DALLAS — Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said on Thursday that he wants a city council committee to begin the process of finding a new city manager.
Johnson, already under fire for his meeting attendance record, also said he won't be attending an upcoming special council session called in the wake of T.C. Broadnax's resignation.
Broadnax, who has been city manager since 2017 and has clashed with Johnson in the past, submitted his resignation Wednesday as part of a concerted, back-room exit ploy coordinated with a council majority. His last day with the city will be June 3.
A special council meeting has been scheduled for Feb. 27 to discuss Broadnax's resignation and to pass a resolution potentially appointing deputy city manager Kim Tolbert to the interim lead role in that office.
The meeting was called by councilmembers Jaime Resendez, Adam Bazaldua and Jaynie Schultz.
But Johnson, in a memo to councilmembers Thursday, said he doesn't plan to attend the meeting, writing that "there is simply no need or reason to rush this process."
Instead, Johnson said he's charging the council's Ad Hoc Committee on Administrative Affairs to start the process of naming an interim city manager and begin the search for a permanent replacement.
The Ad Hoc Committee consists of councilmembers Tennell Atkins, Cara Mendelsohn and Jesse Moreno. Johnson, in his memo, revealed the addition of councilmembers Paul Ridley and Kathy Stewart to that committee.
Specifically, Johnson said he wants the committee to:
- recommend to councilmember a timeline for naming an interim city manager
- recommend candidates for the interim role
- recommend a national search process for the new city manager, including a public input process and whether or not the city should hire consultants or a firm for the search
- determine the minimum qualifications for a candidate to be considered.
While Johnson said he isn't planning to attend next week's special meeting, he has instructed the Ad Hoc Committee to "meet as soon as possible to begin these discussions," according to his memo.
Wrote Johnson in his memo to councilmembers: "As you know, the city manager’s resignation is not effective until June 3, and we can very easily add these items to an upcoming regularly scheduled agenda meeting to allow for meaningful discussion and full participation from all 15 duly elected members of the City Council on these vital matters."
How Broadnax's resignation happened
Broadnax's sudden resignation had been in the works for more than a week, kept secret from the mayor and finally came together on Wednesday afternoon, according to four Dallas City Council members who spoke with WFAA.
Broadnax had long been rumored to be considering leaving the city because of his history of disagreements with Johnson.
By the beginning of February, Broadnax decided the time had finally come.
According to councilmembers WFAA spoke with, Broadnax first approached councilman Jaime Resendez to discuss his potential departure. As part of their discussion, sources confirmed to WFAA, the two agreed to keep their conversation quiet, allowing Broadnax to leave the city on his own terms.
But to do that, Broadnax is said to have asked Resendez to identify a collective of eight city council members who would personally ask him to resign. If eight members -- a majority of city council (made up of representatives of 14 districts across the city, plus the mayor) -- asked for Broadnax's resignation, that would then trigger a severance clause in Broadnax's contract that would allow him to set his own last day in office and to leave to work for another city without any restrictions levied by the City of Dallas.
It could also allow Broadnax to head out the door with a hefty payout. Broadnax was hired to serve the City of Dallas as its city manager at the end of 2016 and officially started the role in 2017. He had the highest annual salary at City Hall, most recently earning $423,247 each year. His contract also included a $700 monthly car allowance.
Dallas City Council Liaison Penny Anderly said Broadnax's severance pay has not yet been negotiated.
