The other semifinalists were William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth, and Mario Lara, an assistant city manager in Sacramento, California.

Interim city manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert got a text in November with a picture of a dress made from rejection letters. It was from former City Hall official Carrie Rogers, who had just left Dallas to work at the Austin City Hall.

After a months-long hiring process, the Dallas City Council named Kimberly Bizor Tolbert as the next city manager on Wednesday, with her priorities including hiring a new police chief and navigating voter-approved charter rules.