Dallas City Manager A.C. Gonzalez Announces Retirement

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The City of Dallas is looking for a new City Manager.

A.C. Gonzalez informed Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and the City Council Monday he will retire in January 2017.

Gonzalez recently came under fire for his handling of the city's loose dog problem.

He is credited for his role in opening the Omni Convention Center Hotel and growing the city's tax base.

Gonzalez became City Manager in July 2013, when he was appointed interim City Manager.

He was hired permanently in January 2014 by a unanimous vote of the City Council.

Below is the statement he shared with Mayor and Council:

Honorable Mayor and Council:

For almost two decades, I've worked as part of the leadership team of Dallas. While I have managed other cities, serving our residents as City Manager for the past few years has been the pinnacle of my career. Dallas is where my heart is and the place I call home. That is why my decision to make a career change in 2017 is not an easy one.

I am announcing my retirement as City Manager, effective the end of January, 2017. This date is in consideration of the time needed for your selection process, and of the time needed by the incoming City Manager to get a grasp of all City operations and begin work on the 2017/18 City budget.

As promised when I accepted the position of City Manager, I have given considerable focus to improving the culture, systems and people within our organization. I made critical changes in each of these areas, and the results are measurable. The recently released 2016 City of Dallas Community Survey by ETC Institute shows that overall citizen satisfaction with City services is at an all-time high. In fact, our citizen ratings are 17 percent higher than the national average for large cities. There is more work to be done, but surely this is an indication that we are heading in the right direction.

It has been my privilege to serve as City Manager, but there is no question that this is a very tough job with 24/7 demands. I've come to a point where I just want my life back. I look forward to spending time with my family and applying my experience to new exciting challenges.

I wish you and the City of Dallas every success moving forward.

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