Fort Worth City Manager David Cooke to step down in 2025 after decade of service
Fort Worth City Manager David Cooke has announced his retirement Monday.
His announcement comes days before the Fort Worth City Council is expected to take up the 2025 budget, although Cooke is expected to stay on through February 2025, according to a letter he sent to city staff shared with the Star-Telegram.
As city manager, Cooke is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the city’s government, along with overseeing the budget and implementing policies approved by the City Council.
The long lead time is intended to give the mayor and City Council an opportunity to find a suitable replacement, Cooke said in the letter.
“Serving as your City Manager for the past 10 years has been an incredible and fulfilling journey, thanks to each and every one of you,” he said in the letter.
He credited city staff, saying they had helped to improve Fort Worth’s reputation when it comes to customer service, cleanliness, public safety, transparency and forward-thinking decision-making.
Cooke also reflected on the city’s work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its response to the February 2021 winter storm and the explosion at the Sandman hotel. The the city tackled each challenge with “resilience and unity,” he said.
“I look to work with the Council on the details of a transition plan, which will be shared with you as they are developed,” he said.
Cooke has served as Fort Worth’s city manager since June 30, 2014, making him the longest-serving city manager in the city’s history. He joined Fort Worth after working for 13 years in local government in North Carolina.
Cooke was always a very good listener, said former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price.
Part of what made him stand out in the interview process was that you could see he was listening and he gave thoughtful answers to everything asked of him, she said.
Price also praised Cooke for his handling of the city pension crisis in an attempt to close a $1.6 billion gap in unfunded liability.
His tenure included the development and construction of Dickies Arena, the redevelopment of the Fort Worth Stockyards, and the growth of the city’s population as Fort Worth moved from the 16th largest city in the country to the 12th.
He also helped set up Fort Worth’s neighborhood improvement strategy after touring Stop Six in east Fort Worth, said Mayor Pro Tem Gyna Bivens, who has served on the City Council since Cooke was hired.
He was able to take a look at the need, and that meant a lot, Bivens said.
Cooke also oversaw a city government whose budget increased from $1.5 billion in 2015 to $2.59 billion in 2024.
His tenure was not without controversy. Cooke’s relationship with Sundance Square owners Ed and Sasha Bass raised ethics concerns after he failed to report a 2022 private plane trip to a music festival in Colorado.
Cooke apologized and was barred from taking part in any city business involving the Basses or Sundance Square.
He also butted heads with former Fort Worth Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald, who Cooke fired for “an increasing lack of good judgment,” mismanagement of the budget and adversarial relationships with other city department heads.
Fitzgerald claimed he was fired for attempting to uncover city corruption and sued to get his job back. Lawyers for the city and Fitzgerald reached a proposed settlement July 24 after Fort Worth allocated $2 million to fighting the case.
Whoever succeeds Cooke will need to understand the policies put forth by the council and have respect for the policymakers, Bivens said.
Cooke was able to do that well, and was able to make sure the staff underneath him shined, she said.
“David Cooke’s leadership over the past ten years has left an indelible mark on the City of Fort Worth,” Mayor Mattie Parker said in a city press release. “He has continually led with integrity, intelligence, and most importantly always remembering to have fun along the way.”
Parker praised Cooke for his fiscal stewardship, and said she will miss serving with him after he leaves in 2025.
“I am incredibly proud of his leadership, and he has earned a celebration as he enters his next chapter,” she said.
This story was originally published July 29, 2024 at 12:23 PM.
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