Frisco Chronicles has no issue questioning city leadership and department leadership because I believe someone must speak for the front-line employees. Why? It is the front-line employees in each department that do the day-to-day work which keeps our city great. Every time I hear from an “insider” it is the same story, different department.
We have heard about nepotism running rampant, leadership involved in sexual affairs, toxic work environments, and much more. The truth is our city needs a good “SPRING CLENAING” in top management and department leaders. Why? To protect our front-line workers who feel the brunt of their failed leadership.
The last two weeks we have received several emails related to City Manager, Wes Pierson. The emails talk about how Pierson leads with hostile and condescending behavior. One email noted he consistently speaks down to staff, direct reports, and his executive team. It went on to say his condescending behavior and communication style undermines the morale across all city departments. Residents have seen this behavior up front and center at city council meetings.
The emails also talk about how employees feared professional retaliation if they file a complaint with HR against department or city leadership. The minute a complaint is filed the city begins actions to end that employee’s employment through any means necessary. That includes making up issues or actions to use against the employee.
We know in a recent meeting with public safety officials he questioned if the Fire Department really needed “ladder trucks” which shows his operational ignorance. Clearly his questioning shows a lack of operational infrastructure needed for basic emergency response. His dismissive attitude towards critical public safety equipment poses a direct threat to our communities welfare.
One email talked about staff development and how Pierson actively blocks the implementation of employee progression and career development. The city constantly changes care development plans to hold employees back.
This kind of behavior from one of the highest paid city managers in the nation is unacceptable. There is a severe contrast between his massive compensation package and his refusal to invest in staff progression which behind closed doors is crippling city operations. One email said a third-party investigation into management practices is needed to protect city employees and residents. It is the only way to ensure responsible governance.
When I receive one email I take it as employee frustration, but when I receive 3 in one week from different employees, different departments then it tells me there is an issue at city hall. That issue starts at the top with Wes Pierson as he sets the tone that flows downhill.
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.
A few years ago, Frisco residents were divided on the idea of an Employee Wellness Center that supposedly would save taxpayer dollars and improve employee health outcomes. At the time, Frisco Chronicles and many residents, raised concerns because the clinic was projected to operate in the red for years before ever breaking even. Funny how “trust the process” always seems to come with a blank check.
So naturally, we decided to follow up.
We filed a Public Information Request asking for basic operational information for the following:
1. Annual Usage Statistics; Number of clinic visits by employees each year.
2. Employee Participation: Total Number of employees using the clinic each year.
3. Financial Performance: Annual revenue and expenses related to operating the clinic, including whether the clinic operates at a surplus or deficit each year.
4. Any additional reports or summaries detailing the clinics’ utilization, cost savings, or operational performance.
Asking for usage numbers, costs, financial performance, and general metrics. Not patient records. Not private medical files. Just the kind of accountability data taxpayers should expect when public money and public partnerships are involved.
Instead, the City of Frisco is now claiming much of the information is confidential. Premise Health, the private company operating the clinic, also argued the records should be withheld by the public.
That response raises even more questions. The public has the right to know where taxpayer dollars are going.
Since when did taxpayer-funded operations become private just because a corporation is involved? If a city contracts with a private company that operates on taxpayer dollars, then transparency is part of the deal. You don’t get to step into the public arena, collect public money, make promises to taxpayers, and then slam the door shut when someone asks for performance numbers.
Nobody is requesting employee medical files or protected health information. We fully support protecting patient privacy. But there is a massive difference between protecting personal health records and hiding operational data from the taxpayers footing the bill.
The city and Premise Health appear to be blurring that line intentionally.
How many employees use the clinic monthly? How much taxpayer money has been spent? What are the annual operating losses or gains? Has the clinic reduced insurance costs as promised? What metrics are being used to measure success?
Those are not invasive questions. Those are standard accountability questions.
And frankly, if the clinic is performing well, why fight so hard to keep the numbers hidden?
The public has every right to question why officials are circling the wagons over usage statistics and financial data. Transparency should not suddenly disappear because the answers may be politically inconvenient.
