Fort Worth City Council members have quietly taken the next step in the search for a new city manager. The council interviewed five candidates for the position Dec. 3, three council members confirmed to the Report.
The candidate interviews were conducted in-person at the old City Hall building, during a 9 a.m. executive session council meeting. Executive sessions are private meetings in which council members discuss sensitive or legal matters without having to disclose information to the public, but can’t take any final votes.
At 9 a.m., all doors to the old City Hall building at 200 Texas St. were locked. Deputy City Manager Mark McDaniel allowed Report journalists into the building, but city marshals refused access past the lobby, citing instructions from city leadership that media must be kept outside the building. The doors remained locked throughout the session, which spanned nearly eight hours.
The council convened the special executive session meeting after canceling its regularly scheduled work session for the same day. The five candidates interviewed were pared down from a list of 154 applicants, according to applicant data provided by the city of Fort Worth. That is more than triple the number of applicants received by the city of Dallas, which is currently considering four semifinalists for its city manager role, including William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth.
The search comes after City Manager David Cooke announced in July that he intends to retire in February 2025. He is Fort Worth’s longest-tenured city manager after holding the position for 10 years.
The city manager is one of four council appointees in the city of Fort Worth, in addition to city secretary, city attorney and city auditor.
What does the city manager do?
Brian Hamel, political science assistant professor at the University of North Texas, previously described the city manager role as the “CEO of the city,” responsible for its day-to-day management and administration.
The position reports to the mayor and council and is responsible for implementing their policies. Beyond enforcing municipal policies, the city manager oversees the city’s $2.6 billion budget and about 8,100 employees.
When approached by Report journalists outside the old City Hall building after the executive session, Mayor Mattie Parker left in her car as her security gestured that she wasn’t available. Parker did not return a phone call seeking comment.
All 11 council members were contacted for their thoughts on the hiring process and general feelings about the candidates interviewed Tuesday. Only council member Chris Nettles agreed to comment on the record, saying he’s not pleased with how the hiring process has gone so far.
“As the days come forward, you’ll begin to see how I feel today about the process not working,” Nettles said. “I want to remind people that Fort Worth is not the same Fort Worth as it was 10 years ago. And when you stay with the same, then you’ll get the same.”
Of the five applicants interviewed Tuesday, four were male and one was female, according to data provided by Dianna Giordano, human resources director. Two candidates were white, two were Black, and one was Hispanic. The city has not yet named the candidates.
Of the 154 total applicants, 53 declined to identify their gender, and 66 declined to identify their race or ethnicity. Of the 99 applicants that did self-identify their gender, 72 were male. Of the 88 candidates that did self-identify their race, the majority were white or Black.
To find Cooke’s successor, the city launched a national search for candidates in September. Council members opted not to hire an outside consulting firm to lead the search, instead tapping the city’s human resources department. Fort Worth has previously hired outside search firms for positions like city secretary and city auditor.
In May, Dallas City Council contracted search firm Baker Tilly for $134,375 to lead the search for its next city manager, after former city manager T.C. Broadnax resigned the same month. Broadnax is now Austin’s city manager.
Baker Tilly announced in mid-November that it had narrowed Dallas’ candidate pool to four semifinalists: Johnson, the Fort Worth assistant city manager; Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ interim city manager; Mark Washington, city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Zach Williams, executive assistant and chief operating officer for DeKalb County in Georgia.
On Tuesday morning, Report journalists observed Johnson, the Fort Worth assistant city manager, and former Deputy City Manager Jay Chapa entering the old City Hall building at separate times during the executive session. Neither confirmed their candidacy for the job, and Nettles declined to comment on whether they were candidates. Most city business is now conducted in the new City Hall building, located at 100 Fort Worth Trail.
Nettles previously expressed concern over the decision not to hire an outside firm, saying he was a vocal proponent of doing so in order to ensure transparency and attract the best pool of candidates from across the country. He reiterated that concern Tuesday, saying he is not satisfied with the level of transparency in the hiring process so far.
Nettles said he has heard rumors around town that one candidate is already telling the community they will be selected, and that rumor was brought up during the executive session.
“That is very disheartening because that means that he has heard it from enough people around the dais — who said they want him to have it — and that means the process was baked,” Nettles said. “That means people who came and interviewed and gave their heart out today, who have studied and tried to make sure they’re the best candidate, never had a chance in daylight. And that’s the crap that I don’t support.”
Giordano previously said the decision for her human resources department to lead the search stemmed from confidence in staff’s ability to handle the project while managing financial considerations.
Parker previously told the Report she is confident in the HR department’s ability to lead the search.
“Given their expertise, resources, and deep understanding of our community and city manager form of government, I believe there is no need to engage an external firm,” Parker said in September.
Jason Grant, advocacy director for the International City/County Management Association, told the Report in August that council members should strive to keep the public informed on their steps throughout the hiring process.
He noted that there isn’t a standard best practice for municipalities to engage with residents during a candidate search, but he cautioned council members against making big decisions without attempting to engage constituents.
Nettles said he suggested during the executive session that residents be given the opportunity to hear the candidates’ interviews and weigh in on who they believe should lead the city. That request was not granted, he said.
Cecilia Lenzen and Emily Wolf are government accountability reporters for the Fort Worth Report. Contact them at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org and emily.wolf@fortworthreport.org.
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This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.