City News Roundup

City manager candidates line up and more trending Dallas news

Dallas city manager A.C. Gonzalez is about to retire.

Photo courtesy of City of Dallas

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.

city-news-roundup politics

Settling Down

Dallas named one of the 50 best places to retire in the U.S. in 2026

Visit Dallas/Facebook

undefined

Dallasites getting ready to give up the daily grind are already living in the right place for their next chapter in life. Dallas has just been named the third-best city to retire in Texas, and it lands as the 50th best city in the U.S. for retirement living, according to a new WalletHub report.

The study examined 182 U.S. cities and ranked them based on 45 "retirement-friendly" livability metrics across four categories: affordability, activities, quality of life, and health care.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Florida dominated the top 10, with Orlando, Miami, and Tampa locking in the top three spots and Fort Lauderdale ranking eighth on the list.

Dallas fared best in the categories for "activities" and "affordability," respectively ranking 39th and 69th. The activities category analyzed attractions and entertainment venues for seniors, like the number of per capita museums, theaters, book clubs, senior centers, and bingo halls; whereas the affordability rank encompassed the local cost of living, taxpayer-friendliness, the costs for in-home services, and other factors.

Costs were a significant factor in the rankings, as many retirees live on a fixed income. Finances and affordability also play a huge part in determining where to live once it's time to put up those work boots, WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said.

"As a result, the best cities for retired people are those that minimize taxes and expenses, as well as have good opportunities for retirees to continue paid work for extra income, if they choose to do so," he said. "In addition, the top cities provide high-quality health care and offer plenty of enjoyable activities for retirees."

Dallas fell behind in the "quality of life" (No. 119) and "health care" (No. 130) rankings, but it wasn't enough to tank the city's overall performance.

In fact, Dallas is the Metroplex's No. 1 city for retirees, with six more DFW neighbors earning spots on the list:

No. 75 – Plano
No. 78 – Fort Worth
No. 91 – Grand Prairie
No. 101 – Garland
No. 107 – Irving
No. 124 – Arlington

Elsewhere in Texas, Austin topped the list as the No. 1 best place to retire statewide, and it ranked No. 23 nationwide. San Antonio claimed the No. 2 spot statewide and was the only other Texas city to rank among the national top 50.

wallethub reports retirement dallas city life rankings