Government transparency in Frisco increasingly feels like a game of “public when convenient, private when questioned.” The city loves press conferences, ribbon cuttings, and glossy announcements when launching programs, but when residents ask for follow-up data years later, suddenly everyone discovers the word “confidential.”
Maybe the Employee Wellness Center is a success story. Maybe it’s exactly the financial sinkhole critics warned about years ago. Either way, taxpayers deserve facts, not carefully crafted legal objections designed to keep the public in the dark.
Read our original article and decide for yourself whether this is about protecting privacy — or protecting politics.
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.
If It’s Such a Great Deal, Why the Peek-a-Boo? The City of Frisco loves to tell residents how transparent they are but it is Crystal clear, like spring water, they don’t want us asking questions about the 2021 decision to open the Employee Health Clinic pushed by former HR Director Sassy Safranek. Transparency for city officials is like one of those novelty shower doors that looks clear until the steam hits and suddenly you can’t see a thing.
Welcome to the fog.
Back in 2021, the City’s Employee Health Clinic wasn’t some sleepy consent-agenda item. It was hotly contested, debated, dissected, and ultimately shoved across the finish line by a rare mayoral tiebreaker vote. Millions of dollars. Long-term projections. Big promises about savings, efficiency, and “doing right by employees.”
Fast-forward to today. Naturally, we thought: Hey, let’s see how that investment is actually doing. You know—basic follow-up … Journalism and Accountability. The stuff transparency is supposedly made of. And the City’s response? NO. NO. NO. (But said politely, on letterhead, with lawyers involved.)
A Simple Question Turns Into a Legal Obstacle Course
On November 12, 2025, Frisco Chronicles filed a Public Information Request (PIR). Nothing exotic. Nothing personal. No medical records. No names. No HIPAA panic.
We asked for basic performance data for the City of Frisco Employee Health Clinic over the past five fiscal years (or as available):
Annual number of clinic visits
Number of unique employees using the clinic
Annual operating revenue and expenses
Whether the clinic was running on a surplus or deficit
Any reports detailing utilization, cost savings, or performance
In other words: Is this thing working the way the City told taxpayers it would? Seems reasonable, right? Apparently not.
The Attorney General (Because Why Not?)
Instead of releasing the data—or even part of it—the City Attorney’s Office punted the request straight to the Texas Attorney General, asking for permission to keep the curtain closed. From their letter:
“Frisco requests that the Texas Attorney General’s Office determine whether Frisco is required to disclose the information.”
Translation: “We’d rather not decide transparency ourselves. Please hold.”
Even more interesting? The City claims it “takes no position” on releasing the information… while simultaneously triggering a process that delays a release of requested documents and invites third parties to object.
That’s like saying: “I’m not stopping you from leaving… I’m just locking the door and hiding the keys.”
Third Parties, Copyrights, and Other Smoke Bombs
The City also notified Premise Health, the private contractor operating the clinic, giving them the opportunity to argue against disclosure under Section 552.305 of the Texas Public Information Act.
Premise Health, unsurprisingly, filed a brief supporting the City’s request to withhold information. (We’ll publish that response in full—because transparency is apparently contagious when citizens do it.)
The City’s letter also raises the specter of copyright protection, which begs the obvious question: If this is just boring operational data, why the legal gymnastics?
Let’s Rewind: Why This Matters
Back in November–December 2021, City Council members openly worried about low employee utilization, long-term financial losses, and whether the private sector would ever make such an investment.
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Brian Livingston said at the meeting, “I believe it’ll take us close to eight to nine years—if not longer than a decade—to break even … I don’t believe that the private industry would make that choice.” He continued, “I’m very afraid that the losses will be much larger due to lower utilization that’s planned or expected.”
According to an article in Community Impact the estimated expenses in the clinic’s first year were expected to be over $1.44 million which included salaries, insurance, management and implementation fees and equipment purchases. The clinic’s fifth-year budget is listed at more than $1.31 million. Premise Health projeced that the clinic will operate at a loss in its first three years.
Breaking down the numbers, the clinic required a $173,754 implementation fee, over $6.28 million in salary and management fees in the first five years, and subsidization from the City’s insurance reserve fund.
