Dallas workforce czar Lynn McBee cited security reasons for Johnson’s absence, but recanted after Johnson denied statement.
By Devyani Chhetri and Aria Jones
Dallas Morning News
https://www.dallasnews.com/
Christine Vo / Staff Photographer
Hours after appearing at a South Dallas news conference, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson was scheduled to speak alongside Lynn McBee to announce the next phase of a program to help 24- to 64-year-old residents access career opportunities.
However, McBee, the city’s workforce czar, told the gathering that Johnson was unable to attend, citing “security reasons.”
“Mayor Johnson had planned to be with us today, but was recently advised that his public appearances are being temporarily suspended for security reasons,” McBee said at the beginning of the event.
Johnson’s office responded with a contradicting statement.
“The statement, as reported, is false. Mayor Johnson spoke at a public event earlier this morning and has more events scheduled in the days ahead,” said Noah DeGarmo, the mayor’s chief communications officer.
Further muddying the waters, when reached by text after the event, McBee backtracked and called her comment a misstatement. She then said in a phone interview that she was given the remarks in advance but did not say by whom.
“It’s just a misstatement,” McBee said. “I wish people were more focused on workforce development than chasing this misstatement.”
Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to follow-up questions sent by text and email about who gave McBee the remarks and what was told to organizers about the mayor’s response.
At 10 a.m., the mayor spoke at Ruthie’s Fueled by Good in South Dallas during the announcement of $6.8 million in grants, a philanthropic investment from Wells Fargo to support economic growth and the development of the area.
“We know that when businesses invest in local communities, everybody wins,” Johnson said at the event. “This has been a team effort, and I see a lot of people in this room that I know have put in a lot of work.”
There was no indication he would not be at the 2 p.m. news conference later in the day.
At the workforce event, organizers instead played a video message of the mayor lauding a partnership with Goodwill Dallas, which was shepherding the project.
Johnson experienced heightened public scrutiny last week after denying speculation he planned to resign and run for higher office.
Afterward, the mayor asked council members to discuss the benefits of partnering with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when word broke that Police Chief Daniel Comeaux had turned down a $25 million offer from the federal agency to reimburse the cost of local law enforcement’s involvement in the 287(g) program.
The move drew national attention, and several Dallas residents attended a City Council meeting Wednesday to critique his move and urge council members not to collaborate with ICE. It is unclear if any of the recent events are connected to Johnson’s absence.
Everton Bailey Jr. contributed to this report.
Before joining the Dallas Morning News, Devyani Chhetri covered South Carolina politics and presidential primaries at the Greenville News. She went to Boston University for graduate school.
By Aria Jones
Aria writes about southern Dallas. She previously reported on breaking news and is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and Dallas College. Aria has interned at the Austin American-Statesman, the Texas Tribune and the El Paso Times.
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
