Recently, the City of Frisco announced the retirement of Fire Chief Lee Glover, bringing an end to a 35-year career with the Frisco Fire Department.

According to the City, Glover joined the department in 1991, when Frisco had just seven paid firefighters. He worked his way through the ranks before becoming Interim Fire Chief in September 2022 and being appointed Fire Chief on June 19, 2023. The City of Frisco announced his retirement on April 7, 2026, with his final day scheduled for August 3, 2026.

On the surface, it is the familiar story of a longtime public servant riding off into retirement. But there is considerably more history here. And after more than three decades inside one of Frisco’s most important public-safety departments, there are questions that deserve answers.

Lee Glover Timeline

• 1991: Joined the Frisco Fire Department.
• 2011: Frisco conducted an Employee Climate Survey examining conditions within the Fire Department and its leadership.
• January 2012: The climate report documented serious concerns regarding morale, trust, intimidation, retaliation and fear within the department. The report also identified concerns involving senior leadership, including then-Assistant Chief Lee Glover.
• September 2022: Glover became Interim Fire Chief.
• June 19, 2023: City Manager Wes Pierson appointed Glover Fire Chief after a selection process involving five finalists.
• April 7, 2026: The City announced Glover’s retirement.
• August 3, 2026: Glover’s final day with the City of Frisco

Turn Back Time: The 2011 Climate Report

We have written extensively about the history of the Frisco Fire Department and the concerns raised about its leadership. The 2011 Employee Climate Survey remains particularly important because it was not simply a disgruntled employee complaining about a supervisor. It was a formal examination of the department’s workplace environment.

The report described serious problems involving trust, respect, morale and the relationship between firefighters and department leadership. It characterized the culture as one involving intimidation, retaliation and fear. It also reported that a significant percentage of respondents said they would leave the department if they could.

Our previous reporting noted the report identified Lee Glover as part of the senior leadership structure under then-Chief Mack Borchardt.  The question that naturally follows is simple: What changed between 2011 and 2023 that convinced city management that Lee Glover was the right person to lead the department?

That question became particularly relevant when Glover was named Interim Fire Chief in 2022.

The 92.5% Question

When Glover became a finalist for the permanent Fire Chief position in 2023, the Frisco Fire Fighters Association conducted a survey of its membership.

According to the survey previously reported by Frisco Chronicles, 220 of 233 firefighters responded, and 92.5% said they did not want Glover to become the next Fire Chief. The survey also reported that 91.4% did not believe Glover had improved morale or restored trust during his time as Interim Chief.

Despite those numbers, City Manager Wes Pierson selected Glover.  At the time, Pierson said Glover’s experience, knowledge and leadership made him the best fit for the department.  That decision deserves scrutiny, not because an employee association should automatically determine who runs a municipal department, but because a 92.5% vote against a leadership candidate is an extraordinary number.

So the questions remain:

What did City Manager Wes Pierson know about the survey before selecting Glover?

Why did City Manager Wes Pierson believe the concerns expressed by the firefighters were not sufficient to disqualify Glover?

Did the City conduct any independent investigation into the concerns raised by the firefighters before making the appointment?

Did City Council members know about the survey results before Glover was appointed?

And perhaps most importantly: What did the City of Frisco do to determine whether the problems identified in the 2011 climate report had actually been resolved before putting Glover into the leadership role as Fire Chief?

Fast Forward: May 18, 2026

The City announced Glover’s retirement on April 7, 2026.  Approximately six weeks later, on May 18, Frisco Police responded to Glover’s residence following a 911 call.  We filed a Public Information Request seeking the police records associated with that call and incident.

The records we received were heavily redacted.  The Case Report Summary identifies Alvin Glover Jr. as a subject and Jamie Glover as the reporting person.

The report states that Frisco police responded to Glover’s residence at approximately 7:41 p.m. on May 18, 2026. According to the report, Jamie Glover identified herself as Alvin Glover Jr.’s wife and told officers that he had recently become increasingly aggressive following a change that is redacted from the report.

The report also states that Jamie reported that Alvin had been displaying certain signs since “recently retiring,” although the specific information is redacted. Officers subsequently made contact with Alvin Glover inside the residence. The remainder of the report contains additional redactions.

A supplemental report was also included in the records provided to us. There is an important distinction here.

We know a police response occurred. We know the City’s records identify the individuals involved. We know portions of the report describe concerns involving Glover’s behavior.

We do not know everything that happened because significant portions of the records were withheld or redacted. That leaves questions.

What Happened After the 911 Call?

According to sources familiar with the incident, Glover was experiencing a serious personal crisis and was transported to a hospital following the police response.

Sources have also alleged that the incident involved suicidal behavior and that Glover may have had a weapon in his possession before officers arrived.  Those allegations have not been independently verified by Frisco Chronicles and should not be treated as established fact without supporting documentation.

We are also told that Glover did not return to his normal duties following the May 18 incident and that his next public appearance connected to the department was associated with his retirement in August.

If that account is accurate, it raises some obvious questions:

What happened between May 18 and August 3? Was Glover placed on leave?

Was he using accrued sick leave, vacation, administrative leave or another form of paid leave?

Was he still designated as Fire Chief during that period? Was he performing any official duties? Was he receiving his regular salary? Who was running the Fire Department during Glover’s absence?

Did the City conduct any internal review? These are not questions about someone’s private medical history. They are questions about the administration of a taxpayer-funded public agency and the use of taxpayer-funded compensation.

Was Glover Treated Differently?

This may be the most important question of all.  Firefighters work in an extraordinarily stressful profession. Mental health, trauma, substance abuse, family crises and other personal struggles can affect first responders just as they can affect anyone else.

The City should have policies governing how employees, including department leadership, are treated when they experience a personal or medical crisis.

