Eric Johnson, Mayor, City of Dallas

What would you highlight as the key highlights and achievements for your office and the city in the past year?

Throughout the past year, our city has prioritized the three biggest generators of opportunity for Dallas residents: public safety, parks, and property tax relief. 

I am incredibly proud that we have prioritized public safety above all else here in Dallas — no matter which way the national political winds have blown. And as a result, Dallas recently became the only top 10 city in America to record two consecutive years of year-over-year reductions in every major violent crime category tracked by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. No other top 10 American city has achieved results like we are seeing in Dallas.  

Dallas has also become a national model for excellence in developing innovative green spaces. Because of our significant investments in our park system, Dallas jumped 10 positions, from 53 to 43, on the ParkScore index — a respected national ranking of park systems in the 100 largest U.S. cities. I couldn’t be more excited about the direction this city is going in terms of increasing our residents’ access to parks, trails, and other green spaces.

I am even more proud of our city’s commitment to providing property tax relief to Dallas residents. We recognize that without meaningful relief, residents may choose or be forced to forgo the opportunity to live and work in our great city. Last year, we reduced the city’s property tax rate to its lowest level in 15 years with the largest single-year rate cut in four decades. 

When you start to look toward the next stages for growth and economic development, what are those business sectors or industries where your team sees the greatest opportunity for the city to capitalize on, and how can the city of Dallas support that growth over the next few years?

Dallas is recognized nationally — and internationally — as a value proposition. We’re the ninth-largest city in the nation, and we’re the economic and cultural engine of the fourth largest and fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States. We’ve added more than $14 billion in new development since 2019, and in the last three years, the Dallas market added 400,000 new jobs, which is more than any other market in the country.

To build upon this explosive momentum, the city of Dallas must continue to support pro-growth policies that ensure Dallas remains an attractive city to live and work. As we look toward the next stages of our city’s growth, three industries stand out, including financial services, sports, and life sciences.

Wall Street titans and Texas financial shops are expanding in Dallas at an unprecedented pace. For example, New York-based Goldman Sachs will soon break ground on its new $500 million office campus in Victory Park in Dallas. The financial firm will create or retain 5,000 jobs in Dallas as part of the development. Goldman Sachs also expects the number of its employees working in Dallas to continue to grow.

In addition, Dallas stands ready to usher in a new era of sports business prosperity. Dallas was recently named the top city in the United States for sports business, beating out New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. Dallas is also a confirmed host of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will generate significant economic impact and increase Dallas’ competitiveness locally, nationally, and internationally to attract mega sporting events and more sports business.

Lastly, Dallas’ growing life sciences ecosystem presents a huge economic development opportunity, especially given Dallas’ world-class healthcare sector. The transformation of the 23-acre Pegasus Park campus in Dallas is underway. Pegasus Park is the first of its kind in North Texas and serves as a regional hub for life sciences and biotechnology. Its planned build out over the next 15 years includes one million square feet of life science research space and labs, 750,000 square feet of office space, parking facilities, and campus amenities, including parks and open spaces. It is estimated that total private investment in Pegasus Park will exceed $1 billion. BioLabs, a 37,000 square foot state-of-the-art life science coworking lab and office facility, opened in Pegasus Park in 2022. The $110 million, 135,000 square-foot expansion of Bridge Labs at Pegasus Park is the next phase of the Pegasus Park development. Bridge Labs will offer prebuilt lab suites that will provide the tools and flexible space needed for growth-stage life sciences entrepreneurs and companies. Dallas is the place to be but is also well positioned to win the future.  

How is the city prioritizing workforce development, and what is the current strength of the local workforce in meeting demand of emerging industries in the city of Dallas?

There are several ways. I am proud that under my administration, we have made workforce development a top priority for the first time in our city government’s history. 

