Misleading behavior in politics doesn’t always arrive with sirens blaring—it usually shows up quietly, tucked inside polished mailers and carefully scripted forum answers that sound just reasonable enough to pass without challenge.   When candidates blur facts, cherry-pick endorsements, or present half-truths as full transparency, voters are left making decisions on a manufactured reality.

That’s the real danger: not just that people are misled, but that trust itself erodes, leaving citizens unsure who to believe and democracy vulnerable to manipulation by whoever tells the most convincing story rather than the most honest one.   

While both candidates were probably preparing for the SLAN Forum tonight, I was preparing our next blog drop unveiling the misleading behavior happening in this Special Election Campaign. 

Ann Anderson’s Campaign Mailer

Wes Pierson, Matthew Sapp, George Purefoy, what do they all have in common?  They are quoted on Ann Andersons campaign mailer.  We hope she obtained these quotes from public records because if she didn’t that could be problematic.  

The quotes from two City of Frisco employees, prompted a simple but critical question: did she ask permission to use those quotes, and more importantly, did City Manager Wes Pierson authorize his words to appear in a political campaign mailer? Because “transparent government” and “borrowing credibility from city staff” don’t usually belong in the same sentence.  The quotes are misleading because it makes the public believe that she had permission from these individuals to use their names for political campaigning. 

Special Interest Groups

On Anderson’s campaign mailer she claims she is “Accountable only to Frisco Residents – not special interest groups.”   At the Frisco Lakes Forum she said she keeps hearing over and over, “You’re one of us, we are so thankful one of us is running, someone who is not intrenched, someone who is a regular person.”  Lastly, at the Frisco Chamber Forum she said she is regular citizen who has lived here for 20 years and is highly involved in non-profit organizations and has been on a few boards and commissions for the city.  Throughout the forums she has implied she is just a regular ole resident (like you and me), but is that true?  No.

Anderson claims she’s just a regular person, yet in the same breath boasts of a “broad understanding of city operations and governance.” That’s not something most everyday residents pick up between HOA meetings and grocery runs. Anderson has been embedded in Frisco’s political inner circle for years—far from an outsider, and nowhere near the political novice she’s selling.

Her political résumé complicates the picture even further. She claims the Republican label, yet previously served as campaign treasurer for Gopal Ponanji, endorsed hard Democrats like Renee Sample and Dynette Davis, and backed current Mayor Jeff Cheney in 2020.  That’s deep involvement, long-standing alliances, and a front-row seat to Frisco’s power structure.

While she may not be a part of any official special interest group, she is most definitely part of the Political Inner Circle of Frisco.  You know the ones who want to keep the status quo of running this city.   The proof was in the forums and who attended.  Big names like Mike Simpson (former Mayor), The Cheney’s, John Keating, Laura Rummell, Karen Cunningham, Lisa Kirby, Brad Sharp, David Bickerstaff, Jennifer Achu, and many more all there clapping loudly for Ann Anderson.  It was like a high school yearbook of the “popular kids” giggling and laughing and attacking someone who has spent their entire life in public service. 

So, before voters buy the “just like you” narrative, it’s time to pause and ask the obvious questions. Because Ann Anderson isn’t an everyday Frisco resident stumbling into politics, she’s part of the inner circle, and Frisco voters deserve honesty about who’s really asking for their vote.

Public Safety

Anderson continues to say Public Safety is important to her and one of her top priorities.  If that is the case why has she not dived in to learn more and better understand the ongoing issue with Public Safety and City Management / City Council.  Nope, instead she just wants to attack a person who spent 40+ years in public safety and trying to promote a false narrative of the investigation done a few years ago.  Online Anderson supporters are talking about the report and unions in post after post and in group after group.   They want to talk about how these associations are unions to scare voters and to make them believe Piland supports associations /unions, which is not the case.  Clearly at each forum Piland has addressed that he supports the people and when they city turned their back on the public safety employees and would not agree to meet and confer that left them no choice.  He clearly said he does not support unions but he does support people especially when we are asking them to risk their lives.

Interestingly the issue of Civil Service and/or Collective Bargaining dates back to 2011, before Mark Piland became Fire Chief in Frisco.  The 2011 Climate Report, done by a third party clearly states in the summary and recommendations if change does not happen this time, the auditor believes much more is at risk – the potential for a Civil Service and/or Collective Bargaining election is very likely and the loss of many more valuable firefighters and paramedics.  Chief Borchardt and his staff (which included Lee Glover) who is now the CURRENT Fire Chief, management style must change dramatically. 