Despite all that, the deal passed—barely—with Mayor Jeff Cheney casting the deciding vote. Council Members Brian Livingston, Shona Huffman and Dan Stricklin voted against the clinic. And now, four years later, when citizens ask: “So… how’s it going?” The answer is silence, lawyers, and a referral to Austin.
If It’s Saving Money, Show the Receipts
The City’s own website proudly claims the Employee Wellness Center saves taxpayer dollars, reduces insurance costs, and helps recruit and retain top talent. Great! Fantastic! Pop the champagne! So why not release the utilization numbers, cost comparisons and savings analyses?
If the clinic is the fiscal success story we were promised, these records should be the City’s favorite bedtime reading. Instead, we’re told third parties might object, copyright might apply, and the Attorney General must decide.
That’s not transparency. That’s strategic opacity.
The Real Question: What Are We Not Supposed to See?
No one is accusing the clinic of wrongdoing. No one is demanding personal health data. No one is attacking city employees for using a benefit. This is about taxpayer accountability.
When a multi-million-dollar program was controversial from the start, required subsidies, and was justified on future savings …citizens have every right to ask whether those promises materialized. And the City has an obligation to answer without hiding behind contractors and legal process.
Call to Action: This Is Bigger Than One Clinic
Residents of Frisco should not shrug this off. We encourage citizens to:
Write to the City of Frisco, demanding the release of these records
Contact the Texas Attorney General’s Office, urging disclosure under the Public Information Act related to PIR G093023
Remind leadership that “trust us” is not a financial metric
Transparency isn’t a slogan. It’s a practice.
And if the City truly believes this clinic is a win for employees and taxpayers, then sunlight won’t hurt a thing. Unless, of course… there’s something they’d rather keep in the dark.
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.
In a city that prides itself on transparency, Frisco sure has a funny way of showing it. The departure of city employees should be a straightforward matter. But nothing says, “honest government at work” quite like a settlement agreement wrapped in an NDA and buried beneath layers of off-limits files that are shadow labeled “confidential” and will only magically appear if someone knows exactly what to ask for.
It’s almost poetic, really. City Hall bangs the drum of accountability every election season, even though they know the city turns around and stashes public records like they’re safeguarding state secrets. One might expect this sort of maneuvering from Washington, where the filing system seems to be a combination of smoke, mirrors, and selective memory—but from Frisco? The city that can’t even agree on a dog shelter without a special called meeting.
It is amazing what buried treasures you will find when reading through these settlement agreements the city has with ex-employees. It is also interesting to see who is getting paid and how much! For example, Elise Back, who worked for the Frisco Economic Development Corporation, agreed to accept a gross payment of $125,000 and Frank Morehouse accepted $112,500. What and why are we paying this kind of money in secret NDA’s?
After months of whispers about “HR “mishaps,” and a public records chase that felt more like spelunking through a city-funded labyrinth, we now have a Settlement Agreement for the newly minted EX HR Director, Lauren “Sassy” Safranek. Let me tell you finding this and getting our hands on this was tough and the city thought they had sealed it tighter than a Prohibition-era wine cellar. And just when we thought we’d finally uncork the truth, out pop second files, “confidential” folders, and documents shuffled around like a crooked card dealer at a back-alley poker table. But the saga of Lauren “Sassy” Safrenak takes the cake, the bakery, and the delivery truck.
Frisco’s leadership keeps insisting to the public this is all perfectly normal, nothing to see here, folks, but is it normal? Is this just a standard, everyday NDA? We decided to peal it back and unwrap the taxpayer-funded mystery treasure chest (I mean document). Frisco, where transparency is optional, NDAs are fashionable, and the truth is apparently stored somewhere in File Cabinet B—the one nobody is allowed to open.
BACKSTORY
Lauren Safranek has had reputation in the city for years. Management loved her! Employees had great disdain for her! Back in June 2023 I questioned why Lauren Safranek wanted to change the Nepotism Policy and revise the Employee Code of Conduct policy that had been in place since 2006. We wrote about it in our blog All in The Family. Then we wrote about the Workers Comp Policy Changes in our blog Sassy Safranek and the mean-spirited memo written by our Professional HR Director Sassy Safranek. In December 2023 we did our 12 Days of Malfeasance blogs. Day 3 was about the HR MALFEASANCE which was about good ole Lauren Safranek forging the signature of then Fire Chief Mark Piland to a document that would change the pay scale for an entire department. Did she really think this would not raise any eyebrows and her forgery would be unearthed? Yep, she really thought she was that smart!
