If you are from the DFW area you may recognize the name Robert Tilton, an American Televangelist and the former pastor of the Word of Faith Family Church in Farmers Branch. His ministry peaked in the early 90’s and it has been reported his infomercial style church program aired in some 225+ American television markets. It has been reported that Tilton brought in $70 to $80 million dollars per year. The message he pushed upon viewers was the importance of “vows” aka financial commitments to the Tilton ministry. The minimum vow was $1000 but if you wanted to receive a personal “word of knowledge” from Tilton you had to “vow” anywhere from $5k to $10,000 dollars. If you sent a prayer request with a vow, then Tilton claimed to lay on top of the prayer request to heal the weak.
Tilton’s demise came in 1991 when word got out that he may be a fraud or over promising “blessings” to viewers. Some “garbologists” who worked for ABC’s Primetime Live spent over a month dumpster diving outside of Tilton’s many offices and what they found was shocking. Over 10,000 lbs. of prayer request letters cut along the edge with the vow removed and the prayer request still inside the envelope, untouched and discarded in dumpsters. Lawsuits commenced by followers, the Tilton’s headed to divorce court and many felt it was an attempt to protect their assets. Now, why am I reminding you of this Tilton character? Well, he was full of it, kind of like our city council.
For years, our city leadership has made grand promises when it comes to some projects, but then they vanish into a cosmic void, much like matter falling into a black hole. The city has been talking about Grand Park since before most of us were born. Well after several municipal bonds, environmental studies, we have a walking trail, but no grand park (remember like Central Park in NY) or lake as promised. Then there is Wade Park which later become known as Lake Lebanon which sat for years after the developer went belly up. It later became known as The Mix, which we have heard about for the last two years and yet…still nothing but a fence around the property. Then we had the Frisco Theater, a grand place for plays and as of late now Broadway style shows. Well 5 to 7 studies later over 8 years, still nothing! Oh wait, now they want us to buy into a $500+ million theater run by the city on taxpayer dollars. My point is, they council is much like Robert Tilton and his “Word of Faith” ministry who make grand gestures and promises, ask us to pass more bonds, potentially increase our taxes and yet nothing seems to actually be coming together.
Picture of Lake Lebanon (formerly Wade Park) before it rained and filled up with water. Note it is now supposed to be The Mix. Side note we had a lake here it was just not in Grand Park like they promised. Picture by Dallas Morning News
Another example, the city has been talking about the revitalization of Frisco’s Downtown area as far back as 2016-2018. Well, after spending at least $50 to $75,000 visiting different cities to “study their downtown areas” we finally broke ground to fix downtown. The city has dragged its feet since 2016, spending money on tours and trips but only now that FIFA is coming in 2026 is there a push for this project to be done in time so we can look good for the many “visitors” it will bring downtown.
The sad part is we have had Frisco locals take interest and invest in our downtown area way before this city or the council have done anything. While we may not always agree with Donny Churchman, he is one man who has had a passion for downtown and the Frisco Rail District. In a 2018 interview with Lifestyle Frisco, he notes the downtown area has been ignored during all the development. He talked about the name change of downtown Frisco to the Rail District has a lot to do with Frisco’s history and the BNSF railroad and we could not agree more with him on that.
He started investing years ago in the downtown area with The Patio at the Rails and Tower at the Rail, then came the Nack Theater. His overall goal is to “restore downtown Frisco” and it is a passion for him. We are curious how Churchman feels today, with the city bending over backwards offering tax incentives for Rollertown Beerworks, a venue that features a two-level taproom and 4,320 sq ft outdoor beer garden. Did the city break their back for Churchman’s investments. We don’t know but would be curious to find out more.
Along with Churchman, many residents who own historic homes downtown have spent time and money to meticulously renovate and update them while keeping that 1900s charm about them. All this local money and passion bringing life in to downtown, and yet our city has sat on it since 2016. Many of these locals have advocated for something to happen downtown for the last ten years as everything seemed to develop around it. If they can do it then why did it take FIFA coming here for the City of Frisco to finally do something.
The June 2024 announcement of the new grand downtown plan made us wonder, if we went back 5 to 10 years what “priorities” did the city have and which ones have been completed. We found a town hall video discussing the 2018 Top Ten Priorities, which include the following:
1) Implement Traffic Innovation
2) Increase Capital Expenditure Fund
3) Performing Arts Center
4) Downtown revitalization & finish the master plan
5) Grow and expand our Economic Development Corp to go after fortune 500 companies
6) Lower property taxes
7) Development of the North 380 Corridor & its Growth,
8) New facility expansion options like city hall or the library
9) Final master plan for our future parks
10) Legislative Plan to Protect Frisco
Awe, the dreaded word in this town…Traffic! Cheney said the first priority was Traffic Innovation because we have become more congested (DUH!!). The priority aims to use new technologies to help relieve that congestion such as adaptive signal control systems which communicate with cars and autonomous, or self-driving, buses in Frisco by this year, used in the private sector. Seven years later, if you drive Frisco – TRAFFIC SUCKS! Not sure the signal control systems are working, and we don’t have autonomous self-driving buses in Frisco but guess what we do have…ROUND-A-BOUTS and TRAFFIC! If we were grading the city on this priority, they would get a big fat F!
