Memorandum
Date:

September 25, 2015

To:

Honorable Members of the Dallas City Council

From:

Mayor Michael S. Rawlings

Subject:

Personnel Matters

It has been brought to my attention that two City Council members met on Wednesday
morning with City Manager A.C. Gonzalez regarding a key city employee. My understanding
is that those council members instructed the city manager to obtain the employee's
resignation by the end of that day announcing his retirement by the end of this year.
The comments made by those two council members were inappropriate and in clear
violation of our City Charter. Chapter III, Section 15, of the Charter states, in part:
"Neither the council nor any of its committees or members shall dictate or attempt to dictate
any person’s appointment to, or removal from, office or employment by the city manager or
any of the city manager’s subordinates, or in any manner interfere in the appointment of
officers and employees in the departments of administrative service vested in the manager
by this Charter.”
This incident and some of the discussions around the council horseshoe regarding specific
personnel during our recent budget proceedings are concerning to me. As our hired city
manager, A.C. Gonzalez must be allowed to make his own personnel decisions. We should
evaluate his performance and provide him with feedback about his departments, but we
must not meddle in specific personnel matters that are outside of our purview.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Michael S. Rawlings
Mayor
cc:

A.C. Gonzalez, City Manager
Warren M.S. Ernst, City Attorney

“Dallas, The City That Works: Diverse, Vibrant and Progressive.”