A memo to the City Council on Monday revealed that Dallas will have three more leadership roles, including one for the top spot.
Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizzol Tolbert said she informed the council that Deputy City Manager John Fortune and Chief of Staff Genesis Gavino plan to leave their positions. She said in Monday's memo that Mr. Fortune's last day will be June 7 and Mr. Gavino's last day will be May 31. Both men are heading to Austin to work with former Dallas City manager TC Broadnax. According to a memo to the Austin City Council, Fortune will fill the vacant deputy city manager seat and Gavino will be Broadnax's special assistant.
Fortune joined the city in 2017, first as assistant city manager and then as deputy city manager. This position was also held by Mr. Tolbert prior to his appointment as Interim City Manager. He oversaw the Dallas Fire and Rescue Department, the Dallas Police Department, the City Sheriff's Office, the Dallas Municipal Courts, the Office of Emergency Management, and the Office of Integrated Public Safety Solutions. He also introduced a market-based pay structure for police and firefighters and a rapid integrated group health (or right) care program that pairs first responders with mental health professionals during psychiatric consultations. Did.
“John led the implementation of transformational programs and helped guide the city through a variety of challenges and crises,” Tolbert said.
Gavino also joined the city in 2017, first as an assistant to then-city manager TC Broadnax and then as resiliency officer in the city's Office of Equity and Inclusion. In 2022, she became the city's chief of staff. Tolbert said she has contributed to improving access to the internet through initiatives such as the Digital Navigator program and has also helped develop community Wi-Fi services. She also worked with local school districts to provide her CARES Act matching grants and secured state grants to enroll eligible households in internet assistance programs.
“Thanks to her dedication and hard work, the city has been recognized by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance as a Visionary Digital Inclusion Trailblazer for 2023. This designation is given to only 47 cities in the country.” said Tolbert.
On Tuesday night, the DeSoto City Council is expected to vote to hire Dallas Assistant City Manager Majid Al Ghafley as city manager. Al-Ghafrey currently leads the Dallas Department of Aviation, Dallas Water Utilities, Public Works and Transportation, the city's Office of Bond and Construction Management, and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability.
Last week, the city of Topeka, Kansas, hired assistant city manager Robert Perez. He is scheduled to take office as the city manager on June 11th. A few days later, Tolbert announced that he had hired former Sanger City Manager Alina Chokan to take over duties including code enforcement, sanitation, Dallas Animal Services, 311 and police oversight. The city's homelessness agency.
Mayor Tolbert said Monday that he plans to announce new hires to the city's executive branch this week. This week marks the third week of personnel changes during Mayor Tolbert's term, which began on May 2nd.
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Bethany Erickson
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Bethany Erickson is D Magazine. Throughout her career, she has written about real estate, education policy, the stock market, and crime, sometimes all at the same time. She hates lima beans and 5 a.m., and she takes her SAT practice tests for fun.
