Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax resigns

The Dallas city manager says he's stepping down from his position.

For the past couple of years, T.C. Broadax's performance has been under scrutiny. It's been under negotiation the last three or four weeks.

Two years ago when Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson seemingly wanted to oust Broadnax, many of the Dallas City Council came to his defense. Now, a majority of that council feels it's time for new leadership.

Broadnax came to Dallas from Tacoma seven years ago and made history with the hiring of Renee Hall as the first African American woman to serve as police chief. He also navigated the city through the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his resignation letter to the city council on Wednesday, Broadnax wrote, "It is my hope that my departure provides the city council an opportunity to reset, refocus and transition to a new city manager that continues to move the city forward and will allow for a more effective working relationship with the mayor and the city council moving forward."

Related

Dallas city manager T.C. Broadnax gets raise despite earlier tension with mayor, council

The Dallas city manager who was nearly fired earlier this year is instead getting a pay raise. He will be making $423,000 a year.

"We know that there have been some agreements and some disagreements, but it's all about and the importance of having a team a leadership team that speaks to the success of the city," said Councilwoman Carolyn King Arnold.  "Where we are now, we believe it’s just time for us to push for a different feel of decision making to make Dallas what we would like it to be a stronger city."

"We did not always see eye to eye, but we still worked together to help move this city forward," Mayor Johnson said in a statement. "After his seven years of working for our city, I want to wish him well on whatever comes next."

Johnson went on to say that "Dallas continues to move in the right direction — something that is not true of many other major cities. With the right team in place in the years to come, we can work together to make our bustling city stronger, safer, and more vibrant."

Two weeks ago, Broadnax was praised for his work on the budget and the bond package. Now, he's planning his exit.

Broadnax stays until June 3, ending his seven-year run at the helm as Dallas city manager.

An interim city manager will be appointed as required by the city charter. The council will do that in the coming weeks.

Then the search for a new city manager will begin.

Police chief ‘disappointed’ in Broadnax’s resignation

One of the biggest budget priorities for the city manager is public safety, and one of Broadnax's biggest supporters is the police chief.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia says he's disappointed Broadnax is resigning, calling him an exceptional leader and a big reason why he accepted the job as the police chief.

Broadnax hired Chief Garcia in 2021, making Garcia the first Latino to serve in this position in the department’s 140-year history. 

Broadnax is Chief's Garcia's boss, so it's vital the two have a good working relationship — which Garcia says they do.

Since becoming Dallas' top cop, Garcia has implemented several policies, procedures and initiatives helping reduce violent crime, build community trust, and increase transparency, while embracing both constitutional policing and proactive policing.

Garcia says none of that would have been possible without Broadnax's unwavering support.

"The morale of the department, the crime reductions that we've had, the support that he's given with funding and staffing doing everything we can is incredible," the chief said. "Allowing me the ability to speak truth when truth needs to be spoken in regards to failures of the criminal justice system. He just allowed me and other department heads to do their jobs and support us."

Garcia says he made Broadnax a promise when he was hired that he would stay in Dallas for five years. He just started his fourth year with the department.

Garcia says he'll be closely watching who is named Broadnax's successor, adding that that person has big shoes to fill.

Dallas