The City of Frisco is asking taxpayers to consider a new Performing Arts Center that has a rumored will cost taxpayers a rumored price tag of $300 Million up to $600 Million+ dollars. The city has started a “Sell It to the Public” campaign with a company called Theatre Projects on social media which begins with residents taking a survey to gather feedback on the grand idea. They announced plans to host open house sessions at City Hall, talk to local arts organizations, and will host listening sessions for the public.
We received an email this week from one reader who attended their “Zoom Session” and guess how many residents participated? Maybe 15 plus the representatives from Theater Projects who is doing all the dog and pony work for the city. I guess the small attendance still counts towards feedback but compared to a city of 220,000 people it does not like seem a great sample to us. The email also said how they are currently looking at two properties to potentially house this Performing Arts Center which we find very interesting.
The website which has been set up talks about the Project History and how the city has been studying the possibility of a new performing arts center for over 6 years. It refers to several studies and assessments done to support the future planning of the “critical Frisco asset” for our community. It also has a link to the 45-page 2023 Business Plan put together by Theatre Projects. Even though the 2023 Business Plan put together by Theatre Projects shows the Hall Group vision, our inside source says Hall Group is out! They will not be a part of this theatre project in any way shape or form, and they are not offering up the land for it any longer. Hence why on the “zoom” we mentioned earlier, they stated they were “eyeing two different potential sites for this PAC.
They are using every avenue to make sure we know how great and grand this project is and to show us how badly we need it. The city’s friends at Frisco Enterprise, the paper in their back pocket, wrote an article and it states that “Back in September, the Frisco City Council approved a $1.4 million professional services agreement with consultant Theatre Projects.” Part of that agreement is that the city leadership and the team from Theatre Projects would do venue tours to gather data and talk to venue operators. We “the taxpayers” are paying for all this travel, plus we are paying for the additional travel cost for the Theatre Projects team to attend. In case you are wondering that additional expense is not included in the $1.4 million agreement we have with them for consulting services.
According to the Frisco Enterprise, the visits included the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts in Greensboro, North Carolina, the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, Florida; the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, Florida; the Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences in Lubbock, Texas and the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
We figured since they were on this whole “Sell It to The Public” Road Show, we would file a Public Information Request for more information. We asked for the complete copies of the performing arts center studies and any associated documents related to the reports including those from consulting groups or 3rd parties like Frisco ISD or Hall Group. We asked for all 6 of the previous studies they have done that we were able to find in meeting minutes.
We assumed that it would be no issue getting any documentation because of how badly they want to “Sell It Like a Cheap Cheney Piece of Real Estate” to Frisco taxpayers. Imagine our surprise after paying $16.74 yesterday and today the status changed to “SENT TO AG FOR A RULING.” The did release the 7 studies to us, but the “other supporting documents” are subject to copyright and will be available in the City Secretary’s Office for viewing only. Who wants to go review the documents for us and report back what is in them? Email us at FriscoWhistleBlower@protonmail.com
What did they send to the AG for review? How much are they withholding from US, THE TAXPAYERS, whom they are going to pitch a tax increase to soon so they can spend hundreds of millions of dollars for a performing arts center which will be city owned and operated. Then we always hear them quote “copyright” as a reason to withhold things. We are just confused, when does copyright matter to the city? They made it clear during the recent political election when council members were using the “copyrighted” city logo in their campaign materials they did not care and in fact they said they could not do anything about it. Strange because the city websites states in black and white they CAN NOT USE THE CITY LOGO for political campaigning so why have a rule you can’t enforce about a copyrighted logo? Now when it comes to documents related to the Performing Arts Center, they want to say copyright matters. It seems they use that word copyright when it is convenient to withhold information, they don’t want you or me to see.
The way we see it is simple! The city is spending millions of bond approved tax dollars on studies for a PAC, then they want to claim copyright to withhold those details from those of us who are paying for it! Just release all the documents and stop trying to play games because it is getting really old.
Oh, one last thing, Frisco ISD got tired of the games a year or so ago, and they are currently building their own Performing Arts Center because outside influences kept delaying the project. That means you, the taxpayers will be paying for multiple Performing Arts Center. Feels like an episode of Oprah, where she yells “You get an arts center, you get an arts center, and you get an arts center!”