One of the other 2018 Priorities was the Performing Arts Center Strategy. Cheney told Community Impact in 2018 that he would like to see it as a public-private partnership. The article also said they were in the middle of a feasibility study to determine the size and needs of a potential PAC. Well in 2024, we are on our 6th or 7th study, they are proposing a city owned theater at the taxpayer expense, but they hope down the road could be a public-private partnership, and several discussions over the years for a PAC have failed and fallen flat. We would give this a priority a big fat F as well!
The 2018 Priority for finishing the downtown master plan started with them approving a contract with a consulting firm to update the 20-year-old downtown master plan. Cheney told Community Impact at the time that the council and city official plan to continue to work with the private market to explore old downtown Frisco options. Remember, the cool market with a beer garden that Frisco Market developers promised? Well, we have the market but no beer garden and downtown has not changed that much except for the private development by Churchman and residents.
What has the city done downtown? Not much, but now that FIFA is coming, we have a $70 million dollar renovation downtown happening and you can bet it will be finished in time for the visitors to come. We give them a big F for this too. Just look at what they finally say they will commit to in 2024.
The next big priority was the Northern Corridor and creating an identity for it. Cheney told Community Impact that their plan for 2018 was to attract more business and residential developments to the area. Well, they must have known something we didn’t, we are referring to the December 2018 announcement that the PGA of America was relocating its headquarters to the “Northern Corridor” of Frisco. This was a good win for Frisco, and we gave them an A+ for it! However, they get an F for the shady business dealings, friendships, and conflicts of interest that came from some of the development around the new PGA for Cheney and some council members.
As for the expansion of city facilities, we have a new 65-million-dollar library, new court building, city hall in 2023 started an expansion inside and facilities just opened a new building in the last year. As for the masterplan of parks well you can bet Bobblehead Bill got his bikes and trikes trails. As for Grand Park, well that is still…not Grand at all but if you want to see a butterfly you can walk the trail they put in.
Back to Robert Tilton, he was about big words, fancy clothes, and was about “putting on the show” to get your vow. He promised to pray for his flock, but he failed when money took over. What we have learned is that the importance of a project in the City of Frisco is determined by a select few who sit on council. We have also learned they love to talk about things and promise things for many years but the truth is they are failing us as residents. When those sitting on our city council run for office, they each run for their own purpose or passion project. That is okay but they should be representing all of us and the truth is our council only represents the WEST SIDE, which is where you have seen all the investment in the last 5 to 8 years. Why do we say that? Well just ask our council members where they live.
Not one person sitting on our council today lives on the East Side of the tollway or the Collin County side, maybe that has something to do with where all the money is going. They all live in the Denton County side of Frisco which is WEST of the tollway. That’s right folks, Tammy Meinershagen, Laura Rummel, John Keating, Jeff Cheney, Angelia Pelham, Brian Livingston and Bill Woodard all live on the WEST SIDE OF THE TOLLWAY. Maybe that is why they get the PGA and the Frisco Star, and the East Side is getting Universal and Business Warehouses Developments along PGA Parkway.
One of the main reasons people choose Frisco for their home is because of the school district. Frisco ISD is often talked about and revered as one of the best districts in North Texas. The districts website even notes, “Many families choose to call Frisco ISD home due to our outstanding reputation for academic excellence, innovative programs and wealth of extracurricular opportunities and experiences.” Frisco ISD currently enrolls more than 67,000 students in 12 high schools, 18 middle schools, 1 intermediate school, 43 elementary schools and 3 special programs schools. We were curious, how great is it?
With our kids being grown, we have not paid too much attention to ISD news. To be fair, we have had several whistleblowers send in tips and information but in general it is hard to follow up on and investigate. But sometimes there is news you come across that you have to share because it is about the safety of the children and the families right to know.
My wife, like most woman, loves to scroll social media and recently she found a post from May 2022 about a Ruben Bustillos, former employee at Frisco ISD, who had been arrested after police said they found “inappropriate” images at an elementary school. He was charged with sale, distribution, or display of harmful material to a minor which is a Class A misdemeanor. In Texas, a Class A misdemeanor is the most serious type of misdemeanor offense which is punishable by up to one year in jail and up to a $4000 fine, or both. Types of charges include carrying a gun without a permit, second DWI offense, resisting arrest and assault causing bodily injury. At the time very few details were released about what led to the arrest and the Frisco PD nor the ISD identified which school it was found at. We were curious, what happened to the case?
