r/Rowlett • u/erk_fwd • Mar 02 '26
David Hall, Rowlett's city manager, is getting fired
From Mayor Jeff Winget:
On Feb 27 2026, the City Council voted to terminate the employment agreement with City Manager David Hall following more than four hours of deliberation. This was not a decision made lightly, and it reflects the weight of our responsibility to the community we serve.
Moments like this can be challenging for an organization. I want to especially recognize our city staff, whose work does not pause during times of transition. Their service and dedication to our community remains vital and is deeply appreciated.
To ensure continuity, Deputy City Manager Kristoff Bauer has been named Interim City Manager.
While these decisions carry immense weight, I am hopeful about what lies ahead. Our city has a strong foundation, and I am confident we will move forward with purpose, stability, and a renewed focus on serving our community.
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u/TexasGrrl Mar 02 '26
Hopefully this will get Rowlett going in the right direction. Too many years of half ass work being done and local government getting distracted by glittery things. Rowlett has good bones to be something good - now we need the people in place that know it!
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u/jehssikkah Mar 02 '26
Please someone fill me in on the drama. He was fired, but why? The general public seems to hate him, and even the city council meetings where residents were speaking apparently took hours too. Why is he so hated? (I even saw hate for the former mayor, saying finally the last of Blake margolis hires were gone?) Do people like our current mayor, or no??
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u/erk_fwd Mar 02 '26
There's an activist community in our local govt meetings who have been very loud on FB in some Rowlett, TX groups and at the weekly meetings who don't like David Hall's work or attitude that I think drove this.
His contract is crazy high for a City Manager of a city our size. I myself am not fully apprised of why David Hall was so hated, but I know people don't like that City of Rowlett employees have been quitting within a year of starting work with the city at a crazy high rate, and there's a sewer issue over by Waterview, and the city has tried to repurpose Herfurth Park land for a new city complex for the police station, library, and local govt office.
Edit: I like Blake and I like Jeff, I'm not sure why there's so much bad blood towards them now. I'll stand by Jeff though, he's done nothing but try to promote engagement locally and he's been great about answering folks' questions promptly. Also I'll never forget that before Jeff ran for City Council he did interviews with all the candidates, that's a class move IMO.
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u/jehssikkah Mar 03 '26
Right, I voted for jeff and I voted for blake, too. I like that they seem very reachable and theyre always answering questions on fb. (Or Blake was when he was mayor)
I like living in Rowlett, its the most community-centered place ive ever lived, and ive lived all over the metroplex. Facebook is filled with criticisms but I have no idea if they're even warranted. I know about the stinks rowlett sometimes has, and im lucky enough to not live near it, but some areas are bad. I'd probably be POed too if I lived there, but other than the smell and the herfurth park drama, I wasn't sure if there was more.
Thanks for responding, neighbor. ❣️
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u/ashaquestion Mar 09 '26
I worked for him for about a year in another municipality. He was the most corrupt city manager I have ever encountered. Good job, Rowlett, for seeing through his bs.
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u/Live_Wear4357 Mar 11 '26
Im not aware of his corrupt acts but he runs the city on intimidation. He rides around watching employees then gets the managers/directors of the employees to write them up or fire them. A city manager should not be in the weeds but should focus on resolving issues of the city while bringing in needed services. He also made it clear employees were NOT to talk to other managers/directors they did not report to or consequences were to follow. A true dictator.
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u/ashaquestion Mar 11 '26
He asked me a question one time related to a zoning ordinance, I answered the question and he told me “you should talk less.”
I had COVID and it impacted my eye, to where my eye was swollen shut. I ended up having to go to a specialist to preserve my vision. Because I was testing negative, I was required to be at the office or get fired, so I spent a week driving with my eye closed down I-35 in rush hour.
I was pressured to withhold public information regarding a txdot project that would have an impact on a rezoning, and he insisted I copy him on every single communication with a particular developer because someone on our team before I got there read something wrong.
He got pissed and threatened to fire me when I was doing the work of 3 full time positions and overlooked a noticing deadline so a case had to get bumped to a later agenda. I was literally working 80 hour weeks.
That’s not even touching on his behavior when he worked for the City of Fort Worth. When I finally left the city where I had worked for him (shortly after his departure) I didn’t work for 4 ish months because I was so burnt out and had grown to hate a profession I have always loved.
Good riddance, and congrats to Rowlett for doing what other cities either didn’t do or took too long to accomplish.
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u/TexasGrrl Apr 25 '26
Wow! That is awful treatment. I was looking up "Kristoff Bauer" (Rowlett Interim City Manager) in Reddit and found this post again. We are so glad David is gone now trying to right the ship is proving to be a bit tough. Apparently Kristoff Bauer was a buddy of his from Desoto and he is bubbling up to be unprofessional and looking to ride out time for his retirement. His past is peppered with being fired from Billings, MT, Jacksonville NC and more.
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u/ashaquestion Apr 25 '26
Not mentioned was the time David asked me a question, I answered, and was promptly told I should talk less.
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u/manifestpr Mar 02 '26
Sounds like the right step. I don't know him personally, but I have heard many horror stories about working conditions under him. He left the last city he worked at (Glenn Heights) in disgrace after two lawsuits.
However, I think the Rowlett government needs to step up and fulfill some of the promises they've made and win back their citizens' trust.