In the wake of City Manager T.C. Broadnax announcing his planned resignation, the departing city manager has been criticized for what he has done — and failed to do — over the past seven years.
Dallas Cothrum, president of Masterplan, Texas’ largest planning and permitting company, recently slammed Broadnax in an op-ed published by The Dallas Morning News.
“Broadnax’s sudden decision to resign should have surprised no one. The way he did it was in character with his non-collaborative leadership style,” wrote Cothrum, referring to the alleged maneuvering behind the scenes that guaranteed Broadnax would receive a substantial severance payout.
“Broadnax found a willing collaborator in Dallas City Council member Jaime Resendez, who individually met other council colleagues to gather enough votes to ask for his resignation… This may not violate the Texas Open Meetings Act, but it should have been done in the light of day — especially when a large amount of money is at stake,” Cothrum opined.
Cothrum brought up several issues faced by Dallas under Broadnax’s stewardship, such as population decline, City employees not feeling inspired, his reluctance to be transparent, lengthy building permit processing times, and the fractured relationship between himself and Mayor Eric Johnson.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Dallas lost 14,777 residents between 2020 and 2021, while the populations of other cities, such as Fort Worth, Frisco, Denton, and McKinney, grew by the thousands, D Magazine reported.
In 2022, the Dallas City Council considered firing Broadnax over his purported mismanagement of the construction permitting process.
“I believe it is time for a change in city management. Several of my duly elected colleagues on the Dallas City Council have made it clear in recent days that they also believe it is time for a change,” Johnson told NBC 5 DFW at the time.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, council members ultimately decided to keep Broadnax on and give him a raise.
