A packed house listen to plans for repairs on the aging Dallas City Hall in May.
Steve Nurenberg/The Dallas Morning News
Imagine you led an orchestra company and, when you thought you were hiring the conductor, you actually hired an usher instead.
That is what Dallas voters generally do in a mayoral election, given that our charter gives our mayor few real powers. We call the mayor a leader, yet the mayor has almost nothing to lead.
I support the amendment to Dallas’ city charter proposed by three of our former mayors because it is a sensible plan to create mayoral accountability and put teeth in the vote we cast for mayor.
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But importantly, the plan is not one where we would turn over authority to a single person. The amendment makes the mayor more accountable as a leader of our 14-1 civic “orchestra,” while ensuring every section plays an important role. It preserves professional city management and the City Council’s checks and balances.
Under the proposal, the accountable mayor would hire the city manager and the city attorney with the council’s consent, while removing either official would require the approval from two-thirds of council. The mayor would present the annual budget, rather than the city manager, yet the council would need to approve it. The mayor would have line-item veto rights on any budget provision, but two-thirds of the council could override that veto. All other city management functions would remain with the city manager’s office.
This is clear responsibility, strong oversight and real accountability to Dallas voters.
Residents know that a lack of accountability is a major problem in city government. The former mayors have designed a real executive function for the office voters already assume is leading the city. Their plan honors the spirit of 14-1, gives voters a mayor to hold accountable, and entrusts our council with the meaningful oversight.
For too long, Dallas’ unaccountable mayor system has over-delegated authority to a city manager with such diffuse and inconsistent oversight as to make it inefficient at best, and unworkable at worst. If passed, our business community will have a more predictable partner with whom to engage and explore opportunities that too many just throw up their hands at today.
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The evidence that our system is failing is all around us, independent of who occupies the city manager, City Council, or mayoral chairs. Neglected infrastructure, poor management of city assets, deteriorating services, employers lost to the suburbs, a struggling downtown core, and persistent underinvestment in southern Dallas are just at the top of my list. There is no clear vision for the city’s future. At some point we need to be intellectually honest enough to conclude that the system itself may be at fault.
Having too many bosses can amount to having no boss at all. The city manager is left directionless or forced to interpret the shifting wishes of an inconsistent, changing majority of eight. Political winds can change direction often, causing our city manager headaches. Without the ability to conduct, our usher mayor has neither the influence nor the accountability to provide guidance and stability. Pettiness is given airtime.
I expect effective, efficient, and accountable leadership to set clear goals and achieve measurable objectives. Dallas voters deserve to know who is responsible when the city succeeds, and whom to hold accountable if it does not.
Dallas has great assets – a central location, “Y’all Street” momentum, world-class medical centers and biomedical hubs, thriving arts, entertainment and restaurants, wonderful parks, some of the best public schools in the country, enterprising people, accessible universities, a leading community college, and more. Much of that success has been driven by the persistence of our people, while the structure of our city government has struggled to keep pace.
This charter amendment balances clear accountability with strong City Council oversight. Our former mayors understand the limitations of the office like no one else and are uniquely qualified to offer a solution.
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It is time for an accountable mayor to conduct the city’s executive functions, not remain an usher wandering the aisles.
I will lend my help to put the charter amendment on the ballot next spring for Dallas voters to consider. If voters approve it, the next mayor will take office with clear responsibilities and real accountability. Every four years thereafter, we citizens will be able to exercise our democratic duty to hire or fire a real chief executive.
It will then be nice to watch our leaders produce results and move Dallas forward.
Ken Hersh is chairman of HFI Capital Management and former President and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center. He is the co-founder and former CEO of NGP Energy Capital Management.