Can't Beat Plano

Plano rates among best places to live for unlikely age group

According to Livability.com, family-friendly Plano is also a great place for retirees to live.

In study after study, the city of Plano has been lauded as one of the best places for families to live in the United States. Now, a new study from Livability.com shows that it's not just parents and young kids who should love the Dallas suburb.

Livability determined Plano to be the No. 3 best American city in which to retire, behind only Santa Barbara, California, and Sarasota, Florida. Plano was specifically cited for offering access to affordable and quality healthcare, a practical cost of living, retiree-friendly businesses and services, and other amenities that help keep residents active.

Among the criteria that Livability considered for the study were healthcare spending, cost of living, percentage of people age 60 and older, crime rate, weather, parks, walkability, golf courses, and air quality.

So while places like California and Florida are typically thought of as ideal retiree destinations, the strength of the local economy in Plano, especially with big companies like Toyota coming to town, is a boon to people of all ages.

The rest of the study's top 10 cities were spread around the United States, including Tacoma, Washington; Carson City, Nevada; Hillsboro, Oregon; Lincoln, Nebraska; Charlottesville, Virginia; Rapid City, South Dakota; and Scottsdale, Arizona.

Of course, all of this should be taken with a rather large grain of salt since Livability appears to like to spread the love; not one city that made the list in 2013 or 2014 has appeared again.

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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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