Dallas City Council names Kimberly Bizor Tolbert as next city manager
DALLAS – In a 13-2 vote Wednesday afternoon, the Dallas City Council selected Kimberly Bizor Tolbert as the next city manager. Tolbert has been the interim city manager since the position became vacant last June following the departure of former City Manager T.C. Broadnax.
Before the council voted, members spoke to praise Tolbert's performance as the interim and the how they feel she is the right person for the job. Some council members said they were especially pleased with Tolbert's selection since she would be the first Black woman in the job.
Council members Cara Mendelsohn (District 12) and Paul E. Ridley (District 14) voted against naming Tolbert the next city manager.
Various community groups were supportive of Tolbert throughout the process. Last month, the the Dallas NAACP, the Dallas Fire Fighters Association and the Black Fire Fighters Association of Dallas voiced support for Tolbert. In Wednesday's meeting, the head of the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce also spoke before the vote on his group's support for Tolbert.
The other semifinalists were William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth, and Mario Lara, an assistant city manager in Sacramento, California
Frustration with the hiring process among City Council
Wednesday's decision wraps up a long, and times contentious, search process. December meetings of both the city council committee in charge of leading the search and the full council left some members frustrated.
For instance, Council Member Cara Mendelson criticized how search firm Baker Tilly narrowed down the 50 perspective candidates to four semifinalists; two candidates who were on the first list of semifinalists did not end up on the final list.
In another instance, a meeting of the full council, in which they were scheduled to interview and possibly hire a city manager, was abruptly canceled because multiple council members did not show up.
The absences were intentional, one member told CBS News Texas' Steve Pickett. Instead, the council met in private, deliberating qualifications of the candidates while also escalating the dispute over the selection process, candidates and how long it has taken.
The last city manager
Dallas's previous city manager T.C. Broadnax announced his resignation in February 2024, which became effective in June, citing his strained relationship with Mayor Eric Johnson. He is now the city manager in Austin.
Some city council members had been critical of Broadnax's performance as far back as June of 2022. CBS News Texas reported at the time that Broadnax was asked to resign, but refused.
Broadnax did have a good relationship with widely popular former Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia, who resigned in September. Garcia followed Broadnax to Austin and is now an assistant city manager overseeing public safety.