We have told you over and over how Frisco is “For Sale” to the highest bidder, and while some scoff at the notion, we hold steadfast that for a price a developer can have whatever they want in Frisco, Texas. Leading the helm of that “pay for play” practice is Mayor Jeff Cheney, who along the way went from broke (his comment to a local newspaper) to one of the largest Real Estate Moguls in Frisco. Guess he is not penny-less now! With the vote of the council members locked in, each bit of Frisco is for sale piece by piece.
Today we were sent an email from a reader who was upset that they received an email from their BUILDER LANDON HOMES telling them to vote no against the firefighters. They felt it was a violation of their privacy, and because it was political and had nothing to do with new homes or their home it crossed the line. That’s right, a builder LANDON HOMESused their sales list and client list to email everyone who bought a home from them and tell them to VOTE NO in our local election.
According to their privacy policy online Landon Homes respects your privacy and is committed to treating information about you responsibly. It clearly states they collect your information to give you superior service and to provide you with convenient access to a wide range of products and services and customer service surveys. No where in the written privacy policy does it say they will use one’s email for political purposes or to basically electioneer in their best interest.
The irony is the same builders ask the Fire Department to come out to their events and do “community engagement” events but they don’t want to support them back.
Why is it okay for builders to dictate how “WE, TAX PAYING RESIDENTS VOTE?”
While Landon Homes clients probably agreed to get marketing emails from them for things such as new homes or developments, did they agree to become recipients of political messages? Is that outside the scope of marketing?
How do you feel about a local builder being ANTI-FIREFIGHTER AND FIRST RESPONDERS? Would you buy a home from them now?
Do you think it is IRONIC that the same builders ask the Fire Department to come out to their events and do “community engagement” but then they don’t want to support them back?
It is no secret that John Landon, owner of Landon Homes has been a donor to certain members of the city council over the years:
Jeff Cheney Jan 2020 $2500
John Keating April 2024 $1500
Safety First Frisco April 2024 $10,000
We have no issue with Landon’s donating to the ANTI PAC as that is their right as an individual. However, they crossed the line went they entered their business into our political election and told home buyers how to vote! Ask yourself, what other developers have sent out this same message during this election cycle? How deep does this corruption go with our builders and city council?
VOTE FOR CHANGE! It is time for the residents to take back our city and to have a voice! Don’t be fooled by big-money developers with self-personal interests. Go out and support your Firefighters and first responders Saturday. Send an email to Landon Homes and let them know to stay out of our elections at onlinesales@landonhomes.com
The second wave of campaign finance reports came out and if you have been following us now for a while then you know what we are about to tell you! John Keating and The Vote No PAC must be busy in bed DEVELOPERS IN FRISCO.
John “Cheating” Keating who called out his opponent at a recent forum for having the “largest single donation” in campaign history from one person must apologize for his inaccurate words. When Mark Piland ran for Mayor, he had two (2), $10,000 donations from a neighbor in a community where he has lived for years. However, John Keating’s current campaign finance report shows he accepted $20,000 in one BIG OLE PAYMENT from Ronald Feferman who owns Primary Media a digital billboard company who apparently works with the VisitFrisco.com group according to their website. Then Keating took $1500 form John Landon of Landon Homes, $2000 from Trey Sibley of Rudco, LLC (aka Hillwood / Fields).
As for Keatings claim that Piland took the largest single donation in campaign history, that is FALSE. He also has not taken money from people actively under investigation for fraud by the federal government to the tune of 2.5 million or more. He also does not have a history of accepting shady money from people with legal problems but guess what …. John Keating does!
Then we looked at the Safety-First Frisco Vote No PAC campaign finance report, and guess what we found … John Landon of Landon Homes who has active projects in Frisco must be playing Santa Claus because he donated $10,000 to the PAC. Let’s just add that $10k to the other money they took from DEVELOPERS with ACTIVE PROJECTS that we reported about in our blog, Bought and Paid For.
