Political Ambitions

Mayor Mike Rawlings' chief of staff resigns to run for Dallas City Council

A top official in Mayor Mike Rawlings' office has resigned so that he can run for a seat on the Dallas City Council. The mayor's office sent out a release announcing that his chief of staff, Adam McGough, had stepped down to "pursue other opportunities."

"Adam has been a great chief of staff for me, and he has been the driving force behind the GrowSouth initiatives," said Rawlings in a statement. GrowSouth is an economic development plan for Southern Dallas launched by Rawlings in 2012.

For almost 10 years, McGough served as a community prosecutor in East Dallas, the chief of community prosecution and community courts, and as chief of staff for the mayor.

"Adam has helped me complete many of our important initiatives in the mayor's office," Rawlings added. "His love for Dallas is equaled only by his knowledge of the city and his ability to marshal city resources to get things accomplished."

McGough, 37, has already announced his plans to run for the city council seat in District 10, vacated by Jerry Allen. His only opponent so far is Paul Reyes, a former staff attorney for former State Sen. John Carona.

The mayor said he would be announcing replacements and new arrivals in the mayor's office shortly.

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Fun times in the city

Dallas swings a spot on new list of most fun cities in U.S. for 2024

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Dallas just wants to have fun, according to WalletHub's new ranking of the most fun cities in America in 2024.

The annual report ranked Dallas No. 31 out of 182 U.S. cities.

WalletHub's experts compared each city using 65 metrics to determine their level of "fun." Metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

According to the study's findings, Dallas was 24th nationally in the category for nightlife and parties, and ranked No. 39 in the "entertainment and recreation" category. That may be especially alluring for anyone who wants to explore the city's vast entertainment opportunities (especially during the holiday season), family-friendly recreational activities, top dining destinations, and more. Plus, Dallas is home to entertainment juggernauts like the State Fair of Texas and TopGolf.

Dallas performed poorly in the overall cost category, earning No. 114 out of all 182 cities. However, this category mostly compares flat costs rather than affordability based on local cost of living.

Potential new Dallasites should do their research before deciding to move here, rather than basing their decision on short trips and vacations alone. But we won't blame them for wanting to live in one of the best cities in the world.

"The top cities offer affordable options for year-round fun for their residents, which is good for residents’ wallets and their mental health," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo in the report.

Austin (No. 6) and Houston (No. 9) were the only Texas cities to earn a spot in the top 10 most fun U.S. cities list. Austin moved up one spot from last year, while Houston made a 10-place jump.

Other fun-filled Texas cities that made it in the top 100 are El Paso (No. 53), Fort Worth (No. 55), Plano (No. 78), Arlington (No. 79), and Corpus Christi (No. 99).

The top 10 most fun U.S. cities are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 9 – Houston, Texas
No. 10 – New York City, New York

Cities were evaluated based on the number of attractions per capita, nightlife activities per capita, the average prices for eating at a restaurant or buying a movie ticket, and more. Data was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Trust for Public Land, and the Council for Community and Economic Research, among others.

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