So we have to ask: Are those policies applied equally to everyone?  No.  The proof is in the previous pudding.

Are rank-and-file firefighters given the same flexibility, leave options and confidentiality that are available to department leadership?  No. The proof is in the previous pudding.

Has the City ever placed another firefighter or senior officer in a similar situation on paid leave while maintaining their position?

What are the City’s policies when a department head is unable to perform the duties of the position?  Well history shows they terminated the Assistant Fire Chief Cameron Kraemer who was out on medical leave for PTSD and mental health issues.

Who had authority to designate an acting chief and did they formally appoint an acting Chief after May 18, 2026?

If not, why not?  Those questions can and should be answered without disclosing someone’s private medical information. 

The Mack Borchardt Connection

There is another piece of this history that cannot simply be ignored.  Mack Borchardt served as Frisco’s Fire Chief for decades and later became Special Assistant to the City Manager. The City’s current staff directory still lists Borchardt as Special Assistant to the City Manager and states that he served as Fire Chief from 1981 to 2012.

Borchardt’s transition out of the Fire Chief position has been discussed extensively in connection with the 2011 climate report. He was terminated by the city then rehired by then City Manager George Purefoy (long time good ole boy friendship) who made him a “Fire Consultant Liaison within the City Manager’s office. He received a hefty salary and city vehicle. The 2011 report raised significant concerns about the department’s leadership culture at the time. It also identified concerns regarding the senior leadership structure surrounding Borchardt.

Glover was part of that senior leadership structure. Yet years later, Glover ultimately became the Fire Chief.  That creates a legitimate question about whether the City actually addressed the problems identified in 2011 or simply changed the name on the office door.

City Management’s Role

There is another issue that deserves examination.  The City knew about the 2011 climate report, knew about the concerns surrounding the department’s previous leadership structure, and knew that 92.5% of responding firefighters surveyed did not want Glover to become Fire Chief.  With all that knowledge and information what led City Manager Wes Pierson to reach the opposite conclusion?

The City has said Glover was the best fit for the job.  Fine. Then show taxpayers the work. What criteria were used?  Who conducted the interviews? Who evaluated the finalists?  What were the scoring criteria? What concerns were raised about each finalist?

Who recommended Glover? Were references checked? Were prior complaints or investigations reviewed?  Was the Fire Fighters Association survey discussed during the selection process? And did Pierson or anyone else in city management conduct an independent assessment of the concerns raised by members of the department?

These are reasonable questions when the person being selected is going to oversee one of the City’s largest and most important public-safety organizations.

Retirement or Something More?

Now we come back to the original question.  Why did Lee Glover retire?

The city announced his retirement on April 7, 2026, nearly four months before his final day. The official announcement described it as the conclusion of a 35-year career and praised the department’s accomplishments during his tenure.

That may be exactly what happened. But the timing of the May 18 police response, followed by questions about Glover’s absence from the department, makes it reasonable for taxpayers to ask whether there was more to the story.

Was the retirement entirely voluntary?  Was Glover ever asked to retire?

Was he facing an internal investigation?  Was he placed on leave?

Was he medically unable to return to duty?  Did he decide that retirement was the best option?

Did city management encourage or negotiate his departure?  And were any agreements, benefits, payouts, leave balances or other financial arrangements associated with his retirement?

The Bigger Issue

This story is not really about whether Lee Glover had a personal crisis.  If the allegations about the May 18 incident are true, that is a deeply personal matter, and nobody should use another person’s crisis as entertainment.  The issue is whether the City of Frisco has one set of rules for ordinary firefighters and another for those occupying the corner office. 

That is the issue taxpayers should care about. The Frisco Fire Department has grown enormously since Lee Glover joined in 1991. The city now describes the department as having 265 sworn personnel and 34 civilian employees. That is a massive public-safety operation.

The person sitting in the Fire Chief’s office has enormous responsibility.  The public therefore has a legitimate interest in how that position is filled, how leadership problems are handled, how employee complaints are investigated, how leave policies are applied and how taxpayer dollars are spent.

The questions surrounding Lee Glover do not begin with the May 18, 2026 police call.  They go back more than a decade.  The 2011 climate report raised questions about culture and leadership.

The 2022 appointment of Glover as Interim Chief raised questions about whether those problems had really been resolved.  The 2023 appointment of Glover as permanent Chief raised even more questions after the Fire Fighters Association survey reportedly showed overwhelming opposition.  And now the circumstances surrounding his final months with the City raise another set of questions.

Maybe there are perfectly reasonable answers to all of them.  If there are, the City should provide them.  Because transparency should not depend on whether the person involved is a firefighter, a department head, a city manager or anyone else on the public payroll.

Frisco taxpayers deserve to know whether the rules are actually applied equally.  And after years of controversy surrounding the Fire Department’s leadership culture, that is not an unreasonable thing to ask.  It is the minimum.

What Is Next Next we will address the issues with hiring the new Chief of the Frisco Fire Department.  We will examine some relationships and ask why the city is using a new company to do the search.   Is Wes Pierson looking for the best candidate or the best candidate who agrees with him on the operations of the department. 

This is Pierson’s first time working in a major city.  He previously worked in Addison, which is 4 square miles and before that Corpus Christi before their growth boom.  The leads us to ask does he have the background to make such a large decision.  Sources inside say there is a lot of doubt when it comes to his decision-making process with the Fire Department.  Stay Tuned for part two!

Disclaimer: This article is intended to report on matters of public record and public interest. If additional information becomes available this article may be updated accordingly.

This article is written as opinion, commentary, and personal interpretation based on publicly available records, meeting observations, agenda materials, and information we received from community sources.  Nothing in this article should be interpreted as a final statement of fact about any person’s legal conduct, criminal behavior, or ethical violations.