Well, we decided to look up Bustillos case in Denton County which can be found under Case No. CR-2023-01499-E. It shows the case was filed on 3/7/23 in County Criminal Court #5. From the court documents, it appears that on 5/30/23 Bustillos pleaded “No Contest” to charge #1 of Sale/Distribution/Display Harmful Material to a Minor. The “disposition” meaning the outcome was “DEFERRED ADJUDICATION” which is a term that generally refers to a “PLEA BARGAIN” wherein a defendant pleads guilty or no contest to the charges against them. He was sentenced to 15 months’ probation with 80 hours of community service. Hope that community service is not done around children! The total court costs he had to pay was $692.00. Do you think that is a fair and just outcome for a man who was around Frisco ISD children?
Then in May of 2023, Kendal Augustus, a Frisco Police School Resource Officer was arrested after allegations surfaced that he had an “INAPPROPRIATE RELATIONSHIP WITH A STUDENT.” The allegations dated back to 2017-18 and involved him and a 14-year-old Frisco ISD student. When the allegations surfaced the Frisco Police Department put him on administrative leave and began an investigation. Augustus was later fired and arrested on June 14, 2023, at which time he was charged with sexual assault of a child, indecency with a child and sexual performance of a child. His bond at the time was set at $55,000. Ever wonder what happened with this case?
Well in a search of Denton County’s 367th Judicial District Court we found three case numbers: F23-5117-367, F23-5118-367, and F23-5119-367. All three charges are considered a 2nd Degree Felony in Texas. Besides Augustus trying to modify his bond conditions on 12/20/2023 a True Bill of Indictment came in on all three charges. What is a True Bill? It simply means nine grand jurors determined that there was probable cause that an offense occurred. Then on 5/31/24 it appears they appeared in court to present a plea bargain data / continuance data, but we are not really sure what that means. As of right now, it appears the case is still moving through the court system.
Then we came across a recent Facebook post from June 14th in a group about Collin County Jail Records, and we are guessing one of their teachers might need to answer some questions. It appears on 6/14/2024 Taryn Glasgow, a Newman Elementary teacher at Frisco ISD, and her husband Randy Glasgow were both booked by the Celina Police Department on 6/14/2024 for Injury to a Child, Elderly Individual or Disabled Individual. According to a jail records search, Taryn Glasgow was booked #2024-BK-07569 and Randal Glasgow was booked under #2024-BK-07568. Both had a $25,000 bond with conditions. Just from the booking photos we can tell the couple may have had one to many that night.
We had to look up the penal code because we wanted more details. The Texas Penal Code § 22.04. for Injury to a Child, Elderly Individual, or Disabled Individual reads, “(a) A person commits an offense if he intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence, by act or intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly by omission, causes to a child, elderly individual, or disabled individual: (1) serious bodily injury; (2) serious mental deficiency, impairment, or injury; or (3) bodily injury.”
It goes on to read, “(c) In this section: (1) “Child” means a person 14 years of age or younger. (2) “Elderly individual” means a person 65 years of age or older. (3) “Disabled individual” means a person with one or more of the following: (i) autism spectrum disorder; (ii) developmental disability, (iii) intellectual disability.”
As for the court case there is not much information currently. They appeared in Magistrate Court under case number DCMAG-46229-2024 and DCMAG-46228-2024 both of which appear to have been heard on 6/14/2024. According to the Collin County website “the Collin County Magistrate Court includes advising the defendants of their rights, determining probable cause, setting bond, and issuing warrants in criminal cases. The Magistrate may also issue and enforce bond conditions. A defendant is considered to be a person charged with a crime.”
We are not trying to embarrass the couple but if these charges are in any way true then parents who sent their kids to Newman have a right to know. They are serious accusations related to a potential child. As a parent I would want to know and since this has already been posted several times across social media, we felt the need to share.
Have you ever wondered if Frisco ISD is the top tier district you think it is? You can always read the Texas Education Agency Report Card. We found the 2023 Federal Report Card for Frisco ISD online and you can click here to read it. According to SchoolDigger.com Frisco ISD ranks 41 out of 968 districts in Texas and has a 5-star rating. So why do we keep having issues with Frisco ISD staff? Does the district do backchecks every few years on current employees or only at the time of hiring? What is the policy of the district when it comes to reporting something like this to them? What is the policy when it comes to informing parents? Parents should be armed with all of the information when it comes to the safety of their children.
Wouldn’t the world be such a simple place if someone’s nose really grew when they told a lie? Think about it for a moment, we wouldn’t have to spend so much time trying to determine if someone is telling the truth or a lie. It is much easier in person through verbal and non-verbal ques to tell if someone is lying or withholding the truth from you than it is through filing a Public Information Request. However, PIR’s are all we have here at Frisco Chronicles to get to the truth.
Recently we filed several PIR’s based on leads we received from “whistleblowers” to see if the city would disclose “The Truth” to us through PIR requests. One of the PIR requests read, “We would like the list of the complaints made about political signs to code enforcement or the city secretary for the period of 1/1/2024 to present. We would like a copy of any complaint made about electioneering at the election polls from April 20th to May 5th.” It is a very simple request and after we paid the $6.30 we thought we would get a handful of responses. Instead, we found that the city left a lot of complaints out of our request. We know this because many folks sent us copies of their complaints to the city and they are not in the disclosed information given to us even though it fits the criteria of the request.