When she realized, she had gotten caught she kicked into overdrive to find a fake reason to investigate then Fire Chief Mark Piland and his staff. We presented all the receipts in our Day 12: Tangled Web of Lies blog!
If you forgot about all this drama you should go back and read it because this is the heart of why the city, the mayor and the cabal are trying to destroy one man who has a 40+ exemplary career years, plus positive job reviews in the city of Frisco year after year until Lauren uncovered some “malfeasance” in order to cover her own forgery of legal HR documents
SASSY SAFRANEKS LITTLE CONFIDENTIAL SECRET WRAPPED UP IN AN NDA
Remember transparency is supposed to be the heart of good government here in Frisco. Truthfully it is more of a suggestion, something politically ignored much like turn signals on the Tollway side roads. The Lauren Safranek NDA reads like a political thriller written by a board attorney on a Friday afternoon. It has pages of legal yapping designed to make sure the public learns absolutely nothing about why the City’s top HR official suddenly needed to be paid nearly a year’s salary just to walk out the door quietly.
Is this a general release? No, it is so sweeping it could double as a Tornado Warning. Safranek isn’t just leaving her job, she’s legally erasing every single gripe, claim, concern, complaint, or whisper she ever uttered about the City. Ethics Complaints filed against her? Gone. Any HR violations she witnessed? Gone. Any retaliation she alleged? Gone. Potential whistleblower issues? Vaporized.
The Payout: A Golden Parachute Stuffed with Taxpayer Cash
40 weeks of salary. 40 weeks of COBRA medical, dental, vision coverage. A lump-sum payout for her accrued leave that has not been used. Payment by city for $1,716.65 for a conference she attended. Payment by city for employees attorneys fee’s in the amount of $7,600.
City will compensate Safranek for time spent assisting with the defense in pending lawsuits at a rate of $100.00 per hour, such payment to be made in 30 days of submission.
ASK YOURSELF: An at-will HR director being handed nearly a year’s pay to quietly resign is not “normal.” It’s not even “Frisco normal,” and this city has normalized some Olympic-level gymnastics around accountability.
The Most Alarming Part: The Secret Second File
Buried deep inside the NDA is the crown jewel of municipal opacity: The City agrees to take all negative documents—complaints, investigations, findings, her ethics complaint, and more—and remove them from her public personnel file and place them in a separate, hidden, confidential file.
Transparency Hidden In – A literal second file.
According to the NDA “these documents will be agreed upon by Safranek and will include, at a minimum, the following: Shank’s complaint, Coulthurst’s complaint, investigation findings, employee’s ethics complaints,” the letter from the Deputy City Manager dated June 16, 2025 and this agreement.
It also notes that basically the second file the public will not see, that is kept “to the extent permitted by law,” which is lawyer-speak for “we’ll hide it unless someone catches us!” WE CAUGHT YOU!
This is the Frisco leadership and government equivalent of cleaning your house by shoving everything into the garage and padlocking the door. Frisco taxpayers deserve better than a filing system borrowed from Watergate.
The City Also Requires Her to Help Defend Them in Lawsuits
Safranek must cooperate in two ongoing lawsuits involving Cameron Kraemer and Jesse Zito, paid at $100/hour — and she gets to keep her notes connected to those cases.
A city that insists it did nothing wrong is apparently very eager to keep its former HR Director close at hand… just not on staff, not in the building, and not talking.
A “Neutral Reference” to Keep the Story Contained
If a future employer calls? HR will give a bland, robotic response confirming her dates of employment. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing truthful.
Because when you’ve spent thousands of taxpayer dollars hiding the mess, the last thing you want is someone in HR accidentally telling the truth.
