Council members were informed by a search firm that they had only found four qualified applicants for the position of municipal manager. But the council desired more. “What went wrong during this recruitment process?”
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The Baker Tilly search firm named four possible candidates for the Dallas city manager position: Kimberly Tolbert, William Johnson, Mark Washington and Zachary Williams.
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The city council was disappointed in the results, saying they were expecting a list of 10 or more qualified candidates.
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Baker Tilly Director Art Davis told council the search was under a high level of scrutiny and was for a larger, very complex organization. He also pointed to some of the newly passed HERO Amendments.
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The city council committee will hold a special meeting on Monday to receive a presentation about each of the semifinalists.
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The Baker Tilly search firm named four possible candidates for the Dallas city manager position: Kimberly Tolbert, William Johnson, Mark Washington and Zachary Williams.
-
The city council was disappointed in the results, saying they were expecting a list of 10 or more qualified candidates.
-
Baker Tilly Director Art Davis told council the search was under a high level of scrutiny and was for a larger, very complex organization. He also pointed to some of the newly passed HERO Amendments.
-
The city council committee will hold a special meeting on Monday to receive a presentation about each of the semifinalists.
DallasMembers of the Dallas City Council were informed by a search firm that they had only found four qualified applicants for the position of city manager.
When he departed in May, the previous Dallas city manager was making almost $420,000 annually. Therefore, one would assume that the position would be sufficient to draw in some eligible applicants.
Council members expressed dissatisfaction on Thursday, stating that they had anticipated seeing at least ten competent applicants for the top position.
Four potential candidates were listed by the Baker Tilly search company in a memo that FOX 4 was able to obtain:
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Current Dallas Interim City Manager Kimberly Tolbert
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Fort Worth Asst. City Manager William Johnson
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Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington (Michigan)
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DeKalb County COO Zachary Williams (Georgia)
Council members, however, had higher expectations.
“Did you find it normal or unusual that we only had four semifinalists?” asked Councilwoman Kathy Stewart.
Art Davis, the director of Baker Tilly, stated, “I think it’s normal, but I also understand the high level of scrutiny of a larger community, a very complex organization.” “The issues that were surrounding the city over the last several months may have been a bit of a challenge.”
Tilly was referring to what are known as the “HERO Amendments.”
One of them calls for a significant rise in police recruitment. In November, that was over.
Another would have linked a citizen survey to the position of city manager. The amendment was unsuccessful.
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“A number of people that we talked to that were interested,” said Davis. “But in final conversations, they decided not to put in their applications.”
According to Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn, candidates were not qualified for the position if the charter modifications made them nervous.
“Understanding that the residents support public safety and the residents want accountability should actually be very desirable for a city manager,” she stated.
The council only got the complete list on Thursday, but it turns out there were 50 applicants overall.
Mendelsohn said she would like to have a look at some of the people on the list.
Just 10% of the candidates were Hispanic. We have a sizable Hispanic population, so I would wonder if there was any additional outreach. There should have been more Hispanic candidates, in my opinion.
“This list of 50 is embarrassing,” Councilman Adam Bazaldua remarked. What went wrong with this hiring procedure? And why didn’t we have a conversation throughout that phase of the process to ensure that we are genuinely receiving superior candidates?”
What’s Next?
Each of the semifinalists will be presented before the city council committee during a special meeting on Monday.
We are still working out some of the specifics of what will happen on Monday.
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This article’s information is based on prior FOX 4 reports and an internal document that FOX 4 was able to receive from Thursday’s Dallas City Council meeting.
This article’s information is based on prior FOX 4 reports and an internal document that FOX 4 was able to receive from Thursday’s Dallas City Council meeting.
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