Who FAILED the Campaign Finance Reality Check

by | Dec 15, 2025 | Ann Anderson, Campaign Donations, Campaign Finance Reports, Campaign Signs, Candidates, City Council, Dynette Davis, Elections, Frisco ISD, Mark Piland For Place 1, Political Candidates, Politics

After former council member Tracie Reveal Shipman stepped up to the Citizens Input podium to publicly scold two sitting council members over their campaign finance reports, we figured it was a good time to do what Frisco Chronicles does best: pull the thread and see what unravels.

If we’re going to talk about ethical leadership and transparency with a straight face, then the microscope shouldn’t only hover over political opponents or convenient targets. Transparency, after all, is not a karaoke song—you don’t get to sing only the parts you like.

So, in the spirit of civic duty, ethical leadership, and good old-fashioned dumpster diving, we decided to take a look at campaign finance compliance across both Frisco ISD trustees and City Council candidates.

Spoiler alert: this trash pile has layers.

The Rules (Because Facts Are Stubborn Things)

Under Texas Election Law, the rules are not optional, vibes-based, or enforced only when politically convenient. Here’s the short version:

Anyone who files a Campaign Treasurer Appointment (Form CTA) must file semiannual campaign finance reports.

This requirement continues even after the election ends, even if the candidate:

  • Lost
  • Raised $0
  • Spent $0
  • Retired emotionally from politics

The only way out? Cease campaign activity and file a FINAL report.

Straight from Texas Election Code §254.063:

  • July 15 report (covering Jan 1 – June 30)
  • January 15 report (covering July 1 – Dec 31)

No report. No “oops.” No “but I meant to.”  The law does not care.

Frisco ISD Trustees: Let’s Start There

Public disclosures and election records can be found here:

Which brings us to…

Mark Hill      Frisco ISD Board of Trustees – Now Running for Mayor

Not in Compliance

  • Filed a campaign finance report in January 2024
  • That report was NOT marked “Final”
  • Meaning… the reporting requirement continues

Missing Reports:

  • ❌ July 2024
  • ❌ January 2025
  • ❌ July 2025

Even $0 activity requires a filing. The form literally allows you to write “$0” repeatedly. Democracy loves paperwork.

Question for voters:
If a candidate can’t follow the most basic campaign finance rules, should they be trusted with the mayor’s office?  Asking for a city.

Dynette Davis       Frisco ISD Trustee

In Compliance

  • Filed her July 2025 report which shows $0 contributions and $0 expenditures
  • Boring? Yes.
  • Correct? Also yes.

Gold star. No sarcasm required.

Sherrie Salas         Frisco ISD Board of Trustees

Not in Compliance

Missing required reports:

  • ❌ January 2025
  • ❌ July 2025

Again, silence is not a filing strategy.

Keith Maddox       Frisco ISD Board of Trustees

Not in Compliance

  • ❌ Missing July 2025 report

One report doesn’t sound like much—until you remember compliance isn’t optional.

City Council: Same Rules, Same Problems

Now let’s shift from the school board to City Hall.

Mark Piland           Candidate in the January 31 Special Election

In Compliance

Filed correctly. Reports accounted for. No notes.

Ann Anderson       Candidate – City Council

Major Compliance Issues

  • Filed a Campaign Treasurer Appointment on November 17, 2023
  • Has filed ZERO campaign finance reports since

That means we’re missing:

❌ June 2024

❌ July 2024

❌ January 2025

❌ July 2025

Per state law, once a treasurer is on file, reports are mandatory until a FINAL report is filed.            No reports = not compliant. Full stop.

So… About That Podium Speech

When someone publicly calls out others for ethical lapses, it’s fair to ask:

  • Has this same scrutiny been applied consistently?
  • Has the speaker reviewed all campaign finance reports with equal vigor?
  • Or is ethics enforcement selective—like a traffic cop who only pulls over certain cars?

Transparency is not a weapon. It’s a standard.  And standards only work when they apply to everyone.

Final Thought

Campaign finance compliance isn’t complicated. It’s tedious. It’s boring. It’s paperwork-heavy. And that’s exactly why it matters.

Because if a candidate can’t handle the boring rules when no one’s watching, how exactly are they going to handle power when everyone is?

We’ll keep digging.  Because someone has to.

Disclaimer: This blog includes satire, parody, and comic relief.  It contains summarized accounts created solely for humor and commentary.  Any resemblance to real events is either coincidental or intentionally satirical.  Reader discretion — and a sense of humor — are advised.