City Admits Nothing, Explains Nothing, Accepts Nothing
As expected, the NDA contains the standard “we did nothing wrong” boilerplate. The City denies all wrongdoing, says they’re settling merely to avoid “cost” and “distraction.” Right — because nothing says “totally innocent” like hiding negative documents in a secret secondary file and giving your fired HR director 40 weeks of hush money.
Council Approval: Your Elected Officials Signed Off
Don’t miss this detail: The NDA was contingent on City Council approval at a public meeting which happened on July 1, 2025. This was the meeting that Burt Thakur and Jared Elad were installed as new council members. How much did they know about this agreement is to be seen. We are curious how much knowledge Jeff Cheney, John Keating (mayoral candidate), Brian Livingston, Angelia Pelham, and Laura Rummel had.
Fact remains, every elected official who voted “yes” signed off on lying to the public, a year’s salary and cobra benefits, withholding information from the public in a secret file, hiding negative or truthful reviews to a future employer and more. Keating made the motion to approve, and it was seconded by Angelia Pelham.
Crazy part is if you go to that agenda on the city website and click on Item 24 it has not documents attached to it. Why because the city PLAYED HIDE AND HOPEFULLY, THEY WON’T SEEK!
The Bottom Line
You could hide a small nation’s war crimes under a release this wide. The Safranek NDA isn’t a routine HR separation. It’s not a miscommunication. It’s not an exit interview gone wrong. It is a coordinated legal shutdown, executed at the highest levels, designed to hide information from the public and neutralize the City’s own HR Director.
The City didn’t just settle a dispute. It purchased silence. It buried documents. It built a second file. It erased complaints. It sealed the story.
And they used your tax dollars to do it.
Frisco deserves transparency — not confidentiality closets, political NDAs, and under-the-table golden parachutes.
More to come.
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.
Oh, Frisco… where the City’s HR Department isn’t about human resources so much as it is about covering resources.
This week City Manager Wes Pierson dropped a long-winded HR love letter into inboxes, trying to explain away the latest drama inside the City of Frisco’s Human Resources Department. Think of it as a Hallmark card written by a bureaucrat: “We value you, we support you, ignore the gossip, let’s hold hands.” Sweet, right? Except the subtext was basically: “Don’t read FriscoChronicles, don’t ask questions, and for the love of God, don’t expect HR to actually help you.” The letter, which was supposed to be a healing session really just raised troubling questions about leadership, transparency and employee silence being threatened.
Let’s unpack this.
The Email: A Leadership Reset—or a Power Grab?
Some might say the HR Department turned into an episode of Real Housewives of Frisco over the last year. According to Pierson, HR was dealing with “internal issues” that boiled over into fractured leadership between former HR Director Lauren “Sassy” Safranek and Assistant Director Jacinta Shanks. A complaint about Shanks allegedly creating a racially hostile work environment brought everything to a head. Pierson claims the complaint didn’t hold up under investigation but it still “highlighted unprofessional boundaries.” Are we surprised by the investigation outcome, No. Most investigations that occur within the city “don’t hold up.”
The official email spin?
Both Safranek and Shanks are now gone. Translation: Both Safranek and Shanks were escorted off the stage. Cue the applause track.
Employees are told the shake-up is for the greater good. Translation: “She didn’t technically break the law, but she definitely acted like she was auditioning for Mean Girls 3.”
And in comes Kathy Shields as Interim HR Director—someone Pierson calls “an experienced HR leader” who will “steady the ship.”
But here’s the kicker: Kathy Shields isn’t some neutral, outside expert parachuted in, to clean house. She’s a longtime friend and ally of Safranek. And she’s not new to controversy, either.
Kathy Shields: The Investigator Who Finds Nothing
Before this promotion, Shields led the investigation into Public Works—a department that’s had multiple accusations reported through the city’s own HR hotline. Those complaints ranged from hostile workplace issues to favoritism and management misconduct. And yet, somehow, Shields found nothing wrong. Bullying? Nothing wrong. Retaliation? Nothing wrong. Management misconduct? Guess what—nothing wrong! A spotless record in a department where employees have been whispering for years. In our opinion, she could walk into a five-alarm fire with bodies on the floor and conclude it was just “a warm team-building exercise.”
