Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert says she's fully committed to serving the city — and is not retiring anytime soon.
Those comments come after Dallas mayoral candidate Michael Hinojosa told WFAA that he supports Tolbert, but was worried she would retire soon.
"She told me she has a date on her calendar when she can retire," Hinojosa told WFAA. "Hopefully I can convince her, if I get elected, just to hang on for a little while."
Tolbert said in a statement that the conversation was about retirement eligibility after more than 30 years of public service.
"I still have a tremendous amount of energy, and I am excited about the work my team and I have ahead of us," Tolbert added. "Right now, my focus is on getting the job done and delivering on our priorities — making the city more innovative and efficient, driving targeted economic growth, and continuing to move Dallas forward.”
Hinojosa, who is the first Dallas mayoral candidate, has said he is in favor of a "strong mayor" form of government, but will not campaign on it.
Former Dallas mayors have spoken in favor of a strong mayor form of government, saying the current council-city manager model does not work.
The city manager is hired by the council and works as the chief executive officer of the city. Tolbert, as city manager, oversees all departments and functions of the city except those of the City Attorney, secretary, auditor, and judiciary.
A "strong mayor" means the mayor would act as the city's chief executive officer.
Tolbert has faced scrutiny from residents in recent months over discussions to possibly relocate City Hall.
City Council members were first introduced to the idea of either relocating or spending millions to address deferred maintenance on the building in fall of last year. However, Mavericks CEO Rick Welts said in March that the team was approached about the City Hall property more than a year prior.
Tolbert confirmed meeting with both the Mavericks and Dallas Stars about the teams' "futures in Dallas" following Welts' comments.
She has also faced criticism over budget issues that resulted in city staff furlough days, one in July and two in September. Those furlough days mean "non-essential" city services will be unavailable, including libraries.
The furlough days are the latest move Dallas has taken to tighten its belt on spending after estimates showed the city could face a more than $30 million shortfall. Furloughs are not the preferred solution, Tolbert said, but they enable the city to reduce expenses.
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