Where, oh where, did the previous monetary contributions on the last campaign finance report come from:
Mario Sinacola & Sons Exc, Inc: $10,000 (they have active contracts with developers & the City of Frisco)
K-N Ventures (aka Fehmi Karahan of Fields Development): $10,000
Columbus Realty Partners (aka, Staubach, Richard Reupke, Robert Shaw & Fields Development): $10,000
Rudco Land, LLC (aka Trey Sibley III or Hillwood Properties – Fields Development): $10,000
Hunt Funding Group (aka Hunt – Fields Development): $10,000
CrossTie Capital (aka Philip Rose – Fields): $10,000 *click the name to read our last blog.
Chief Partners III, LP (aka William Vanderstraaten – Fields): $10,000
It is important to note that any of the names above that are underlined, DON’T LIVE IN FRISCO. Yes, they have a development here, but they are not Frisco Residents.
If you live in Frisco, then this should upset you our local elections are being determined by BIG MONEY FROM DEVELOPERS, who don’t even reside in our city. Oprah and her sled missed my front door when hanging our free developer money, did she make it to yours. She was too busy yelling, “You get Cheney’s Friends Developer Money, you get Cheney’s Friends Developer Money and you … well you get nothing!
In the last week or so there has been a rush for some elected politicians to “REBRAND” their message because they realize it is not hitting well with residents who turn up to vote. If you are not paying attention, you might not catch the subtle “rebranding of the message” or what we simply call lying. Political messaging is a delicate dance. Mailers hit your mailbox with words that dance gracefully around some inconvenient truths. A candidate’s message is supposed to be consistent but in Frisco, politicians transform blatant contradictions into poetic ambiguity, crafting messages so elusive that even Sherlock Holmes would throw in the towel trying to understand. Candidates are the maestros who have turned gaslighting into an art form and when caught on camera they politically rebrand the message making deception look like a masterpiece.
Let’s look at Keating’s first mailer which reads “Leadership. Experience. KEATING.” He says his mission is to keep Frisco the #1 city in America by protecting our quality of life and ensuring it remains the best place in Texas to build a business and raise a family. On the back of the flyer, Keating points out his priorities to keep taxes low, support police and fire, and again mentions protecting our quality of life. Then in a bid red banner, it reads “Frisco Under Keatings Leadership” and is #1 Safest City In America according to Smart Asset 2023, #1 Best Place To Live according to Money Magazine 2018, #1 Best City To Do Business in Texas according to Better Homes and Gardens 2020 and #1 Suburb in North Texas according to Livability 2023.
If you ask the residents of Cobb Hill whose backyard now faces a future theme park if Keating and the council protected their quality of life, my guess is they would say no! On March 3, 2023, he admitted the night of the vote at the city council meeting that he did not meet with residents of Cobb Hill and instead chose to go on vacation and protect his quality of life. This proves Keating’s priorities are Keating, not the residents. He then said we do fully expect to be held accountable. He continued, “Accountability & Transparency is part of the Frisco City Council’s DNA,” and goes on to talk about how he says that with conviction. On May 4, 2024, we will know if the residents hold him accountable for his decisions.
Updating The Message or Spreading the Lies: Keating’s new social media ads have a bolder look with a blue background and bright yellow text that read “His Record” as being all the same #1 labels, but this time he leaves the dates off of the publication for the rankings. Why is that? We guess that people don’t care how we ranked in 2018 they care how rank today in 2024. A report in U.S. News listed the top 25 places considered the best places to live for families in the U.S. in 2023-24 and Frisco did not make that list. The same magazine has the top 150 most popular areas to live in 2023-24 ranking and Frisco did not make that either unless we fall under #113 DFW. What Keating has failed to realize is just because he says it is true does not mean that it is true. Many things have changed in 6 years but his Forest Gump brain still believes we are #1.
Changing Tunes on Public Safety and Proposition A & B: Keating was proud to jump at the forums this year and announce he supports the Vote No PAC which is bought and paid for by Frisco developers. He is also proud to be endorsed by Mayor Cheney and former Mayor Mike Simpson, both of whom are huge proponents of the Vote No PAC. He also had his friends and fellow council members out at the polls with him encouraging citizens to vote NO against the Firefighters. Yet in just the last 24 to 48 hours that message has started to shift. A poll greater for Keating emailed us and said they were told not to hold a Vote No sign if wearing the blue Keating t-shirt anymore. Wonder why a shift in political messaging?