Now we’re supposed to believe this same person who will restore credibility to HR? Forgive us if we’re skeptical. When the investigator is friends with the very people under scrutiny, it doesn’t look like oversight, it looks like protection.
The Email’s Tone: Encouragement or Inappropriate Threat?
Pierson’s email was drenched in positivity but tucked between the lines was the pep talk that reek of PR Control tries to wrap everything in positivity.
“I encourage us all to use our time and energy to support one another, serve our community, and continue to build an organization we can all be proud of.”
Nice words. But then comes the subtle jab:
“While outside voices may seek to focus on rumor or sensationalism, what matters most is the meaningful work we do together every day.”
Translation? “Stop reading FriscoChronicles. Those bloggers are the real villains here!” Ignore what you might read on the blog. Don’t listen to the outside noise. Trust us instead.
Except here’s the problem: When employees feel unheard, disrespected, or retaliated against, where else can they go besides outside voices? When the very department tasked with protecting employees—HR—has been accused of circling the wagons to protect leadership, how can staff trust the system? Trying to frame outside commentary as “rumor” or “sensationalism” feels less like reassurance and more like a warning shot.
Let’s talk about the city’s “Core Values” referenced by City Manager Wes Pierson. One is integrity, which is honesty, trustworthiness, ethical behavior and always doing the right thing on the city website. Integrity is the foundation of all other core values.
Another one is “Our Employees” who we support, develop, and reward the contributions, diversity and talents of all employees. Really? Does this email sound like you support and develop your employees?
And when a city official suggests that sharing information with others violates “our core values,” it starts sounding a lot like an overreach into free speech rights. Employees don’t surrender their First Amendment protections when they clock in at City Hall.
The Real Question: Who Holds HR Accountable?
Let’s be clear: HR is supposed to be the place where employees feel safe, heard, and protected. Instead, in Frisco it’s more like:
HR Hotline = Suggestion Box at a mafia club
Investigations = “Magic Eraser” for management screw-ups
Leadership changes = Musical chairs with the same old players
If your boss harasses you, retaliates against you, or ignores you, don’t worry—HR will investigate, declare “nothing to see here,” and send you back to work with a smiley face sticker. If HR investigations are compromised by friendships, if complaints are routinely dismissed, and if leadership emails frame whistleblowers and bloggers as troublemakers, then what’s left?
HR is supposed to be the department that listens to employees, investigates fairly, and upholds ethical standards. In the City of Frisco, it looks more like a PR machine for management—a department where loyalty matters more than integrity.
So, what do employees do when the “system” is dirty? When internal complaints vanish into thin air, when investigations return with “nothing to see here,” and when leadership paints critics as nuisances?
They speak out. They share their stories. They find outside platforms—like this one—because silence only protects those in power.
Final Thought
Frisco’s HR Department doesn’t need a “new leader.” It needs an exorcism.
Until then, employees will keep doing what they’ve been forced to do: whisper, leak, and share their stories elsewhere. Because when the system is this dirty, outside voices aren’t a nuisance; they’re a lifeline.
Wes Pierson’s email may have been intended as reassurance, but instead it raises more questions than answers. With Kathy Shields at the helm, and the HR department’s credibility already on life support, employees are right to wonder: Is anyone in Frisco HR truly on their side?
So yes, Wes, people are going to talk. And if that “disappoints” you? Good. Maybe disappointment is exactly what City Hall needs. Until we see transparency and accountability, this isn’t an HR “reset.” It’s just business as usual with a new nameplate on the door.
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.
Tammy Meinershagen speaks of how she loves “governance” and that is her favorite part of the job as a councilwoman. One “best practice” and vital component of good governance is transparency. Why is transparency so important? It boosts public trust, confidence, and citizen participation. Transparency has become a virtue in public management and public policymaking. It is an important democratic value that a trustworthy, high-performing, and responsible government pursues.
WHY IS FRISCO NOT TRANSPARENT?
We have to assume everyone reading our blog is new and may not have read previous blogs. In 2023, when Mayor Cheney was running for re-election against Retired Former Fire Chief, Mark Piland we wrote the blog Tangled Web of Lies (click on the title to read it) which detailed out how acting HR Director Sassy Lauren Safranek set in motion a calculated witch hunt to protect her job and wrongdoing against then Fire Chief, Mark Piland.
