City officials have remained tight-lipped on the exact course of events that led to City Manager T.C. Broadnax’s resignation last month, despite reports suggesting a majority of Dallas City Council members schemed to ensure the embattled city manager would be allowed to leave on a date of his choosing and with a hefty payout.
WFAA reported that Broadnax approached Council Member Jaime Resendez (District 5) and asked him to get seven other council members to ask him to resign. With a total of eight council members asking for his resignation, a severance clause in Broadnax’s contract was triggered, awarding him one year’s salary — more than $423,000, which is more than the president of the United States makes — and the ability to work for another city unimpeded.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, less than a month after his resignation announcement, it became public that Broadnax was named one of three finalists for the city manager position in Austin.
The process by which Broadnax seemingly orchestrated his own departure was met with criticism, prompting questions about whether the maneuver violated the Texas Open Meetings Act since City officials presumably acted in tandem, as previously reported by DX.
DX reached out to every Dallas City Council member and asked whether they met with Broadnax individually or with other council members to discuss “any severance payout” or other facet of his employment agreement with the City of Dallas. The council members were also asked for comment regarding the accusations of a possible skirting of the Texas Open Meetings Act, and whether they thought the process that played out was improper.
Not a single council member responded.
Broadnax was asked similar questions. He too did not reply.
DX did, however, receive a brief reply from the City’s communications team, which opted not to really answer DX‘s questions, simply noting, “The Texas Open Meetings Act defines a quorum, and the Dallas City Charter provides the quorum number for the Dallas City Council.”
As reported by DX, a plurality of Dallas residents feel the City of Dallas needs to be more transparent. Nearly 56% of respondents who described themselves as moderates registered this sentiment. Only 35% of people surveyed said they did not think the City needed to be more transparent.
Transparency has been a key issue for Dallas residents due to instances of corruption and bribery that emerged in the past. As previously reported by DX, Mayor Eric Johnson advocated for the creation of the Office of Inspector General to investigate government corruption, misappropriation of taxpayer funds, and potential waste.
The creation of the new watchdog body followed a number of high-profile scandals at City Hall. Former council member Dwaine Caraway was convicted in 2019 for his part in a scheme that saw him rake in roughly $450,000 in bribes over several years. Former council member Carolyn Davis was also convicted of bribery that same year. And in 2009, former Dallas mayor Don Hill was convicted on bribery charges and sentenced to 18 years, according to The Dallas Morning News.
