As Dallas continues its search for a new city manager, some insiders already believe they know the outcome: Kimberly Bizor Tolbert is a predetermined shoo-in.
Despite the ongoing process, many believe the search for new candidates was designed to ensure that Tolbert retains her role, with a carefully selected pool of weak contenders to make her appear the best choice.
The City of Dallas narrowed its search for a new city manager to four finalists earlier this month, as previously covered by The Dallas Express. Followers of the process, such as The Dallas Express publisher Monty Bennett, argue that the process was flawed from the start.
“100%. The fix is already in,” Bennett said. “They had the search firm purposefully put forth three other very weak candidates. So Tolbert, as weak as she is, looks better.”
Bennett’s claims reflect the growing suspicion that the City’s search process, managed by Baker Tilly, was essentially rigged in Tolbert’s favor.
The four finalists presented in the search included William Johnson, Fort Worth’s Assistant City Manager; Mark Washington, City Manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zachary Williams, DeKalb County Manager in Georgia; and Tolbert. While the pool of candidates may seem somewhat diverse on paper, critics suggest that none of the other finalists ever posed a real challenge to Tolbert’s position.
Bennett, a proponent of the HERO amendments, including propositions S and U, which passed with a considerable margin, argues that Tolbert has fought against the new propositions that mandated increases to public safety funding and has already proven her leadership ineffective.
The HERO amendments were designed to increase accountability amongst local officials and ensure that the police department maintains a minimum of 4,000 officers with a raise in starting salaries. Proposition U, in particular, was critical in directing surplus funds toward the Dallas Police and Fire Pension. While two amendments passed with broad support from Dallas voters, Tolbert and various City officials were vocal in their opposition.
“They’re defying democracy. At every turn, they have fought the democratic efforts of the citizens with trickery, lawsuits, deception, and spending massive amounts of money. Even now, they are trying to find ways not to comply. They are shameless in their contempt for the voters,” Bennett added.
“The amendments are important because they make the City do what they’ve always said they’d do, but then don’t, increase public safety; it also forces them (City officials) to follow the law, as the rest of us do,” he explained.
As Dallas navigates the transition to a new city manager, many believe Tolbert’s appointment is practically a done deal.
“Tolbert will be the city manager because it’s already been decided and set up that way. She will be as bad as Broadnax unless the HERO Charter amendments and other reforms force her to behave otherwise,” Bennett concluded.
As the process progresses, Dallas residents are left questioning whether the search for a new city manager was ever truly fair or if the outcome was decided long before any upcoming official announcements. Only time will tell if Tolbert can lead the City or if her tenure will be marked by the same controversies that plague her interim role.