In our opinion, double speaking is not a good political message. For years Keating has said he is an advocate for our first responders. In fact, in a video 3 years ago he stated that his personal goals were to provide first responders with the tools and training they need to stay safe. Keating also filed for an endorsement in the last election which we wrote about in our blog Jammed Up John Keating, and one of the questions was, “he supported four firefighters for ALL TRUCK COMPANIES” and that we have to grow accordingly to the population growth.
Fast forward to today, and now Keating says we have adequate staffing (which has not changed since the last election), and that this is a power play for those who serve themselves and do not have the best interests of Frisco at heart. Is Keating calling our first responders “self-serving?’ Keating has also filled out the Association’s (aka the bad Union they are trying to sell us today) required questionnaire for an endorsement which comes with money in each election. He had no issue with the Association (aka bad union) and the money they fed his campaign all these years. Honestly, we think he is hacked off that he did not get either public safety group’s endorsement this year and why would he expect to after how he has talked about them and attacked them as evil ogres of our city? The fact is Keating sold out our first responders for big-money developers and a house in the prestigious PGA Preserve community, and he has to live with that.
As we said now Keating has begun to update his message on public safety. His new mailer has red and blue emergency lights on the front and reads “In 2022 and 2023, Frisco was named #1 Safest City In America. Then a big bold yellow banner along the bottom reads “John Keating Kept Us Safe. Let’s Keep John Keating.” News flash Mr. Keating, when my house was broken into it was not you who showed up at my door to keep me safe, it was our Frisco Police Officers. When my wife had a medical emergency, it was not you who came to our home and provided that, it was our Frisco Fire Squad. Maybe we missed your get-well card in the mail, but I am pretty sure you never “KEPT US SAFE!” Quite frankly, the front of your postcard shows your arrogance and narcissistic personality.
The back of the newest mailer has a bright red banner that reads “John Keating Gives Police, Fire, and First Responders the Tools They Need to Keep Us Safe.” It goes on to say our safety is not just a promise it is a priority, but we don’t believe you. Then he says under his leadership Frisco has added 85 new police and fire personnel, which sounds great. Can you tell us what the breakdown of that is between the two departments? If you list that number out it might now look so good for the promises you are offering. As for supporting the bond for Fire Station 10, who cares? Let’s say we have a new shiny building, if you don’t staff it, what is the point? According to city hall insiders you only plan to have one truck there and no medical which in my tax-paying opinion seems like a damn waste.
Lastly, the mailer talks about Keating Public Safety Priorities which means, “Can you smell the ShXt Keating is selling.” Don’t defend the police – defend the police? How will that play with the Democrat vote you are trying to win? Support our police officers and firefighters by “advocating for maintaining adequate staffing levels WITHIN THE POLICE FORCE TO ENSURE RAPID EMERGENCY RESPONSE TIMES? Hmmm, read that again, “within the police force!” Guess he just forgot the Fire Department. Wait, he has promised to advocate for years on that issue and has not done anything and still claims HE IS THE TRUE LEADER FOR OUR CITY?
Can we just lay it out for you? Keating’s rebranding is like a symphony of semantics, where promises are whispered like sweet nothings and lies are wrapped in the velvet cloak of confusing rhetoric. He is dumber than Forest Gump and so is his political consultant Mustang Strategies. One might even say Keating’s campaign consultant spins their web of propaganda making the narrative so tangled that even Charlotte the spider might blush with envy.
He has sold out the frontline who have supported and endorsed him for developer money and the hopes of being Mayor Cheney’s Best Friend Forever. Keating loves to talk but his actions or food but then goes against everything he claims to stand for. We are ashamed of those who support him because it tells us a lot about their lack of morals, honesty, and integrity. Keating’s mailers are woven tapestries of half-truths, lies, and promises, painting a picture so vivid that even Picasso would envy their creativity.
Winston Churchill: ‘Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.’
This land is Frisco’s land, this land is Developer’s Land
From the PGA to Stonebriar Centre
From the Toyota Stadium to the Cowboy Star
This land was never made for you or me!