The first email we received a copy of was from Councilman John Keating, sent to Kristi Morrow on May 4th, Election Day. It states “poll greeters are playing loud music at FS 8 (they turn it down, then turn it back up). Also, this truck passed through the parking lot several times. Within 30 minutes of receiving the email Kristi Morrow forwarded it to Amy Moore in Code Enforcement who made her way out to Fire Station 8. This is the incident we reported about in our blog Election Playbook: Code Enforcement.
The interesting thing about this email is that John Keating failed to mention to the City Secretary his own team including himself, The Cheney’s, and his friends were electioneering in the parking lot for almost four hours that morning. It is documented with pictures in our blog and proves our point that it is okay for John Keating to break the rules, but others can’t. Just “PAR FOR THE COURSE” in the city council world.
The next email we received in our PIR was about “Illegal Signs” that was sent by Judy Adams on May 3 to City Secretary, Kristi Morrow. It states, “These signs are placed by polling stations all over the city. It is in violation since there are no disclaimers. Very sad that ‘these people’ are claiming to uphold the law and order but are breaking the law by doing the things they accuse others of. I believe they should be removed immediately.” The picture just barely shows the corner of a sign, but we did recognize it.
Why did we recognize the sign? It is a Frisco Chronicles sign! Now to be clear we did not buy these signs, we did not put them out, and we have no clue who did. With that said we do love them, and they gave us a good laugh! We received an anonymous email from a whistleblower that they put them out to spread the word of our site. They did confirm they were all placed on private property and none of them were placed on city property or at any fire station. Lastly, it is not a political action committee, it does not support a candidate, so it does not need a disclaimer.
Judy, think about carpet cleaner signs or we buy ugly houses signs, do they need disclaimers? We suggest Judy Adams focus on what she does best which is blowing people aka blo me! Now get your mind out of the gutter! We are referring to her focusing on her new Blo Bar she just opened for those who need a good blow, or maybe her real estate career, or her closed coffee bar instead of silly illegal signs on private property. Better yet maybe she should make her own BLO ME signs with a phone number to make an appointment, if she does, we will make sure to have readers call them in for being illegal signs.
The third email we received was from April 22 from Jeff Cheney to City Secretary, Kristi Morrow. It is important to note the email was sent from JCheney@friscotexas.gov so clearly, he wrote this as the “Mayor of Frisco” and not as an individual resident. It states, “Pretty clear this is not in compliance with the maximum size of 10×10” referring to the Firefighters tent at Station 7. Kristi Morrow sent the email to Amy Moore in Code Enforcement and Amy replied Justin was on his way to the station. Then Kristi Morrow replied and asked Amy to call her when she gets a chance. Wonder what they talked about?
The next email we received was on April 25th, from Councilman John Keating (JKeating@friscotexas.gov) to City Secretary Kristi Morrow and Assistant City Manager, Henry Hill. He questions if “these are allowed as they are showing up at polling stations. He specifically notes the one at Fire Station 7 in the picture he submitted. He is referring to a Voter Guide Stand that is put out at every election by a political conservative group called Red Wave. You can see at the bottom of the voter guide it says Pol Ad Paid For Red Wave Texas.
Why does Keating not like the voter guide stand? Oh, that is because it has listed for Place 1 Mark Piland and for Place 3 John Redmond. We want to know how often John Keating votes in elections. These have been at polling sites during several election cycles. If he is just now seeing it, then we are curious if he has been doing his civic duty to vote? Maybe he just didn’t like it because it was not his name on the guide!
Lastly, we received an excel spreadsheet of complaints. Not sure what to make of it!
Here is the problem, our request was very simple and straightforward which states, “We would like the list of the complaints made about political signs to code enforcement or the city secretary for the period of 1/1/2024 to present. We would like a copy of any complaint made about electioneering at the election polls from April 20th to May 5th.” We have several emails sent to us which reported about in our blog, Breaking All The Rules related to John Keating, Angelia Pelham and the Safety-First Frisco PAC putting up signs at 9am on Sunday April 21st which was 6 to 9+ hours earlier than they were allowed. We have several emails about the 4 x 4 political signs at Station 7 and questioning if they are on city property that were sent to us.
We also have several emails sent to the city secretary regarding electioneering occurring at the polls, some even documented with videos and pictures.
Yet none of these emails and others we have were given to us in our Public Information Request. They fit the issue, time frame and criteria of the request we made so why don’t we have them from the city. What other emails have they withheld that we don’t know about? Readers and have sent them in but our own city will not be forthcoming and turn them over in a Public Information Request. We have proof the city HAS WITHELD PUBLIC RECORDS…AGAIN! The city claims TRANSPARENCY, yet they can’t even be honest with a public information request and fulfill it as they should. WHY DOES THE CITY LIE AND HIDE INFORMATION FROM TAXPAYERS?
We have a PIR out right now for the body cam footage from the Code Enforcement cameras worn during the election, but they have sent that to the Attorney General. Why do they not want us to hear the conversations they had at the polls with the political candidates or the firefighters regarding code enforcement complaints called in?