SOURCES:

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/EL/htm/EL.254.htm:

Sec. 254.063.  SEMIANNUAL REPORTING SCHEDULE FOR CANDIDATE.  (a)  A candidate shall file two reports for each year as provided by this section.

(b)  The first report shall be filed not later than July 15.  The report covers the period beginning January 1, the day the candidate’s campaign treasurer appointment is filed, or the first day after the period covered by the last report required to be filed under this subchapter, as applicable, and continuing through June 30.

(c)  The second report shall be filed not later than January 15.  The report covers the period beginning July 1, the day the candidate’s campaign treasurer appointment is filed, or the first day after the period covered by the last report required to be filed under this subchapter, as applicable, and continuing through December 31.

DMN “Special Election” Hit Piece

by | Nov 27, 2025 | Ann Anderson, Candidates, Elections, Frisco Special Election January 2026, Mark Piland, Mark Piland For Place 1, Political Candidates, Politics

Angela Mathew over at the Dallas Morning News just dropped her article on Frisco’s special election — and folks, it reads like someone jogging behind the Cheney Cabal holding an umbrella. The headline tries to throw one candidate under the bus, but it’s so weak it couldn’t dent a cardboard cutout. Creativity? Original thought? Not today, apparently.

And where is the performance art outrage from Dana Cheney and her loyal Cabal Squad? Why are they not calling foul that the DMN like they did the Denton GOP? These are the people who usually set Facebook on fire for far less. Yet DMN posts a pre-filing article — before the deadline even closes, shutting out anyone who might file by Dec. 1 — and suddenly the theatrics vanish. No outrage from the peanut gallery instead you can hear a pin drop, in a pillow factory.

Mathew starts by polishing up John Keating, mentioning his mayoral announcement… but she avoids the messy parts like a teenager hiding report cards. Not a word about the cheating scandal while he was a public figure. Not a peep about the cringe-worthy social media pics he’s been serving up for years. Not calling out that he was lying about running in order to delay his time on the council. Nope — she airbrushes him into the role of Frisco’s next provincial mayor.

She addresses Mark Piland as the “former Frisco fire chief accused of malfeasance.” Cute. Very cute.

Especially when you compare it with the mountain of context she chose not to include:

🔥 40+ years in local government
🔥 18+ years in executive leadership
🔥 10 years of stellar performance reviews as Frisco’s Fire Chief
🔥 16 years with FEMA Urban Search & Rescue, deployed to:
 – The Pentagon on 9/11
 – Hurricane Katrina
 – The 2010 Haiti earthquake

🔥and much more Mathew could say.

Mathew doesn’t focus on questions related to current city issues such as Save Main, aging infrastructure issues, Animal Facility or a Performing Arts Center (that Cheney is secretly trying to push right now). Instead, she spends her time trying to question Piland about the past. Piland responds, “That’s in the past, we’re moving on, and I’m committed to being accountable to the public.” No questions about the HR Director recently released from her position after an investigation, the same HR Director who falsified Mark Piland’s signature and started the so-called investigation into him to cover her tracks. Funny how Keating’s past gets a velvet rope while Mathew’s tries to slap Piland like a rollercoaster of negativity.

But sure — let’s pretend none of that exists. Wouldn’t fit the vibe, right Angela?

Meanwhile, Ann Anderson — proudly backed by the Cheney faction — gets the marshmallow-soft treatment. She’s introduced as a financial services professional, PTA volunteer, Hobby Lobby shopper, and all-around everyday gal. The article practically ties a bow on her. She talks about helping place underemployed adults in Frisco, inspired by her son — noble mission, genuinely. But the way Mathew frames it? To readers it appears as pure campaign brochure energy.

Let’s call it what it is:
The DMN has a long, proud tradition of circling the wagons around the Cheney faction, and this article was so slanted it could’ve doubled as a ski slope. This wasn’t journalism — it was an endorsement wearing a trench coat.

And if this is the best hit job DMN can produce, the Cabal should ask for a refund.

Frisco sees through it.
We’re not buying it.
And we’re not afraid to say it louder than the DMN’s whisper campaign.

Stay tuned, Frisco. The truth has a longer shelf life than DMN spin — and we’re just getting started.

Disclaimer: This blog includes satire, parody, and comic relief.  It contains summarized accounts created solely for humor and commentary.  Any resemblance to real events is either coincidental or intentionally satirical.  Reader discretion — and a sense of humor — are advised.