5 necessary qualities of the next city manager

Dallas continues to move in the right direction — something that is not true of many other major cities. And with the right team in place at Dallas City Hall in the years to come, this bustling city can become stronger, safer, and more vibrant.

The following is adapted from my email newsletter. To subscribe, click here.

As you may have heard, the city manager this week announced his resignation effective June 3.

He worked for this city for seven years, and I wish him well on whatever comes next.

Still, the way things went down raises some questions. There are also some process issues to sort out about how to move forward.

Hopefully, it will all be ironed out soon. The Ad Hoc Committee on Administrative Affairs will meet Monday and begin working on a proper timeline of a search for a new city manager. This is positive — a good process is crucial for major decisions such as these. It is vital that Dallas goes about this in the right way. Everything should be done in a manner that inspires public confidence.

The decision about who will take over the city manager role is critically important. Dallas continues to move in the right direction — something that is not true of many other major cities. And with the right team in place at Dallas City Hall in the years to come, this bustling city can become stronger, safer, and more vibrant.

This means it is not too early to begin thinking about the qualities we should be looking for in a new city manager.

So, I will start today by offering up five:

1. Someone who puts public safety first: Public safety is Job №1 in city government. Since the hiring of an experienced police chief who implemented an evidence-based violent crime reduction plan, Dallas has recorded three-straight years of year-over-year violent crime reductions.

This is no time to be complacent. The next city manager should be able to demonstrate a clear commitment to fighting violent crime and keeping Dallas neighborhoods safe. This person will need to be able to collaborate with the police chief (and also allow the law enforcement professionals to do their jobs), find additional solutions that do not depend entirely on law enforcement, and support the changing needs of firefighters and paramedics.

2. Someone who prioritizes taxpayers: During my five years in office, the city’s property tax rate has been cut by 4.1 cents. This is significant, and the result is that Dallas taxpayers are currently paying the lowest tax rate since 2007. But the Dallas City Council can and should focus on doing more as property values have risen. Taxpayers deserve responsible stewardship of their money, and this city must be in a position to compete for residents and businesses in this fast-growing region.

The next city manager should work with this Administration to prioritize the taxpayers’ interests by leading a process to identify ways to save taxpayers money and cut unnecessary government spending.

3. Someone who is focused on the basic services residents need: The next city manager should be a skilled executive, but he or she should not be expected to come in with a policy agenda. That also means the new city manager should not come in with a bunch of plans to focus on personal pet projects. The policymaking should be left to the policymakers — the city’s elected representatives. The city manager’s job is to operationalize these policies and bring them to life.

The city manager’s primary agenda should instead be focused on good government that works. The basics must take precedence. Traffic signals should function correctly. Potholes should be filled. Permits should be issued in a timely manner. Trash should be picked up on schedule. 911 calls need to be answered quickly. Confidential data belonging to city employees and the public should be protected. Code Compliance should be well-run. This is the city manager’s job — not politicking, policymaking, or podcasting.

4. Someone who is accountable: Issues come up. Mistakes will happen. Things can go sideways. That’s understandable. The city is a huge organization — too big in some ways, honestly — that has a lot of moving parts.

But when problems do inevitably arise, the next city manager must be forthcoming about them. Then this person must take responsibility, work to correct the issues, and share plans to move forward effectively. There should be no passing the buck. It’s not enough to say a problem is a collective failure, shrug your shoulders, and effectively tell taxpayers, “oh well.”

The city manager oversees thousands of employees who make Dallas work every day. And it is never fun to take the blame when someone else messes up or when a department or service is proving to be ineffective. But the city manager is the highest-paid city employee — by far — and is one of only a handful of people who work directly for the City Council. All council-appointed officers must be willing to be accountable on behalf of their teams — and to hold themselves and others accountable, too.

5. Someone with good communication skills: Finally, the next city manager will need to be able to communicate honestly and effectively. He or she should be able to understand nuance and complexity but also be able to cut to the chase in a manner that is simple and straightforward. When important questions are asked of the city manager, the answers should be clear and unmistakable. Obfuscation and condescension from the city manager can create major problems.

On this note, the city manager must also act in good faith and treat residents, business leaders, community leaders, City Councilmembers, and city employees with respect. This skillset, combined with the right mindset, will create a better culture at City Hall and facilitate a better city government for residents.

There is a lot of consequential work to be done over the next few years, and the next city manager will be a key part of it. Hopefully, the Dallas City Council can come together on a robust search process to identify the right person for the job.

Ultimately, though, it’s not about what the City Council wants. It’s about you and your needs. This is what is at stake here. And you are always worth fighting for.

That’s all for today, but it should be an eventful week. Take care of yourselves, and stay tuned for more updates.