Most concerning is how our Mayor and Councilman Keating act like winey children when it is something they don’t like so they use their city emails and position to make complaints which are acted upon immediately by the city. However, the numerous complaints about the signs being put out early at the fire stations by these same folks had no action or fines taken against them for clearly violating the rules. Rules that they should know as they are sitting active council members. Remember John Keating has 16 years on council so if he does not know the rules by now, then he truly is dumber than a bag of rocks. In fact, those complaints are not even documented apparently, or they would have been in our public information request. This is Frisco folks! Rules for thee but not for me!
While the election may be over, the desire to learn more about it, is not. The Safety First Frisco PAC Facebook page has been deleted and the website removed, literally overnight. However our curiosity about a few things has not faded and over 2 months ago we filed two PIR’s that today “have been sent to the AG for a ruling”. We would love to say the City of Frisco surprises us, but truly they don’t.
The first PIR was filed on 2/26/2024 and was very simple in nature. We asked for a copy of any PIR requests and the corresponding documents made from the following: Bill Woodard, Mike Simpson, Dick Peasley, and the Safety-First Frisco PAC from 1/1/2022 to Present.
The second PIR was filed on the same day. We asked for emails, texts, or handwritten correspondence between city officials, including the city manager’s office, assistant city managers, deputy city managers, city council, and department directors regarding the Frisco Fire Association Prop A & B regarding Civil Service and Collective Bargaining. Including emails or communications marked as confidential or with a code name for Prop A & B from 1/1/2022 to Present.
The response to both 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. You will be receiving 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.
Ask yourself, why would the city be holding this information from the public? If the city had correspondence with the PAC in any way, would that be considered electioneering? It is interesting to us that two separate PIRs are being held back but the Mayor hosted a Sheryl Sculley who spoke against the measure. Councilman Bill Woodard went on the news and did a full interview with Channel 11 as his title in that broadcast was not Bill Woodard (citizen) it reads “Councilman Bill Woodard” and he specifically talked about how the measures could hurt the city. Technically if you ask us, he was speaking on from his experience on the council and using his knowledge acquired as a councilman so therefore he was representing the city talking against measures on the ballot. Is that against the city’s own Code of Conduct?
The city and the council want to claim they are transparent, and residents can trust them, but if they expect us to believe that then they need to release the PIRs sent to the Texas Attorney General. Better yet vote on it at a council meeting to release it like you did a in 2023. We strongly feel something underhanded has happened here and we are considering filing our own complaint with the AG. They can’t use city information to fight propositions then say its confidential later when the citizens ask to see it.
We are glad the municipal election season is over, and life is getting back to normal, or as normal as it can be. Proposition A which was for Civil Service was, came down to a difference of 665 votes. That is not a landslide win, and it should speak volumes to the Frisco City Council and City Management to do better. On Proposition B, which was for Collective Bargaining, it came down to a difference of 2,383 votes. City leaders and the Safety Frisco First PAC did a good job of scaring voters that if it passed our Firefighters would become a group of “Greedy Bastards” and bankrupt the city.
Residents spoke and while most conveyed their support to the Firefighters, they didn’t feel Civil Service and Collective Bargaining were the right way to go about it. According to several voters we talked to, they believe the residents need to help fight for change at city hall and demand more from our city leaders. WHERE ARE THOSE RESIDENTS NOW? Did any of those who came out to vote, go home, and take the time to email the city leadership? Probably not! Did anyone write an email to city leaders expressing concern about the City Manager who is the reason we ended voting on these issues. Probably not!
We still continue to think about the call for “more staffing” and wonder do we have a staffing issue? Did you know that over the last four years the city applied for several grants related to staffing?
What is a SAFER Grant? The Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants (SAFER) was created to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to help them increase or maintain the number of trained, “front line” firefighters available in their communities. The goal of SAFER is to enhance the local fire departments’ abilities to comply with staffing, response and operational standards established by the NFPA which stands for the National Fire Protection Association’s codes and standards.
At the 01/18/2022 council meeting the council voted on an agenda item #21 authorizing the City Manager to submit a SAFER grant application in the amount of $5,420,500 over a three-year performance period for STAFFING that would help fund 15 Firefighter/Paramedic positions needed to staff a fourth Truck Company assigned to Fire Station 9. The memo we found was from Mark Piland to then City Manager George Purefoy, Deputy City Manager Henry Hill and the entire council. The resolution says duly passed and approved on the 18th day of January 2022.
The application states “Due to this rapid growth, the City’s ability to build and staff new fire stations and apparatus is limited. The City has committed to building a new fire station, Fire Station #10 and additional apparatus, such as a fourth Truck and additional Medic, but needs federal assistance to on-board additional firefighters to staff this apparatus. Without this funding, it takes our fire crews longer to establish effective response forces according to NFPA 1710 standards which increases the likelihood of property damage and risk to the fire crews. Without this funding, our response times will increase due to the first due truck not being within close proximity to the rapid areas of development that would need an aerial ladder response.
