City News Roundup
City manager candidates line up and more trending Dallas news
Dallas is interviewing for a new city manager, and former police Chief David Brown has a new gig. Here's what happened in Dallas city news this week:
City manager candidates
The city of Dallas released the names of five finalists for the vacant city manager position, as follows:
- T.C. Broadnax, city manager of Tacoma
- Jelynne LeBlanc-Burley, president and CEO of JLB Group
- Maura Black Sullivan, COO of Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Mark McDaniel, the city of Dallas’ assistant city manager
- Jim Twombly, director of administration and city manager of Tulsa
A.C. Gonzalez, the city’s current city manager, is retiring in January. Gonzalez was appointed as interim city manager in 2013, and accepted the position in January 2014 after the city council unanimously approved him.
Mayor Mike Rawlings told CBS-DFW that more than 100 people applied for the job.
The candidates will take a tour of Dallas, hosted by city staff on December 5. On December 6, they will interview with city council members. That evening, the city will hold a meet-and-greet from 6-8 pm on the second-floor atrium of City Hall. It will be open to the public. To attend, enter through the Dallas City Hall main lobby, near the reflecting pool.
The city also launched a survey to gauge the qualities residents would like to see in the new city manager. The survey asks respondents to rank factors such as experience outside of Dallas, previous work with labor negotiations, cultural competence and diversity, experience with multi-modal transportation in cities, planning and economic development, and social issues. You can take the survey here.
Pension fund lawsuit
A lawsuit regarding the Dallas Police and Fire Pension Fund board was filed by five police and firefighters. The pension board is trying to make changes to save the ailing fund. But the plaintiffs say the makeup of the board has too many members and is therefore invalid.
Sam's Club bout
The Sam's Club that was planned for Cityplace in Dallas seems to be kaput. Judge Mike O’Neill ruled that the city did not provide proper notice to residents.
Police Chief rebound
Former Dallas police Chief David Brown will join ABC News to provide commentary on economic inequality, policing, social justice, gun violence, and race relations.
James Goldston of ABC said Brown has a “unique perspective” to lend to those issues. Brown will begin January 1.