Why is that blog so important? In it, we mentioned that on April 4, 2024, the Frisco City Council, after emerging from an executive session, voted on one item from its executive agenda. “In connection with item No. 2A, ii on tonight’s agenda, Bill Woodward made a motion, “I move to authorize the city manager to release the second investigative report, dated Sept. 1, 2022, concerning Mark Piland.” That night, the Frisco City Council, with a 5-0 vote, moved to pass the motion. Mayor Cheney conveniently recused himself. It is important to note that Bill Woodard, Angelia Pelham, John Keating, and Tammy Meinershagen had already endorsed and been helping with Mayor Cheney’s re-election campaign. That night, it was clear the release of this document was designed to be a political hit job. Since that night, Woodard also ran a PAC against our Firefighters and started the Vote Yes for Broadway PAC with Tammy Meinershagen.
CLEARLY, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WERE COMPROMISED AND SHOULD HAVE ALSO ALL RECUSED THEMSELVES ALONG WITH JEFF CHENEY! BETTER YET, IT SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN VOTED ON BY THE COUNCIL MEMBERS – WHY NOT SEND IT TO THE AG INSTEAD?
They didn’t want to wait 45 to 60 days because that would have been “after the election,” and they were worried Mark Piland might win. So, shaking in their boots, they took it upon themselves to vote at the council. The same council that determines ethical complaints against each other!
Fast forward to 2025 and we write our blog City Hall’s Troubled Seas last week that questions why “TOP BRASS” HR Director, Sassy Lauren Safranek and Assistant HR Director, Jacinta Shanks just vanished into the dark night. Missing for weeks, internal sources telling us that they both had been suspended, investigations were ongoing, and their return dates to the office were unknown made us file some PIR’s for more information.
FIRST PIR REQUEST: JACINTA SHANKS
4/1/2025: FWB Filed the Public Information Request
“We would like all documents and information regarding the investigation into, administrative leave of, and outcome of Jacinta Shanks – HR. We would like any and all investigative records, including emails, screenshots, and messages regarding Jacinta Shanks and fellow employees that refer to them making racist remarks/comments to other black subordinates, disparaging employees, and making fun of other employees. We would like to know if Jacinta Shanks received a promotion after this investigation.”
4/16/2025: City of Frisco responds and asks us to “CLAIRFY” our request to the city
4/22/2025: FWB replied to the request
5/7/2025: We assumed in the eye of “GOOD GOVERNANCE” they city would be transparent just like they have been with previous employees, right? No. Absolutely Not!
We received the response that reads, “The City of Frisco has reviewed its files, and has located documents responsive to your request. However, due to issues of confidentiality, the City has chosen to seek a ruling from the Office of the Attorney General regarding the release of the responsive documents. Please see attached for a letter from Abernathy, Roeder, Boyd & Hullett, PC, attorneys for the City of Frisco, informing you of the City’s decision to seek a ruling from the Office of the Attorney General. The Office of the Attorney General has up to 45 business days in which to make a ruling regarding your request.”
SECOND PIR REQUEST INTO JACINTA SHANKS AND JIREH SHOE
4/1/2025: FWB filed a PIR Request
We also filed a second PIR that reads, “Related to the Jacinta Shanks and Jireh Shoe Investigations or any other HR employees. We would like a copy of any NDA signed by a new employee related to their failure during the probation period. We would like to know if any female employee received a payout or payment related to this investigation, was asked to sign an NDA, who was released, terminated, removed, etc for failing their probation period.”
4/11/2025: City of Frisco responds and asks us to “CLAIRFY” our request to the city (sound familiar)
4/22/2025: FWB replied to the request
1. Jacinta Shanks and Jireh Shoe Investigations: We are specifically requesting any investigative reports, findings, HR communications, termination notices, or disciplinary actions related to Jacinta Shanks and Jireh Shoe. If these individuals were involved in internal investigations conducted by HR or Legal, we request all documents reflecting: • The nature of the investigation • Dates of the investigation • Parties interviewed or named • Final outcomes or recommendations • Settlement agreements, if applicable
2. NDAs Signed by New Employees Who Did Not Complete Probation We are requesting copies of any Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) signed between January 1, 2021, and April 1, 2025, by employees of the HR Department who were released, terminated, or resigned before completing their probationary period. If a list of names is required to narrow this down, we ask the City to identify individuals who meet the criteria during that time frame so we can refine accordingly.
