An interview with Mayor Eric Johnson just before Saturday’s election brought me back to Dallas City Hall for the first time in more than a year. The building was eerily silent, as it has been since COVID-19 turned the world upside down and sent staff and elected officials home to do the city’s work. But not even a pandemic can cut into the noise that emanates from 1500 Marilla St. and from the many people connected to it in one way or another. While loud, provocative and often juicy to insiders, the drama du jour of petty politics and thoughtless texts and tweets almost never matters to Dallas residents.