It goes on to say, “During 2020, the city began construction on 13 multifamily housing and completed 7 multifamily housing units that were already under construction for a grand total of over 26,000 units. The City houses 22 specialty care facilities to include nursing homes, free standing nursing facilities and adult living communities. Within the last 2 years, we have had 6 new high rises completed and we have 3 high rise buildings currently under construction. This additional funding will allow for a fourth fire truck to be put into service which will increase our NFPA 1710 standards for response to a high-risk structure to include multifamily housing, specialty risk structures and high-rise buildings. NFPA 1710 recommends that an agency place 42 or 43 personnel on a fire at a high-rise structure. The department is currently staffed to respond with 34 personnel.”
Yet the City Council and City Management Say, “We don’t have a staffing issue.”
We were also surprised to see at the 04/04/2023 council meeting the council voted on an agenda item #23 authorizing the City Manager to submit a SAFER grant application in the amount of $8,894,880 for a three-year grant performance period for STAFFING. The memo written by Interim Fire Chief, Lee Glover goes on to say, “if awarded, the FY22 SAFER Grant Program would provide funding for 24 Firefighter/Paramedic positions consistent with the Fire Department’s current five-year staffing plan.”
We pulled up the application and pulled some highlights. The first one states, “Over the past year, our department has seen the 90th percentile response times for first arriving fire/EMS apparatus in these areas increase to nearly ten minutes and NFPA 1710 single-family dwelling full alarm assembly time increase to over 20 minutes, well beyond the NFPA 1710 recommendations.” The second highlight states, “Without the assistance the city will likely be unable to simultaneously bear the cost of constructing two new fire stations and staffing/equipping firefighters, which would negatively impact Frisco FD’s ability to provide appropriate and timely emergency response and assembly of the recommended effective response force.”
The application goes on to say, “The Frisco Fire Department continues to experience increasing call volume and faces new risks. The total call volume for the department has increased by 76.7% since 2015.” It continues, “The Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) of America relocated to Frisco in 2022. While Frisco has experience with large special events, these attendance numbers are more than double the size of current venues in Frisco. In addition, Universal Parks and Resorts recently announced the opening of a new theme park scheduled to open in 2026. A new 2,500-acre development in northern Frisco is underway, with 14,000 homes and apartments planned, as well as commercial and retail development. These developments, events, and venues are new risks for the Frisco Fire Department in an area not close to an existing fire station which have resulted in significantly increased response times over the past few years.”
Fire Chief Lee Glover now says, “we don’t have a staffing issue.”
On a side note, we hope all the developers who donated $10,000 to fight the firefighters now realize the city is not prepared, they flat our said so in a federal grant.
As a resident, why do I feel like I need a shower and we are being blatantly lied too somehow! During the election Mark Piland said as the former Fire Chief he advocated over and over for staffing. Then we see this application by Lee Glover in 2023 which talks about how all the new development has put new risk for the FD and resulted in “SIGNIFICANTLY” increased call times. Most glaring is his statement “we have seen NFPA 1710 single-family dwelling full alarm assembly time increase to over 20 minutes, well beyond the NFPA 1710 recommendations.” Less than a year later we are hearing the complete opposite from Chief Lee Glover and every single member sitting perched up on the city pulpit.
For the last few weeks, we watched the Safety-First Frisco PAC scorch any ground left between the city and the firefighters. They implied they were Greedy Bastards, basically attacked their character, willingness to work, called them lazy, liars and power hungry. It was a nuclear response to an already tense relationship. Meanwhile over at the police department, Chief Shilson’s wife Jana Shilson is advocating with the PAC on social media. At the Fire Department, Chief Lee Glover’s wife Jamie Glover is also advocating with the PAC on social media.
On the other hand, the firefighters are scared they will suffer repercussions for being on the front lines of this fight for the propositions. The firefighter’s message has never changed which centers around staffing and the fact they have no confidence in city leadership or their Chief to do what is right. City leaders continue to try and blame this on former leadership which has nothing to do with it. The former leadership fought with them and for them at the polls, right next to them. Come May 5th, the firefighters said win or lose, if you the resident calls, we your Frisco Firefighters will answer that call and risk our own lives to make sure you the citizen is safe.” We ask again, what’s next? Where do we go from here?
A starting point is every resident should be asking the following questions of our City Leadership: The City Council, The Mayor Jeff Cheney, City Manager Wes Pierson and his staff and Fire Chief Lee Glover:
If we don’t have a staffing issue, then why did you “THE CITY” apply for several SAFER FEMA grants specifically for STAFFING?
Were you honest on the FEMA Safer Grants? If yes, then you have been lying to residents.
Were you honest to residents and lie on the FEMA Safer Grant? If yes, who thought it would be a good idea to lie on a federal grant application?