3. Female Employees—Payments or NDAs Related to HR Investigations We are seeking records that show whether any female employee involved in an HR investigations between January 1, 2021, and April 1, 2025: • Received a financial payout or settlement (voluntary or involuntary separation) • Was asked or required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement • Was terminated, released, or otherwise separated during or at the end of probation These may include settlement agreements, NDAs, HR exit memos, or other documents reflecting these outcomes.
We are not asking the City to answer legal questions—only to provide existing documents that meet the above clarified criteria. If there is a more efficient way to identify the documents—such as a keyword search (e.g., “probation,” “settlement,” “NDA,” “termination”) or a specific custodian of records—please advise. We are happy to work with you to facilitate this.
5/7/2025: Guess what, we assumed for a second time that in the eye of “GOOD GOVERNANCE” they city would be transparent. I bet you can guess their response; it was identical to our other PIR. Literally, identical!
We received the exact same response as the first PIR which reads, “The City of Frisco has reviewed its files, and has located documents responsive to your request. However, due to issues of confidentiality, the City has chosen to seek a ruling from the Office of the Attorney General regarding the release of the responsive documents. Please see attached for a letter from Abernathy, Roeder, Boyd & Hullett, PC, attorneys for the City of Frisco, informing you of the City’s decision to seek a ruling from the Office of the Attorney General. The Office of the Attorney General has up to 45 business days in which to make a ruling regarding your request.”
THIRD PIR WE ARE FILING NOW: Lauren Safranek HR
Now we are going to file a PIR for everything related to Sassy Lauren Safranek and what do you want to bet, we are going to get the same response. Using delay tactics to push it out, then send it to the AG to further delay it. Why? What do they not want to come out before you and I vote at the polls? The delay is purposeful and if they truly wanted to show “GOOD GOVERNANCE” – Tammy Meinershagen couldn’t you vote to release the files? Lead the charge for transparency!
GOOD GOVERNANCE: JUST VOTE ON IT!
In our opinion, the city set a precedent with Mark Piland on what is or is not confidential in an employee’s HR file when they went to the council and voted to release his record, especially when that vote was by four members of the council who endorsed and were working on Mayor Cheney’s campaign against that employee. So why can’t they vote again to release the HR file for Safranek, Shanks, and anyone else in the HR investigation? Show the voters you have nothing to hide and that it is consistency of GOOD GOVERNANCE.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
We think all the citizens of Frisco who want transparent communication should email the city attorney’s office, the entire city council, and the City Manager’s office, demanding the release of all documents from the HR Department investigation, just like they did with Former Fire Chief, Mark Piland. If there is an issue, they should be able to vote on it at a city council meeting. We would expect the same transparency in a 5-0 vote to release it. Because good governance is transparent, right?
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing as a citizen of Frisco to request full transparency on behalf of the city, to release all HR documents related to the HR investigation into Jacinta Shanks, Lauren Safranek, and any other employee. For us to trust our city government, we need to see transparency, even if that means it has to go to a vote at the city council meeting to be released.
What are they hiding? It should alarm citizens that the city will vote to release one employee’s or a former employee’s records and not release others. One was running against the mayor for office, while the others were not. If you didn’t believe us in 2023 when we called it a political hatchet job, then you should believe us now! Why else would they fight the release of HR records for other employees under investigation?
I went to her to ask for help with an issue my child that was getting nowhere with the school,…
So whatever became of the $17 million dollars that the city council gave the Mayor to beautify a drainage ditch?
At last count, there are 3 different "spa/massage" businesses in the small office park at the northeast corner of John…
I literally just saw this. Yeah, she used to forward everybody’s emails behind their backs.
You're dropping truth bombs! These mom and pop shops are what should be the least of Karen's worries. If they…