Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson says the city is much safer and stronger than when he first took office seven years ago, and past city leaders “tacitly accepted bureaucratic bloat and mission creep and inefficiency at City Hall.”
In his seventh State of the City address, a tradition mandated by the charter, Johnson tried to draw distinctions between his tenure and those of his predecessors and touched upon a litany of issues currently facing the city.
Downtown Dallas — the city’s economic engine — is under scrutiny as major corporate anchors, such as AT&T, scout new locations for corporate relocations. Two of the city’s top sports teams, NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and NHL’s Dallas Stars, are locked in a legal fight over the use of the American Airlines Center as they scout other sporting pastures for a new arena
“But the facts are that Dallas is safer, stronger and more vibrant today than it has ever been,” Johnson said. “These are facts that deserve to be rescued from underneath steaming piles of conjecture. These are the realities that should be shouted and shared again and again.”
Political Points
The livestream of Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson is seen as he delivers the annual State of the City address, on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025 in Dallas.
Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer
Much of Johnson’s speech was an attempt to fight the perception of a struggling city. He live-streamed from the new Texas Stock Exchange, part of a new financial hub that’s anticipated to compete with Wall Street, and touted the city’s streak of lowering violent crimes, tax rate reductions and investments in the city’s parks system.
He also lauded recent relocations by businesses such as CBRE and AECOM, as well as the incoming Goldman Sachs campus, as marks of Dallas’ future as a corporate and financial capital rivaling New York City.
Still, questions remain as the city moves toward a new year, he said, and in his speech he addressed one of the more pressing ones: What happens to City Hall?
Here are the main takeaways:
Downtown Dallas and public safety
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, downtown Dallas, like many other U.S. cities, has faced challenges. The clearest picture of persistent homelessness is often found downtown, where several services and transportation hubs exist.
Leaders downtown have often pointed to a Boston Consulting Group report to highlight the threat looming over the central business district. Corporate entities such as AT&T could leave, which would impact life and commerce downtown.
Businesses ramped up concerns about growing homelessness and aggravated violent crime. Police data from 2020 to 2024 in the sector that includes downtown show a 3% drop in violent crime, including aggravated assaults, robberies and murders, while overall crime increased 34%.
Quality-of-life issues became front and center, leading to a partnership with the city, Downtown Dallas Inc., and business groups such as the Dallas Citizens Council to launch a public safety campaign called “Safe in the City.”
Johnson said the campaign had been successful in reducing crime.
“Our goal is to be the safest big city in America. This means we cannot afford to grow complacent,” Johnson said.
Last year, Johnson said he had asked the public safety committee, chaired by council member Cara Mendelsohn, to develop a comprehensive public safety policy. That work, he said, will begin in this current term.
The future of the City Hall
Currently, downtown Dallas is also in the throes of another consequential debate, and it begins and ends at the doorstep of the seat of local government at 1500 Marilla St.
For months now, council members and city officials have debated the health of the City Hall building. Recently, city officials said it could cost between $343 million and $595 million to keep and maintain the building over 10 years. This included overall expenses for security, operations, maintenance, repair costs, and bond debt.
Johnson made clear his opinion in his Wednesday address.
The mayor said the current building, designed by famed architect I.M. Pei, is not a user-friendly building for people and has become “a massive symbol of a Byzantine bureaucracy that is stuck in the past and falling apart — its shortcomings masked by a brutalist facade.” He added it was failing as a workplace for city employees and as a gathering place for the public.
“Something has to change. The status quo is not acceptable, and choices must be made,” he said.
The night before, the mayor voted with the majority of the City Council in a 12-3 vote and directed city staffers to assess the office space needed for departments housed at City Hall, the Oak Cliff Municipal Center and other major city facilities, and to scope available spaces for lease or purchase throughout Dallas. The directive also requires officials to obtain cost comparisons and analyses of the building’s repair costs from outside experts and to study economic development opportunities if the site were to be redeveloped.
Pitch to attract and retain sports teams
Since last year, Dallas has attracted three sports teams — the Dallas Wings, Dallas Trinity FC, and Atletico Dallas — to play within city limits. The mayor has consistently pushed for more participation.
However, the Mavericks are looking for a new home after the lease runs out in 2031, as are the Stars, and Dallas leaders are looking for ways to keep them.
To make matters worse, tensions between the Stars and Mavericks, two professional sports teams that share space at the American Airlines Center in Victory Park, spilled into the public sphere after The Dallas Morning News reported a breach of contracts amid negotiations with the city. It appeared the city had chosen to side with the Mavericks in the midst of the back and forth.
The mayor said officials will take all “necessary steps” to keep both teams.
“And while we won’t be negotiating these deals in public, I will say this to any professional sports team owner who may be listening. If you’re truly serious about Dallas on your uniforms, we’re serious about keeping you here at home in our city,” he said.