Bill Dollar, city manager, made the following announcement today:
 

 
This is a good promotion. The acknowlegment that Mr Bradford's private sector business background is a primary reason for the promotion tells a great deal about the future that Garland is pursuing, one that I have championed since being elected to the Council.
 
Many citizens understand that Garland has weathered the economic downturn and property declines better than most cities, that the Council and staff have not had to divulge some surprise revenue shortfall as have many cities. Virtually sole credit for these accomplishments is due to the effort by Mr Bradford and his staff, who have consistently made the correct forecasts and enabled the other city departments to plan ahead. Obviously it is each department that has made the difficult cuts but it was the Budget and Research Dept that gave them the crystal balls.
 
I have warned again and again on this blog that we have to make hard decisions, that we cannot continue business as usual, that we must plan for success, or our city will not be able to grow and prosper. Rising taxes, falling property values, anemic new construction, and frozen sales tax revenues point to only one conclusion. Mr Bradford understands this perhaps better than anyone on the Council or in the administrative staff. That the Council and departments trust him enough to follow his information is an indicator of the trust he has garnered.
 
I trust this promotion will further open the silos that any organization always seems to build and the city, although better than most, is no exception.
 
I offer my congratulation to Mr Bradford for his promotion that is well deserved.
 
UPDATE: I failed to mention another important qualification of Mr Bradford—he and his family live in District 1!