Supporters rally in support of Dallas city manager as council contemplates his future

DALLAS — Supporters of Dallas City Manager T. C. Broadnax rallied at city hall Wednesday.

“We believe that City Manager Broadnax has not been given due process to go through a formalized review,” said Randall Bryant with the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce. Mayor Eric Johnson postponed an executive session and special meeting where the Dallas City Council could have decided if they should fire or keep Broadnax . Now, the council will have his annual evaluation on June 23.

“You have 15 folks around that horseshoe to be able to come together and definitely discuss personal matters in the proper setting. So, I think what we have seen today, and what we are seeing as we continue to get information and emails from our public, that they want us to work this problem out for the good of Dallas,” said Councilwoman Carolyn King Arnold, District 4. The Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce say they are united in their support for the manager.

“He’s not perfect, there are a lot of issues. These chambers have had a lot of issues for the city manager, but we’ve kept the lines of communication open and we continue to work with the city manager,” said Rene Martinez, Dallas LULAC. Those in attendance say they know there are some problems Broadnax needs to fix, including the 911 call center, the city’s permitting process and a data breach that compromised city and police files.

But, they say there concern is how the mayor publicly came out saying he wanted the manager replaced. RELATED: How we got here: A timeline of the rift between Dallas’ city manager and city council “We are not taking a position on disagreeing with the premise of why we are here. We are just concerned about the process,” said Bryant.

“Right now, what we need is to come together and stop finger-pointing, stop campaigning, because it is that season,” said Arnold. City council members say there has been a rift between the mayor and Broadnax for months, and the two have not met face-to-face in more than a year. “We have to figure out how to be able to communicate, how to respect each other, and it needs to start right now,” said Martinez.

The Dallas NAACP and the Black Firefighter Association also issued letters of support. Although, there are others who have voiced their opposition to Broadnax and say it’s time for a change. The Dallas Fire Fighters Association called for Broadnax to be fired saying he’s not addressed their issues and their worried about the safety of residents.

RELATED: Critics blast Dallas city manager’s performance; delayed special council meeting will determine his future The Dallas Builders Association, which represents more than 1,100 companies, says Broadnax is not fixing the permitting problem that is costing jobs due to delays in the permitting process. “The city manager’s sustained inattention to the severity of the problem, lack of empathy for those affected and the failure to consider, let alone implement, reasonable solutions have led us to the conclusion that Dallas needs a respectful yet decisive transition at that position in order to move forward,” said Phil Crone, executive officer. The council would need a vote of eight members in order to fire Broadnax.

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