Dallas (WBAP/KLIF News) – The search for the next Dallas City Manager has been cut to five candidates.
City Council member Philip Kingston says all have city management experience, they come from across the country, and that’s what the city needs.
“It is finally time for Dallas to hire from outside, we’ve never done that before,” said Kingston. “We need a fresh perspective, we need an innovator, and someone who isn’t steeped in how we’ve always done it.”
Kingston says most of all, he’s looking for someone who is dedicated to transparency, and making sure the people of Dallas, and the council members who represent them, have access to financial data.
The five candidates will be brought in next week for interviews, and Kingston said the Council will decide on a finalist within a few days. They’ll then get to work negotiating with that finalist the terms of his or her employment. A contract will be drawn up, and a final offer made to the finalist in January.
Kingston said the first big challenges the new City Manager will face are hiring a new police chief, and dealing with the public safety pension problem.
The five candidates will be interviewed at city hall next week are:
*TC Broadnax, City Manager, Tacoma WA
* Jelynne LeBlanc-Burley, President and CEO, JLB Group
* Maura Black Sullivan, CEO, City of Chattanooga TN
* Mark McDaniel, Assistant Dallas City Manager
*Jim Twombly, City Manager, Tulsa OK
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