The other thing in this 2011 report is the FD staffs desire for 4 Person Staffing – which clearly shows that is not a new argument for them.  They had been calling it out for years, way before Mark Piland came into the picture.  In fact, Piland made a good point at one of the forums.  He has 10 years of good reviews from city management, and while he was Fire Chief the FD Staff never moved forward with Civil Service or Collective Bargaining.  However, after Mark Piland retired, and the city management chose to go back in time and appoint Lee Glover (from the 2011 Climate Report) as Fire Chief that is when the FD has a vote of no confidence for Glover and under Glovers leadership they filed for Civil Service and/or Collective Bargaining.   If you are wondering why public safety continues to endorse Mark Piland, it is because he is right for the city council seat. 

Republican, Democrat … or does it matter?

Piland is endorsed by both Collin County GOP and Denton County GOP.  Ann Anderson made statements at all the forums how the vote for Mark was “preplanned” and “in the bag” which according to our sources in both Collin/Denton GOP’s, was not true.   The Denton GOP did rush a meeting to make the endorsement for Mark Piland because while Ann is a Republican she does not live by or stand up for the Republican Values.  She has a history of endorsing Hard Democrats for elections and that does not go over well in the conservative Denton County area.  As much as we would like to think local politics is non-partisan in today’s world that is simply not true – nothing is nonpartisan.

When it comes to Collin County, we heard the same thing from inside sources, Ann’s previous endorsements and alignments did not go over well and it came down to a vote and Piland won because they felt he was the true Republican who had lived up the values in the Republican Agenda. 

We are also told that tonight at the SLAN Forum she continued to defend her relationships with Democrats.  What Anderson does not understand is you can have nonpartisan friendships all day long but if you have plans to run for office Republicans are not going to endorse fellow Republicans who openly help elect and endorse Democrats.  There is too big of a divide in our world and that is not going to fly.  John Keating will probably have a very hard time going for the endorsement for the same reasons.

Business 101

Ann Anderson said she is glad AT&T Headquarter Relocation choose Plano and not Frisco?  She was happy we lost a fortune 500 company that the city had worked very hard behind closed doors to get!

At the Chamber Forum she said Frisco “Dodged a Bullet” when they lost Grandscape / Nebraska Furniture Mart and that was “a GOOD BULLET that we dodged” because instead Frisco got the Dallas Cowboys.  I am curious if Ann Anderson understands Sales Tax and how it works.

Grandscape (anchored by Nebraska Furniture Mart) and The Star are both huge economic magnets —but based on the tax revenue figures public officials have shared, Grandscape as a retail tax generator likely produces more direct annual sales tax revenue than The Star’s sports/entertainment complex.   However, The Star drives a large, long-term economic impact through property value growth, tourism, and related development that isn’t easily captured in one annual number.

In practical terms, Retail sales tax drivers (like NFM/Grandscape) tend to produce easy-to-measure, recurring annual tax revenue — city and county officials are often very excited about them because the checks come in year after year and are predictable.

As for The Star (a sports/entertainment hub) will generate broader economic impact — more jobs, more tourism, and more spillover spending — but the direct annual tax revenue number per year isn’t always as public or as concentrated.

Which one is better?  Cities live and die by predictable, repeatable revenue which is sales tax that shows up every month because retail sales happen 365 days a year.  When revenue and foot traffic are based on a schedule or a brand’s performance it gets much dicer.  That is where Grandscape / NFM wins!

Fact is, if I’m the city treasurer, I want Grandscape.  If I’m the mayor cutting ribbons in a tailored suit, I want The Star.  But if you are responsible for not raising taxes when the economy hiccups then you better take the furniture store. Every. Single. Time.

Final Curtain – Get out and VOTE!

In the end, Ann Anderson’s own words are what make this so hard to square. She says she wants negative politics out of Frisco. She says voters shouldn’t be boxed in by Republican or Democrat labels. Yet she turns around and sends a hit-style mailer packed with selective framing, questionable quotes, and political drive-bys that do exactly what she claims to oppose. She says public safety comes first, while simultaneously attacking a public safety leader trusted and endorsed by those who put their lives on the line—behavior that feels eerily familiar to a council that happily accepted firefighter endorsements, then turned its back on them once the votes were counted. That’s not reform politics; that’s the same old Frisco playbook with a new cover page.

The bigger question many residents keep asking out loud now: why does this city’s leadership—and its inner kool kids club—seem to hate one man so much that they’ve tried repeatedly to destroy his reputation?  Where was the moral outrage over the mayor’s keg party for teens?  Where was the pearl-clutching when a council member embarrassed the city at a public pool in an illicit affair, or when signs saying “Get Naked” were laughed off like locker-room humor? Where was the fury when forged documents led to a settlement package fit for royalty? Somehow, silence. Yet for one man, the knives never stop. And maybe that’s why some of us see leadership not in who lands the cleanest punch, but in who takes the hits, stands firm, dusts off the scuff marks, and keeps showing up for the right reason—the residents. If Frisco voters truly want less negativity and more integrity, it may be time to stop listening to slogans and start watching actions.

Early voting has begun and Frisco Chronicles is voting for change in Mark Piland!  We are done with the Frisco Playbook.