The 2023 SAFER grant says without assistance the city will likely be unable to simultaneously bear the cost of constructing two new fire stations and staffing/equipping firefighters, which would negatively impact Frisco FD’s ability to provide appropriate and timely emergency response and assembly of the recommended effective response force.” If that is the case, then why does the city continue to offer developers incentives to do business here, why did we build a 60+million-dollar library, and why are we considering a performing arts center? It sounds like we are broke or destitute.
The fact is only after the grants were denied did the city say we are fully staffed, trust us everything is okay, just trust your city leadership. Well, I don’t trust you….AT ALL! Will residents really get involved and express their concern to city leadership about what is happening in our city and demand they find a resolution to these issues or will we see the Fire and Police Association back on the ballot in two years fighting for Civil Service, again!
“Let no man’s ghost return to say his leadership and training let him down.” – A Firefighter
Do you know what the “Golden Rule” is in politics? It is rules for thee but not for me, which we have told you about many times. Common folks are expected to abide by the laws and ordinances like obedient little sheep. In the meantime, our politicians roam the pasture of power with the freedom of a rebellious teenager. They preach about transparency while hiding behind closed doors in executive session like hermits guarding their precious secrets. The concept of accountability is elusive like a mirage in the desert and the tragic outcome is voters losing faith in the system. In politics, only one thing is consistent and that is the double standard.
Ordinance No. 2020-10-69 which goes along with the Texas Election Code authorizes the City Council to enact reasonable regulations concerning the time, place, and manner of electioneering on a public premises used as a polling location. In the ordinance it states a “voting period” shall mean the period beginning the hour the polls open for early voting and ending when the polls close or the last voter has voted on election day (whichever is later).
The voting period is important because the ordinance states it is an “OFFENSE” for any person to leave electioneering signs on City-owned or controlled property that is used as a polling location before 6:00 p.m. before the “voting period” begins and to have them up (24) hours after the voting period ends. According to the ordinance any person, firm, corporation, or business entity violating this Ordinance, could be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and possibly face a fine not exceeding Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00).
The first email we received said that they knew of several people who made complaints to the City Secretary or Code Enforcement about signs being put out on April 21st, at least 6 hours before the allowed time frame. Who was the offender in this case? Glad you asked, it was John Keating, Angelia Pelham and Safety-First Frisco Vote No PAC who violated the rules. Did the city send out someone to confirm the violation? No. Did the city fine someone for the indisputable violation? No!
The email continued and said since it happened on a Sunday when Code Enforcement is off duty, they were not able to confirm or prove the violation. Why didn’t Code Enforcement ask the city to pull the security footage at each fire station, as they are surrounded by cameras? Did they receive time stamped photos with any of the complaints? This is how they “brush it under the rug.”
Even if they had been working, would you want to write a ticket or citation to a sitting council member? How could a code enforcement officer be comfortable with that? The CE Officer knows the council members could make one phone call, that will go down the chains of command, leaving the CE officer vulnerable. If they had been caught, Keating, Pelham, and the Safety-First Frisco PAC would have just blamed it on the “contractor” who put out the signs. Fred Lusk is the contractor, and he has done if for years, just look at the campaign finance reports. Mr. Lusk knows the rules! How about we call it what it is, Special Treatment! It goes directly to rules for thee but not for me!
This year the battle for the ballot votes was a heated one. So much so, that the following weekend after the original sign violation Code Enforcement was on the clock. Did they approve overtime for Code Enforcement for Saturday and Sunday April 27th and 28th? According to witnesses they did make an appearance at the open polling stations over the weekend. Based on conversations with some regular poll greeters who work every election, they have never seen code enforcement, especially not on weekends. What was special about his election, that code enforcement needed to work weekends?
Code Enforcement played a critical role in this election. In fact, we received another email that stated Code Enforcement showed up wearing “Body Cameras” like a police officer. Now according to the election code, Section 61.014 election officials recommend police officers turn off body cameras when within 100 feet of a voting station. That applies to officers on or off duty. The reason, it helps to maintain voter privacy while voters are voting at polling stations, standing in line to vote, or walking in and out of voting stations. Why did Code Enforcement need body cameras? Did they turn their body cameras off or violate someone’s privacy near the polls? Have they ever had to wear body cams before?
Another email stated it felt like Code Enforcement was hassling or targeting the Frisco Firefighters. For example, the ordinance states you are allowed to have a tent, canopy or similar covering that does not exceed 10 feet by 10 feet in size. The firefighters were not aware of the size restriction and had a 10 x 20 tent at Station 7. They were told the tent was in violation and had to come down immediately. The firefighters complied without issue.
Then the code enforcement officer pointed out that it was also an offense for them to attach, place or otherwise affix any electioneering sign, literature, material, tent or other device to any building, tree, shrub, pole or other improvement on City-owned or controlled property used as a polling location. He told them the new vinyl banner made for the propositions had to come down from the tent. The firefighters complied without issue.
The firefighters got created and used their vehicle at another polling site and again they were told they could not affix signs to their truck that was outside the 100ft electioneering marker. Based on the verbiage above we would argue the truck which is owned by a firefighter is not a building, tree, shrub pole or other improvement on city-owned property. If that is electioneering, then why were candidates allowed to put signs in the windows of their cars at stations all over the city that were parked on city-owned property?
