The City of Dallas terminated its manager for nighttime economy and responsible hospitality due to “unacceptable conduct” after he reportedly communicated with the media and released press statements without his supervisor’s approval.
Edward “Eddie” Grant spent three months on paid administrative leave before his termination just before Christmas, per WFAA. The written statements and resulting human resources report do not cite any concerns with the content of the two television interviews he gave or the two press releases he coordinated with the City’s media relations department.
Grant told WFAA he believed he had approval to promote his new office and that his work could have helped prevent some of the nightlife issues that arose while he was sidelined.
“I think I was brought in to do a job, and I was then terminated for doing exactly that job,” Grant said, reported WFAA.
Grant has appealed the firing.
“The only thing I asked for in that appeal was for my job back. That’s all I wanted was to get back to what I love to do,” he said.
A City spokesperson declined to comment on personnel matters.
Grant’s termination letter said he failed to inform department leadership of the media coverage and authorized two press releases and several television interviews without Rosa Fleming’s permission, the director of convention and event services.
One of the releases, issued on September 15 in coordination with the City’s communications department, announced new initiatives on community mediation, overdose prevention, and an upcoming education summit.
Grant said he thought his boss had approved the outreach after an earlier email exchange in which she greenlit the office’s plans.
“All of the things directed toward us pointed in we are greenlit to move forward,” he said.
Instead, he was placed on leave and told he had probably lost his job and the jobs of his entire team.
The termination letter also said Grant “misrepresented facts about the nighttime economy unit,” though it provided no specifics.
Fleming wrote that his actions created confusion among the City Council during the 2025-26 budget season and resulted in “a waste of city resources to correct the news stories and manage the content,” WFAA reported.
Fleming previously described the actions as embarrassing to the department and said they caused extra work for officials who tried to prevent the stories from running. Documents show managers in the department had been informed of the media policy, and other leaders said Grant “could not claim total ignorance of the process because he knew not to talk to the media.”
In the months after Grant was sidelined, Dallas drew criticism from live music venues after code compliance officers began citing bars that charge a cover fee. The backlash prompted the creation of a new Hospitality and Nightlife task force and changes in how the City manages nightlife relations and enforcement.
Grant said he had been working on those issues before he was placed on leave. “It was happening at a vital time,” he explained.
Grant had reportedly planned to present proposed changes in January for public discussion and implementation ahead of the FIFA World Cup in June. Instead, the task force formed after his leave presented its recommendations to the City Council’s Quality of Life, Arts and Culture Committee in March. Council members gave feedback and recommended reconvening in May.
Grant said the process could have moved faster had he remained in his role.
“Could it have gone faster? I think objectively you look at this and say absolutely,” he said.
In late October, the City announced that Grant’s Nighttime Economy and Responsible Management Office would move to report to the Office of Arts and Culture instead of Fleming’s Office of Convention and Event Management.
Grant said he plans to stay in Dallas and hopes the next person in the role receives full support from City leadership.
“This role can’t be lip service,” he said. “If you’re going to have a nighttime economy manager, then you need to let that nighttime economy manager do what we do best.”