For some time now we have questioned the campaign finance reports of local leaders. Back in February of 2023 we wrote about Dark Money where we laid out how individuals associated with the PGA, The Link, or Fields projects donated to our current sitting city council members. If you haven’t read it, you should because it is alarming. Then just two months ago we asked the question, did Keating and Pelham accept “DIRTY FUNDS?” We are talking about the $10,000 Keating took and $5000 Pelham took in 2021 from Veton Krasniqi, a man who appears to owe the school district $24,093.47 in back taxes. How did we learn about this, a campaign finance report. As we said they can be Shakespearean sonnets of bureaucratic paperwork.
The influence of money, particularly from developers or other vested interests, in local Frisco elections is a well-known issue. In local elections, where the scale is smaller and the issues can be more directly related to specific projects or zoning decisions, developer money can have a significant impact. Developers may contribute to election campaigns of candidates who are perceived as more favorable to their interests, such as those who may be more likely to approve zoning changes or development projects.
Sometimes things are as simple as they appear, developer donations have a direct correlation to the influence of policy decisions in Frisco. Elected officials will always support policies or projects favored by developers who have supported their campaigns financially. That is why Keating’s most current campaign finance report filed 4/4/2024 should shock any resident with common sense.
When you look at Keating’s campaign finance report you quickly notice that many are developers, several don’t live here, and he is quick to spend a lot of money with consultants. To understand the first set of donors you need to understand the developer relationships at the PGA, The Link, and Fields.
Todd Armstrong, EVP and his partner Philip Rose at Cross Tie Capital each donated $1000. A DMN article listed Cross Tie Capital, based in Grapevine, as a family-owned real estate, oil and gas, and investment company. On the Republic Property Group website, it states, “The Frisco mega-development is being built with Hunt Realty, Karahan Cos., Republic Property Group, Chief Partners LP and Cross Tie Capital Ltd. and could be valued more than $10 billion.”
We are curious why the Cross Tie Capital website says it is “not secure” and appears to be inactive. Then we checked OpenCorporates and noticed the company has (2) Texas TIN numbers. Under both TIN numbers, the status is listed as “Forfeited Existence”, and the Dissolution Date is the same which is 02/23/2024. Things that make you go hmmm, that is the same day Todd Armstrong made his $1000 and Rose made his on 2/25/24. Suspicious?
Next, we have the one and only, Fehmi Karahan of the Karahan Companies. He is the mastermind behind Legacy West and the key player in the Fields development. A campaign finance report would not be complete without a $2500 donation from Fehmi. We almost feel badly for Keating because he obviously is not as valuable as Cheney who took in over $30k from him between cash and in-kind donations. Fehmi’s attorneys also donated. Jeff Brawner and RJ Grogan each donated $500, and they are partners at Grogan & Brawner PLC. According to one of the many city council meetings during the planning phase of this 10-billion-dollar deal, the City of Frisco Attorney Richard Abernathy said he spoke at length to Mr. Karahan’s attorneys whom he identified as Grogan & Brawner PLC.
The interesting thing about Fehmi Karahan, is that he donates mostly to republicans, but he did donate to Democrat, Colin Allred. He apparently is not a Trump fan either because he donated over $5000 to Nikki Haley in 2023. His attorney Jeff Brawner donated $500 to Eric Johnson in 2009 when he was a registered Democrat.
The $1000 donation list from the founders connected to the Fields/The PGA/The Link development continues with Colin Fitzgibbons, President at Hunt Realty, Chris Kleinert, CEO at Hunt Realty Investments, and William Vanderstraaten of Chief Partners. Lastly you have Mario Sinacola & Sons who are the excavating group for this big project. James Sinacola, Joseph Sinacola, and Michael Sinacola each donated $1000.
Colin Fitzgibbons according to OpenSecrets.org appears to be hard democrat who has donated to Joe Biden, Act Blue, Colin Allred, donated. Chris Kleinert also donated to Colin Allred in 2023, as well as Mitt Romney in 2012. William Vanderstraaten supports Trump with several donations.
