Two factions within the Dallas City Council scheduled two separate meetings on Monday to discuss who should be the next city manager. Most council members skipped the first meeting.
The outcome of the second meeting? Yet another meeting slated for December 23 to "interview, virtually, the candidates," according to a motion made by District 14 Council Member Paul Ridley.
The dueling agendas come after some council members said they were kept in the dark throughout the search process. That includes 46 other applicants being withheld from elected officials until last week 鈥� and two vastly different hiring timelines proposed by other officials.
The council members who attended Monday鈥檚 meeting allowed public speakers who showed up to City Hall, to speak about the city manager hiring process.
Frank Mihalopoulos, owner of Corinth Properties, said during the meeting he has been in and around Dallas City Hall since the 1970s, and has seen what can happen when a council works together on an issue.
But he said that hasn鈥檛 necessarily happened in the search for a city manager.
鈥淯nfortunately, we鈥檝e been delayed for many months鈥ts not good, its not healthy for our city,鈥� Mihalopoulos said. 鈥淲hat I鈥檓 here [for] today is asking you and those that aren鈥檛 here, to make sure we all work together with the goal of鈥aving a new city manager.鈥�
District 9 Council Member Paula Blackmon, District 11 Council Member Jaynie Schultz and District 13 Council Member Gay Donnell Willis called for Monday morning's meeting last week.
But only two other council members showed up 鈥� District 6 Council Member Omar Narvaez and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Adam Bazaldua.
And that put a stop to the discussion 鈥� mostly.
鈥楾he ability to discuss鈥�
Willis said after the public speakers that she had hoped the council could have met 鈥渁nd be able to discuss this very important hire, for the CEO of the ninth-largest city in America and move the process forward.鈥�
鈥淲e just wanted the ability to discuss with our colleagues our concerns and hear from them and have them hear from us,鈥� Willis said. 鈥淲e were ready to interview, informally, virtually, three of the semifinalist candidates.鈥�
Willis said she would direct the city secretary to cancel the interviews. Other council members gave comments as well.
鈥淚 was very disappointed that my colleagues that did not come chose to be swayed by politics, rather than our [city] charter,鈥� Schultz told 四虎影院 after the meeting.
Monday鈥檚 meeting 鈥渁dded to the drama of this process,鈥� Schultz said and added that if the Ad Hoc Committee on Administrative Affairs had followed the timeline to hire a city manager set out earlier this year 鈥� the meeting wouldn鈥檛 have been called.
The city was slated to offer someone the job before the end of the year, according to an early-August timeline proposed by Baker Tilly, the search firm hired to conduct the search, reviewed by 四虎影院.
But an updated timeline from early-November shows a final hiring date of February 2025.
鈥淚ts kind of confusing on which timeline we are following, because either way鈥hey鈥檙e not being followed,鈥� Blackmon told 四虎影院 on Monday.
Monday morning鈥檚 special called council meeting also included a voting item. Blackmon said that likely wouldn鈥檛 have happened even if a quorum was present.
鈥淚 think we would have amended that,鈥� Blackmon said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we would have made a final selection.鈥�
Chaos or politics?
The search for the next city manager comes as Dallas faces uncertain times. Former Dallas and current Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax announced his resignation earlier this year. In that time many other of the city鈥檚 top executives have left too.
That includes former Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia who left the city to join Broadnax in Austin as an assistant city manager.
More recently, Dallas voters approved two controversial charter amendments that significantly changed how local government operates.
Elected officials seem to agree on one thing: the Dallas needs a permanent city manager 鈥� and soon.
Schultz said she didn鈥檛 know why the process had played out like it has. On the outside, the search has been the source of drama in the city.
That includes tense discussions and hard questions asked after some elected officials found out that 46 other candidates for the city manager position had been withheld from them until a committee meeting last week.
Schultz says the search鈥檚 chaotic narrative isn鈥檛 correct.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not chaotic, it is political, and [residents] should pressure their council member to make a decision,鈥� Schultz said. 鈥淧eople are using chaos and confusion in order to deflect from the real issue of actually making a decision.鈥�
Blackmon, Schultz and Willis sent a memo to the city secretary on Friday calling the Monday meeting.
鈥淭he most important task of a city council is to hire a city manager. Leading up to yesterday鈥檚 ad hoc committee meeting, the process has been loose and nontransparent,鈥� the three elected officials said in a statement to 四虎影院 on Friday.
鈥淚t has excluded councilmembers in our most important duty to the taxpayers and it鈥檚 time to bring this critical choice to the full governing body.鈥�
Blackmon told 四虎影院 on Monday that the apparent division among council members could be overcome.
鈥淭he council can get its work done when it decides to get its work done, we鈥檝e proven that,鈥� Blackmon said. 鈥淲e got a budget done, we worked on a restoration sounding plan for the [Dallas Police and Fire Pension System.鈥�
She added that the council will likely come together, but 鈥渋t seems that there is a power struggle, there鈥檚 a struggle in what is the true process and who is the voice in that process.鈥�
Some applicants for the city manager position are slated to be interviewed on Monday December 23 at 9 a.m.
Got a tip? Email Nathan Collins at ncollins@kera.org. You can follow Nathan on Twitter .
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