Kimberly Bizor Tolbert

Dallas’ weak-mayor system means its city manager wields significant power over development in the city. Bizor Tolbert’s tenure is young yet, but some in the industry credit her for efforts to mitigate a run of zoning and permitting snafus in recent years. 

The Dallas native, who is the first Black woman on the job, started as deputy city manager in 2017 before taking over as interim city manager in May 2024. She was hired full-time in January 2025. 

Bizor Tolbert has had a tough first year on the job, especially when it comes to preventing further decay in Dallas’s urban core. She was a key player in a coalition that helped keep the Neiman Marcus flagship store open in downtown Dallas — but there’s still no long-term solution, and the area around the faded anchor could use a boost. At the beginning of 2026, AT&T announced plans to leave its 2 million-square-foot lease downtown, citing safety concerns. The move to Plano will be a massive blow to Downtown Dallas’ already struggling office market. 

— Isaiah Mitchell