Next, he pointed out that any sign on the premises could not exceed four (4) square feet and could not exceed more than (4) feet in height including any supporting poles. The firefighter’s response was to cut up the banner to meet the guidelines. If felt like the next day, we saw new signs and confirmed they had printed new signs that were 2 x 2 and 4 x 1. According to the email, Code Enforcement was not amused by the new signs when they returned and apparently measured each one of them at each station to make sure they were within ordinance size requirements.
Now, we know Code Enforcement is just doing their job, but we were curious were their actions based on a complaint called in or were they simply doing a polling site inspection when they noticed these violations? Did everyone at the polls receive the same attention as the firefighters? We will know as soon as we get the PIR back from the city.
Another email stated, Code Enforcement came out to check the roadway political signs at polling stations. Apparently at Station 7 a “John Keating” 4 x 6 roadway sign popped up before early voting began. Code Enforcement arrived with two officers who walked over to the roadway signs at the edge of city property. The email stated they glanced at the Keating sign then walked right past it to 2 other signs that belong to John Redmond and Mark Piland. The officers talked and looked at the iPad they were carrying. That is when they noticed a person walking towards them who appeared to be from one of the campaign teams. When the campaign rep returned, they asked them was going on now? The campaign person replied, “I guess there was a sign complaint.” She said she was just checking to make sure there were no issues with her candidate’s signs because she was concerned with how they were looking at them. She said then they pointed out to her where the city property line was, and the Keating roadway sign was right on the line.
The email stated they were concerned by what they heard because just weeks before her brother (a sign contractor) had several roadway political signs go missing from the same spot. He thought it was because they were on city property, but it turns out it was private property and the landlord from the shopping center had taken them down. At that time code enforcement pointed to the Angelia Pelham and John Keating signs located next to the sidewalk (which you can see in the picture right next to the Vote NO sign). The Code Enforcement officer them at that time those signs were right on the city property line which lines up with the bush on the opposite side facing the private property. Keatings new sign was at least 2 ft in from the back side of the bush so it should have been on city property. So, where is the city property line? Maybe the city should disclose that so people can follow the rules better.
The last email we received referred to the violations happening at Station 8 on Election Day by none other than John Keating, his poll greeters, and the Cheney’s. The email stated that for several of the morning hours Keating’s poll greeters were walking into the parking lot to greet people exiting from their cars. They would talk to them about how they need to go in and vote for Keating and against the propositions then come outside and take a picture “with the candidate or Mayor.”
Unsure if that was allowed, a poll greeter emailed Collin County Elections to ask the rules about being in the parking lot outside of the 100 ft marker point. Elections emailed back it was okay, so a poll greeter for another candidate went out to the parking lot stood on the grassy median and did the same thing Keatings poll greeters had done all morning. It was at that moment, when Jeff and Dana Cheney yelled out, “you can’t do that, you can’t do that!” Then she said a voice from the side said, “well you have been doing it all morning and told them elections confirmed they can do it.” That is when Mayor Cheney said Frisco has an ordinance against doing that and Dana Cheney yells out, I can just file a complaint; I will call right now and file a complaint.
Next, they saw the poll greeter come back up to the sidewalk and one of the poll greeters emailed the City of Frisco to file a complaint against Keating and his poll greeters, and Cheney’s. The email included videos and pictures of the violations (which we received also). Within 20 minutes, Code Enforcement showed up at Fire Station 8 and told everyone they had a complaint with pictures of poll greeters electioneering in the parking lots and reminded them they cannot enter the parking lots or driveways. They told the poll greeters if they had to come back, they would be writing tickets.
Mayor Jeff Cheney was referring to Section 54-213 of Ordinance No. 2020-10-69 which states, “It is an offense for any person to engage in electioneering on driveways or parking areas on the premises of a polling location or in such areas that the fire chief or his/her designee determines to be unsafe for electioneering or determines will interfere with patrons or city employees and staff who use the areas other than for election purposes. This restriction shall not apply to electioneering signs, literature or materials that are attached to vehicles lawfully parked at the premises of a polling location.”
In closing, say it with us, “Rules For Thee But Not For Me!” Clearly the Cheney’s and Keating know the ordinances so why did their own team break them all morning long? Keating stood on the sidewalk and watched his poll greeters go after car after car in the parking lot all morning. Why didn’t Keating or the Cheney’s correct the electioneering offense happening then by his own poll greeters? Dana said she could go in the parking lot because she did not have any clothes on supporting a candidate, but that is not true because before she stepped into the parking lot, she was holding a candidates sign on the nearby sidewalk, so it was clear she was poll greeting regardless of what she was wearing. It is just another example of how the rules don’t apply to the Elite who sit on our council. We can understand giving a warning for violations but not when it’s the City Council and the Mayor whose signatures is on the ordinance. Maybe Cinderella Cheney needs to hold herself, her husband, her adult son, and their friends on council accountable for their actions.
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