3 Dallas city manager finalists share their strengths, accomplishments

DALLAS - The public is learning more about the three finalists for the Dallas city manager job.

The candidates – interim Dallas City Manager Kim Tolbert, assistant Fort Worth City Manager William Johnson, and assistant Sacramento City Manager Mario Lara – were grilled by Dallas City Council members on Wednesday.

The interviews were behind closed doors, but the public did get the chance to meet the candidates and ask questions over the weekend.

What's next:

Council members are expected to vote on who will become the next city manager a week from today.

Mario Lara

The Sacramento candidate, Mario Lara, worked to connect with residents on a personal level at a forum in North Dallas on Sunday.

"I know I am an external candidate seeking to bring a fresh perspective and a reset to the community. So, it's important you really get to know me," he said. "I’m an immigrant. I was born in Belize in Central America, and my parents were educators. From them, I learned the value of hard work, discipline, integrity, and community service."

Lara has served California’s capital city as an assistant city manager since 2022, overseeing the police, fire, emergency management, and community response departments.

"One major accomplishment there was a reduction in homelessness, which I’ve heard from the community input sessions that I've heard is a concern here," he said.

Lara has also worked for the city of Riverside and in San Bernadino County in California. 

William Johnson

William Johnson, the assistant city manager in Fort Worth since 2019, touted his achievements when it comes to police pay.

"Great new contract that our police are so excited about where we made some adjustments in how we structure pay, how much time it takes for them to reach their maximum salary so that we can attract the best of the best not just from around the Metroplex but from around the country," he said.

Johnson said he wants to be in Dallas because it is one of the premier cities in the world, and he has experience when it comes to attracting tourism.

"We get more tourists in the Stockyards than they get at the Eiffel Tower. Many people don’t know that," he said.

Johnson has also worked for the cities of Atlanta and Baltimore, as well as in emergency services in the private sector.

Kimberly Tolbert

Kim Tolbert emphasized that Dallas is already her home.

She’s held finance and administration roles in the city, and has served as the deputy city manager and chief of staff to the city manager.

"This is a full circle moment for me because I started my career with the city of Dallas as an intern 32 years ago. And at my core, I’m a champion for this city. I came from Tyler, Texas as a budding rose. And Dallas allowed me to bloom," she said.

She focused on her accomplishments as interim city manager since May.

"I laid out a proactive 100-day plan. We started with a budget deficit of $38 million, and we worked to close that gap. I restructured the organization, streamlined operations saving you $13 million," she said.

Tolbert said the budget put public safety first while funding the pension commitment to first responders.

"I also worked to ensure we delivered the largest property tax reduction in modern history of this city with a unanimous city council vote," she said.

She closed her case with passion.

"I know I am the right leader right now. And I’m ready to serve as the permanent city manager," she said.