Workforce Dallas was launched last year to fulfill one of the recommendations made in a report commissioned by my administration to identify ways to modernize Dallas’ workforce for the jobs of tomorrow. It is led by this city’s first ever workforce czar with the goal of connecting working-age adults with higher paying jobs and upskilling opportunities. 

In its inaugural year, Workforce Dallas leveraged private donations to develop best practices for job matching, implement navigator support, remove obstacles to upskilling, and identify key partners and collaborators. The Workforce Dallas team conducted hiring events with more than 700 participants, held over 200 meetings with stakeholders and partners, and advocated alongside nonprofit partners to ensure the needs of underserved communities are being addressed. 

We have made significant progress toward strengthening and upskilling our workforce; however, there is more work to be done. That is why I was proud to allocate a portion of my discretionary American Rescue Plan Act funds to support four full time workforce navigators for one year. These new navigator positions are critical and will help increase job and upskilling placements exponentially.

There is undoubtedly a great number of people continuing to migrate to Texas, which puts a strain on the housing market. What is the next strategic step for the city in regards to affordable housing?

The city of Dallas is leveraging several opportunities to create new and preserve available affordable housing. First, we are deploying initiatives outlined in our newly adopted Dallas Housing Policy 2033 created with the goal of increasing the stock of quality, affordable mixed-income housing in Dallas. 

Second, there is broad support for making the most significant single investment in housing in our city’s recent history as part of the 2024 Bond Program. In the 2006, 2012, and 2017 bond elections, housing collectively received a little under $50 million of more than $2 billion in total funding. The city could invest more than three times as much in housing as part of the more than $1 billion package of recommended capital improvements that will be presented to Dallas voters for approval.

In addition, the more than $2 trillion in federal funding available now via nationally competitive grants to support infrastructure investments presents a remarkable opportunity to advance our city’s efforts to build needed infrastructure to support housing development, including sewer lines, drainage systems, and sidewalks. That is why I am working now to coordinate our region’s efforts to compete to win this funding to catalyze the construction of affordable housing and historic economic development. 

The City of Dallas was recently recognized globally as a smart city for the Red Cloud Neighborhood Smart Cities Pilot Project. How important is this recognition for the city, and in making sure that Dallas remains a marketable, competitive hub for residents and businesses?

This achievement is a critical step toward achieving our goal of becoming an internationally recognized hub for innovation. Dallas was built on innovative thinking, and now, we are the engine that drives the fourth-largest metro area in the nation. We must continue to invest in smart technology and recommendations such as those outlined in the report generated by my administration’s Task Force on Innovation and Entrepreneurship to ensure Dallas’ economy remains resilient and attractive to residents and businesses alike. 

What are some of the challenges the city still faces in technology and innovation?

There are several. According to a research report released in March 2022 by the Computing Technology Industry Association, Dallas is ranked the third best Tech Town in the nation. Continuous investment in technology is critical as we capitalize on our tremendous potential for innovation. This includes ensuring we have the best telecommunications and network infrastructure available throughout the city, addressing the growing threat of cybercrime, and remaining good stewards of the information we hold and manage by protecting individual privacy and effectively leveraging our data assets to foster economic growth and innovation.  

Engagement is becoming more and more of a talking point in communities across the country. Why is it so important for the people you serve to see their government officials active and engaged?

It is critical. Dallas is a great city because of our residents. And that is why we as government officials must choose greatness every single day on behalf of every single Dallas resident and never settle for anything less.

What are some of the initiatives or projects you are excited to push forward for the city of Dallas? What’s next on the agenda?

I am committing to three goals as we look to build for Dallas’ future. First, I will work tirelessly to get us even closer to our goal of becoming the safest major city in the United States. Second, I will lead us further down the path toward becoming the major city with the best park system in Texas. And third, I will advocate fiercely for additional property tax relief so that Dallas becomes the major city with the lowest tax rate in the North Texas region.

It is the honor of my lifetime to continue serving as the 60th mayor of Dallas. Dallas is truly the place to be, and I see only opportunities to position our city to win the future.