Then we saw the name Ryan Griffin from Rockhill Capital & Investments who donated $1000 dollars. We remember that name from Cheney’s 2020 report which had him listed as FCS Construction. We googled the address on Keatings current report and tada, FSC Construction and Rockhill Capital & Investments both office there. Ryan is listed as the President of FSC Construction and Rockhill has him listed as the Principal & Chief Executive Officer. FCS is currently involved in Fields based on a DMN report and Rockhill was involved with the Estates at Rockhill, and Stonebrook Crossing. Rockhill’s current project is The Preserve – Phase 1 where they are the Construction management for 132 residential lots for Shaddock Homes. I WONDER IF THEY BUILT KEATINGS NEW HOME HE IS CLOSING ON IN THE PRESERVE SOON, that he announced at council a few weeks ago.
As for Ryan Griffin he has donated over $20K to State Rep Jared Patterson, and to a group called Patriots Always Triumph.
Then we saw two names, Richard Reupke and Robert Shaw (each donated $1000) who built Twelve, a high luxury high rise next to The Star. The night of the meeting, I remember them saying it was just a big club house for Jerry Jones and his buddies to have near The Star and of course they would occupy the two top floors. We were curious why they would donate when they have no active projects. You guessed it, they do have an active project right now and it happens to be in North Fields. Of course, we assumed it would be more luxury homes, but we were wrong. They plan to build a “RENTAL COMMUNITY PROJECT” and the first phase will be 620 apartment units. If Keating is going to break any of his density promises to residents, it must be for a buck!
If you do the math, that means Keating took in about $14,500 just from those involved in active developments that connect Hunt and Karahan. It also begs the question; with the money he has taken will he recuse himself from future votes on these projects? Was there a quid pro quo which helped him afford a house as a single man in The Preserve? How long had he kept his house a secret and did he vote at any time, on any project, after he put down his deposit or started building?
Next on the report was Craig Hall and the Hall Group, who is all for the City of Frisco having an arts center. Hall donated $5000 to Keating. We went to OpenSecrets to see the types of candidates Hall donates to and well he is a hard Democrat. Names like Nancy Pelosi, the National DNC and several state-by-state DNC groups, Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, Royce West of TX, Colin Allred, Beto O’Rourke and many more. One article on NBC News from 2019 said, “The couple has since given a minimum of $2 million to Democratic Party committees and have donated substantial amounts to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, according to an analysis of data from the Federal Election Commission.” It goes on to talk about how the Halls like to spend time between California and Texas and how federal regulators had been zeroing in on a series of Hall’s unpaid loans. Another article on MSN.com in Feb 2024 talks about how Hall’s California winery and how the U.S. Department of Justice has filed a subpoena seeking information from several Napa winery owners including the Hall’s.
Some other honorable mentions in Keatings report include Joseph Hansen TYME Capital Holdings (bank) – $1000 and the connection appears to be their Veteran status. Then you have the supposed to be Conservative Laura Rummell who donated $500 to Keating’s campaign and is actively promoting him and fighting against the Frisco Fire Fighters who she took money and an endorsement from. We are assuming Laura has joined the exclusive you donate to me, and I donate to your council club so how could she ever be impartial if an ethics concern came up. We don’t expect much from Laura, to be honest she sold a bill of goods to those who voted for her and put her there. Chances are she will be easy to beat next time she is up for re-election. Our new nickname for her Rollin Out Rummell, it is just a matter of time.
The icing on the cake with a cherry on top is James Webb who on 2/7/24 donated $5000 to Keating. It lists him as the Chairman of Paradigm Development Holdings. Something about this name kept ringing a bell like a little butler boy when you want butter. We found a previous donation from Webb for $2500 in 2017 to Keating. We of course googled and came across an article from the Dallas Morning News in 2016 with the headline, “Major Ken Paxton donor paying $3.5 million settlement after MEDICAID FRAUD PROBE.
Preferred Imaging LLC, a medical diagnostic company headed by James H. Webb of Frisco, allegedly performed services that required the oversight of a supervising doctor without one on-site. According to DMN, “Preferred Imaging LLC did not admit to any wrongdoing or liability in the case. The settlement came after an investigation led by federal and state authorities, including the Civil Medicaid Fraud Division within Paxton’s agency, according to John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.” That means when Keating took the money in 2017 and he should have known about Webb’s “issues” and still accepted the money then and is still accepting it NOW!
There is more to cover in Keatings report, and we will look at that in the next blog drop.
