DALLAS — Dallas City Council voted 12-2 Tuesday to make Kimberly Tolbert the city's interim city manager when T.C. Broadnax officially leaves the job in early June.
Tolbert currently serves as Deputy City Manager reporting to Broadnax and enjoyed a swell of support at the council meeting Tuesday from a coalition of groups representing the city's Black community, which the mayor decried as "special interests" in a statement following the vote.
Broadnax announced his departure last week in a sudden move that was coordinated with a majority of the city council and kept secret from Mayor Eric Johnson, with whom he had a history of disagreements, WFAA reported.
Tolbert's impending elevation to the interim role was only opposed by two members of the council -- Cara Mendelsohn and Paul Ridley -- who said they wanted to see a more deliberative process to select a person to fill the most powerful job at City Hall.
"We needed to take the opportunity to consider all of the candidates and I don't think we have had time to do that," Ridley said.
Mayor Johnson, who did not attend the council meeting, said in a statement he had no issue with Tolbert as interim. "My problem is with this deeply flawed process, not with the person. There was no reason we needed to start off this way. These decisions are too important to the future of our city to have been reduced to shameless politicking, maneuvering, and scheming. It sends absolutely the wrong messages to the public and to prospective candidates for this critical job. We should be catering to the people’s best interests, not special interests."
"She believes in Dallas and Dallas should believe in Kimberly Tolbert," said Councilman Omar Narvaez as he announced his support before the vote. He attempted to quell concerns about the future of the role saying "Interim means interim."
But some supporters of Tolbert said they'd like to see her stay beyond a temporary basis. Sharon Middlebrooks, the president of the Dallas chapter of the NAACP, said she'd support Tolbert permanently for the job "if she wants it."
"They've done a good job between the two of them to keep the city of Dallas prosperous," said the NAACP's Economic Development Chair Tammy Pierce of Broadnax and Tolbert. "This is a huge job. It really is."
Other stakeholders did not want Tuesday's vote to be the end of the search for a new city manager candidate. "I think there needs to be a national search," said Sheldon Smith, the president of the Dallas chapter of the National Black Police Association.
"There’s absolutely politicking going on. There’s politicking within the council, there’s politicking as it relates to the mayor and we -- as workers within the city -- we depend on the decisions that we’re making now to make the city work," Smith said.
Other public safety leaders agreed, including George Aranda, who leads the local chapter of the National Latino Law Enforcement Organization. "It's common practice that national searches are done for such high-profile positions, so we do welcome the process," he said. "We will continue to work and welcome open dialogue and support Ms. Tolbert with our current pension and meet and confer negotiations."
Tolbert told WFAA she can't answer "right now" if she wants a permanent job. She said she's "laser-focused" on working with Broadnax for the remaining three months of his time with the city and serving Dallas however City Council needs in the following months.
Tolbert said she is honored to accept the role in a statement sent to WFAA:
I am honored to accept the Dallas City Council’s appointment as Interim City Manager. I remain committed to working in partnership with the Council, staff, residents, and businesses, to ensure a seamless and efficient operation of city government during this transition. Alongside local leaders, we will remain laser-focused on the vital issues in front of us such as the upcoming Bond Program election, FY25 Budget development, homelessness, and stabilizing the police and fire pensions. These are complex challenges, but I believe the City Council and staff are stronger together. Thank you for your trust and confidence.
Tolbert began at the city of Dallas as an intern, Narvaez said. She served as an assistant to the city manager and rose through the ranks to become the assistant director of the Department of Aviation, according to her official biography.
She left the Dallas government in 2008 and held various executive positions within the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) until 2016 when she rejoined the City Manager's office under Broadnax, the city said.
Tolbert is an alumna of the University of North Texas. In her role as Interim City Manager, she'll earn $367 thousand annually, City Councilmember Adam Balazdua said Tuesday.
T.C. Broadnax says he supports the city council's decision.
"Kimberly Bizor Tolbert is more than qualified, capable, and committed to lead Dallas through this transition. I am confident she will work in partnership with the City Council and lead our talented and dedicated staff to serve our residents," Broadnax said in a statement.