, veterans, active duty military, firefighters, law enforcement and rescue personnel through a national rally. The organization's best-known event is a 20-hour march in Dallas over the Memorial Day weekend. But it's a brand-new year, which brings more opportunity to make a difference

"We have seen huge increases in our community of supporters over the past three years," Gile says. "We have grown from a single Dallas Memorial Day event in 2011 to a month-long 'Memorial May' National Relay and events in Austin, Tampa and Ruston in 2013.

"For 2014 and beyond, we hope to continue building Carry The Load into a national interactive experience for Americans across the country to remember, honor and celebrate Memorial Day in dedication to those who sacrifice for us every day," Gile says.

In addition receiving a $2,500 cash donation and advertising package, the CultureMap team will work with Carry The Load to better serve them in 2014. For more information about how you can do the same, visit the website.

Carry The Load raises money for groups that aid veterans, active duty military personnel, first responders and the families of all those groups.

Photo courtesy of Carry the Load

Carry The Load raises money for groups that aid veterans, active duty military personnel, first responders and the families of all those groups.

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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.

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