“Well, clearly Keating’s campaign finance report shows that he or some of his friends, meaning Mayor Cheney, called in their chips for donations. Keating probably thinks he could be the next Mayor of Frisco, but he might want to work more on his resident outreach than dating a dental hygienist who can help with him some gold-plated teeth. With as much money as Keating has raised and some of it from questionable donors again, we think he should just fund a yacht party for unicorns and leprechauns and ride a magical wave hoping his constituents appreciate his ability to play both sides of the fence. Mr. Go Along to Get Along!
Keep checking back because we have a lot to drop!
Special Thanks To Our Frisco Whistle Blower Researchers – you know who you are!
A morning routine helps us set the tone for the day, better allowing us to control our schedules rather than our schedule controlling us. There are science-backed benefits of having a morning routine: Past research has shown that a consistent morning routine can reduce stress, boost your energy levels and improve your productivity at work.
My wife and I have a morning routine and my favorite part of it is sitting in front of our bay window reading the paper and having coffee. However, this morning my wife was not too happy when I spit my coffee out all over the bay window and her new cushions. What could make me do that? Well, it was the headline in The Real Deal, an online real estate newspaper that read, “Stillwater Files Bankruptcy on Highland Park’s Mondara Condos.”
What are the Mondara Condos? The condos were sold as a high-end luxury multifamily living project in the prestigious Highland Park area. Jess Hardin who wrote the article notes that today the community is at the center of a legal battle in which the developer, Stillwater Abbott Development, has filed for bankruptcy.
Harden writes, “The Dallas-based developer filed for bankruptcy protection in the Northern District of Texas on Jan. 12. The filing comes almost four years after the Mondara Condominium Association sued the developer – and related entities Stillwater Abbott Management and Stillwater Abbott Development – for construction defects. In the bankruptcy filing, Stillwater wrote that it had fewer than 50 creditors, less than $50,000 in assets and less than $50,000 in liabilities. The paperwork was signed by Robert Elliott, the manager of Stillwater Capital Investments.
Why would the association sue the developer? According to The Real Deal, in a 2020 lawsuit the association claimed the property was “negligently constructed!” Oh yeah, the lawsuit states it was poorly constructed causing leaks, floods, and was a fire hazard. The Real Deal also reported that the lawsuit alleged, “The roof, stucco cladding, windows, doors, fireplaces, interior and exterior walls, parking garage and courtyard must be extensively repaired or replaced.
You are probably wondering, what does this have to do with Frisco, Texas? If you read our blog Anatomy of a Friendship we did a very deep dive into the relationship of Mayor Jeff Cheney and Robert Elliott. In July 2016, Robert Elliott created The Associates, a full-service residential real estate brokerage that Mayor Jeff Cheney joined in November of 2017, right before the big “FRISCO PGA DEAL.” The same Robert Elliott who is a founding partner of Stillwater Capital. His own bio from the company’s website reads, “Through the company’s custom home building brand, Robert Elliott Custom Homes (RECH), Elliott leads one of Dallas’ premiere single-family builders.
In 2021, Clay Roby represented Robert Elliott and Stillwater Capital when asking our council to approve The Link project that connects to the PGA. At one point in the discussion it was clear Clay Roby was tired of the delays and truthfully they felt this should have been a no brain vote after what they did for us bringing the Frisco PGA to town. When the council members got caught up on apartment multi-family the Mayor Jeff Cheney tried to even redirect the conversation, saying what else will it offer?
Stillwater Capital has a large investment in Frisco starting with The Corvalla, The Link, PGA Frisco, Link Multifamily Phase 1, and Greenway Village at The Link. All the projects were approved while Cheney has been on council or up at the pulpit as Mayor. The projects Stillwater Capital pitched here are no different than the Highland Park project based on the pictures they presented to the council on the Frisco Cottage development was to look like. SHOULD WE BE WORRIED ABOUT THESE PROJECTS?
Ahhhh NO
Doge most all of Denton & Collin county mayors quickly! Help Elon!!!
Not a chance voting for this! The current council, save Brian, are SO OUT OF TOUCH with the normal citizen…
Wow!! The city followers are a sad representation of Frisco, in it to glorify themselves. Stuart is a Libtard but…
Thank you for the excellent reporting Frisco Chronicles!