Ok Google

5 reasons why you need this hot Black Friday deal from Reliant

Reliant is giving you one of these — plus a Google Home Mini — for free.

Photo courtesy of Nest

If you are still adjusting your thermostat by hand, it's time to get with the times and embrace technology. Specifically voice-activated technology, like the kind offered by Reliant with its new plan that includes the Google Home Mini, which you can use to control your home's temperature through the Nest Thermostat E.

Launching on Black Friday, November 24, Reliant can hook you up with the Speak & Save 12 plan, which promises a year of price security plus the opportunity to save energy with the Nest Thermostat E and make your life easier with a Google Home Mini.*

How much easier? Here are five ways.

1. Just say the word
Feeling a little chilly? Say, "Ok Google, make it warmer." Google Home Mini is powered by the Google Assistant, so you can easily adjust your new Nest Thermostat E, play music, get answers from Google Search, manage everyday tasks, and more. It even recognizes different voices, so answers are personalized for you.

2. You will save money
The Nest Thermostat E programs itself so you can help reduce your AC usage by up to 15 percent.** Like the original Nest Learning Thermostat, the E turns itself down when you're away, so you don't waste energy heating or cooling an empty home. Over time, it even learns your schedule and makes suggestions for more energy efficient settings. And with a Nest Thermostat E and price security from the Reliant Speak & Save 12 plan, the savings can stack up.

3. Control temps from your phone
Not at home to tell your Google Home Mini what to do? The easy-to-use Nest mobile app lets you control your home's temperature even while you're away. Check the current temp, plan for a sudden weather change, or adjust the setting when you're officially leaving for vacation. It's almost as satisfying as putting up your out-of-office email message.

4. It will simplify other aspects of your life
Reliant’s mission is to power, protect and simplify lives for its customers that’s why Reliant offers the Google Home Mini, which lets you control more than 1,000 smart home devices from over 150 brands with just your voice. Using only a simple voice command, get the latest on weather, traffic, finance, sports, local businesses, and more, or play music and your own personal playlists from popular online services. Its high excursion speaker delivers HiFi sound quality and will always hear you reliably, thanks to far-field microphones.

5. They fit with almost any decor
The redesigned Nest Thermostat E features a frosted display that blends in beautifully to complement any home’s decor, and the Google Home Mini is sleek and compact. Both look even better when you remember that they're included in your Reliant Speak & Save 12 plan.

*Changes in law or regulatory charges allowed by the Public Utility Commission of Texas will impact your price. Enrollment in the Reliant Speak & Save 12 plan provides one Nest Thermostat E and one Google Home Mini per household and requires a residential service address served by Reliant. Allow up to 8 weeks for delivery. Nest Thermostat E is a trademark of Nest Labs, Inc. All rights reserved. Google Home Mini is a trademark of Google LLC. Reliant is a registered service mark of Reliant Energy Retail Holdings, LLC. Reliant Energy Retail Services, LLC (PUCT Certificate #10007). ©2017 Reliant Energy Retail Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved.

**Based on independent studies by Energy Trust of Oregon and Vectren of actual Nest Thermostat devices.

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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