Dallas Officials Defended City Growth Strategy

The mayor and city manager highlighted corporate recruitment gains as a strategy to offset major downtown departures.

Updated on Oct. 7, 2026 in Remote Work

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a modern architectural column section in navy, cream, and red, representing urban economic growth policy. — Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert are pursuing a new corporate recruitment strategy to bolster the city's tax base after several major headquarters departures. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Mayor Eric Johnson and City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert have publicly defended Dallas's current economic trajectory. The leadership emphasized recent corporate wins as a counterbalance to the loss of established headquarters in the downtown area.

Why it matters

Operators in the area face a changing commercial landscape as major employers shift their footprints to neighboring suburbs. Leaders argue that aggressive recruitment of new regional hubs is essential to maintaining the city's $6 billion budget and tax base.

The city currently operates with a $6 billion budget overseen by a 15-member City Council. Morgan Stanley aims to bring 3,800 workers to its new regional hub by 2035, while AT&T continues its move to Plano.

The players

Eric Johnson

The mayor of Dallas who presides over a 15-member City Council and focuses on economic recruitment.

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert

The Dallas city manager who coordinates budget allocations and economic development strategies.

Morgan Stanley

A multinational financial services firm currently establishing a new regional hub in Dallas.

AT&T

A telecommunications company that is relocating its current downtown headquarters to Plano.

The details

The mayor and city manager maintain a collaborative recruitment strategy, conducting joint travel to coastal markets to court corporate investment. This coordination is intended to stabilize the city's economic profile following the exit of long-term anchor tenants. Budgetary allocations remain under the authority of the city manager, who works within the framework set by the mayor and the City Council.

T.C. Broadnax left his position as city manager in 2024.
AT&T will finalize its move to Plano in 2028.
Morgan Stanley expects to reach its headcount target by 2035.

Market Landscape

Dallas is currently navigating a significant shift in corporate geography driven by the 2028 AT&T headquarters relocation to Plano. City leadership is attempting to counter this trend by securing new regional hubs to stabilize the local employment base.

Business operators should monitor how municipal recruitment success impacts downtown traffic and commercial service demand in the coming decade. Track city budget allocations as the transition of major corporate anchors continues through 2035.

The takeaway

The city's economic strategy is currently pivoted toward replacing large, legacy office tenants with diversified regional hubs. Local business owners should monitor the specific headcount arrival dates at new corporate sites to adjust supply chain and service capacity planning.