Frisco is one of the oldest cities in the metroplex and over the years we have not stopped growing! Every day you see more modern buildings going up and more new developments along the Tollway. From the PGA to The Star there is always something to do! BUT, WHAT ABOUT MAIN? WHAT ABOUT THE HEART OF OUR CITY?
Just beyond the glamour and stadium lights of Toyota Stadium sits a unique and historic downtown. The downtown Rail District is home to an eclectic group of independent, locally owned restaurants and businesses. The district boasts unique street murals and one-of-a-kind shops. This historically preserved area offers visitors a glimpse into the “Real Frisco,” not the Touristy Frisco. The Rail district is surrounded by residents who enjoy living in the area and is home to locally owned small-town businesses that have invested in our community for YEARS. Now, they need the CITY TO INVEST IN THEM!
Yes, downtown needed to be REVITALIZED, that we can all agree on. It has taken the city DECADES to come up with a plan, and now they are moving right along! HOWEVER, residents and local business owners are asking COULD THE CITY HAVE GONE ABOUT IT A DIFFERENT WAY? The impact on these small businesses has been devastating! These are locals who have invested in Frisco for years, paid taxes, and now they are in trouble because of REVITALIZATION. It is time for them to realize the impact on downtown businesses and that it is NOT NATURAL. It HAS BEEN CREATED by OUR CITY! KEY POINT: The trouble they are in is not because of the economy; it is the IMPACT OF THE CONSTRUCTION that is #DestoryingMain!
The people finally had enough. And no, not the “enough” where you write a passive-aggressive Facebook comment while sipping your venti latte—this was real, in-the-flesh frustration. Residents and small business owners lined up one after another at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. Stepping up to the microphone, voices cracking between anger and heartbreak, to say what everyone driving down Main Street already knows: Main is broken, Businesses are broken, and it is time for the Council to stop pretending it’s fine.
Citizens Input: Main Street, or Main Mess?
FACT: Main is supposed to be the beating heart of Frisco. Instead, it’s looking more like endless traffic, crumbling infrastructure, and the ever-growing list of businesses just barely hanging on. Main isn’t thriving—it’s BARELY surviving.
The people who spoke didn’t come armed with consultants, shiny renderings, or buzzwords like “synergy corridors.” They came with lived experience: the store owner whose sales have dropped because customers don’t want to fight the chaos to park or try to cross the street without a Frogger-level survival plan. Main used to be a place you wanted to stroll on a Friday night.
LIMIT THE TIME
It started with Jeff Cheney looking for a motion to limit the time to speak from 5 minutes to 3 minutes (because there were more than 10 people). Keating, who hopes to be your next Mayor (remember that) was the first to motion to “CUT THE TIME,” which was seconded by Livingston. These are local businesses, and you can’t take 5 minutes to hear each one of them?
Next, Mayor Jeff Cheney did exactly what Mayor Jeff Cheney always does (side note: we are reaching out to the Texas Municipal League to see if our mayor may have violated the open meetings act), talking before anyone had taken the microphone to discuss an item NOT ON THE AGENDA! Why? He announced the city planned to allocate $500,000 towards Main, and they will hold a public discussion sometime around October 7th.
The Voices of Frisco Business Owners & Residents:
First Up: Erik Colberg spoke as a resident who lives in the Rail District
Lee Gonzales – Owner of La Finca Coffee & Bakery located at 7511 Main Street #150
Randy’s plea brought tears to the eyes of many sitting in the council chambers. Randy’s started his businesses here in 1993 and today Randy’s Steakhouse sits in the Old Victorian Style Home along Main Street that used to belong to Frisco native Vivian McCallum. The impact has devastated his business.
Steve Anderson – Music Services located at 6726 West Main St
Jason Taylor – Owner of Endur3Bikes located at 6699 Main St
Rich Vana– Chef/Owner of Heritage Table located at 7110 Main St
Samar & Luna Binat – Owner of La Suprema Market located at 6726 Main St, Ste 100
Taylor Lattery: Frisco Music Store
Scott Hoffner – Owner of Didi’s Downtown located at 7210 W. Main St
Local Frisco Resident: Paul Jessen
Local Rail District Resident: Brittnay Colberg
Council’s Response: Insert Shrug Emoji
Mayor Cheney (as usual) took his time to respond. The Texas Open Meetings Act states: The city council shall not deliberate on any item that is not on the agenda, and for such an item, members of council may either: (1) make a statement of fact regarding the item; (2) make a statement concerning the policy regarding the item; or (3) propose that the item be placed on a future agenda. As we have said before, we believe Cheney continually violates this during citizen input because he is not making a statement of fact, he is not talking about a policy he is pontificating his opinion.
As for the rest of the council, well, Keating wants a T-shirt! That will be good clickbait for his Mayoral Campaign website (once he announces his BIG secret)! As for the rest, the reaction was predictable. Council sat nodding politely, practicing their best “I’m listening” faces while probably drafting their next campaign slogans in their heads. Because what’s the use of listening if it is not a billion-dollar developer!
The Hashtag Heard Around Frisco
The people weren’t asking for magic. They weren’t asking for a monorail or a Disneyland Main Street redo. They were asking for action—basic, common-sense fixes, leadership, and accountability. Instead, what they’ve gotten so far is a year of excuses, construction delays, and much of the time businesses have been non-accessible.
#SAVEMAIN is more than a social media slogan—it’s a rallying cry. It’s the people saying: stop patting yourselves on the back for “economic development wins” when you can’t fix the most visible, most essential street in the city. If the Council won’t act now, when?
Frisco, the people have spoken. They showed up. They demanded better. Now the ball’s in Council’s court. They can either lead—or they can keep ignoring the obvious while the rest of us tweet #SAVEMAIN until our thumbs cramp. Because here’s the truth: the citizens already told you the answer. You just must stop pretending not to hear it.
Residents Should Be Asking…
Why now? For years, the councils have gone back and forth about the redevelopment of downtown Frisco. Why not do this during the Covid shutdown so businesses did not suffer twice?
When this started in June 2024 – what was the expectation for the future?
The businesses who are struggling from this construction – who is knocking on their door to “Buy or Save” their business?
What is a revitalized downtown without the heart of downtown – the businesses?
Stay Tuned for Part 2
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.
For years now, whispers have echoed through the corridors of Frisco about Mayor Jeff Cheney and his deep entanglement with the Fields/PGA development. We’ve heard the questions, and we’ve asked them too. Specifically, we’ve scrutinized the relationship between Mayor Cheney and Real Estate Mogul Jeff Cheney—who, confusingly, happen to be the same person.
Let’s rewind a bit. In a previous Frisco Chronicles blog, The Preserve, we exposed a builders’ map that included the names Keating and Cheney etched right next to select prime lots in the exclusive Preserve development. These were no ordinary plots—these were dubbed “ESPN Lots,” held by the developer for unnamed VIPs. Were they purchased? Gifted? Traded for political capital? Still no straight answers. In our follow up blog The Preserve Lots – VIP Program we released a recording between an individual and developer/builders agent where they specifically talked about the Cheney lots.
We also exposed in that blog, an email from 2019 by John Baumgarten written to the Mayor after he came to speak at investment event about the new PGA Project. Mr. Baumgarten wanted to know about the “unofficial lot list” and how to get on it! It was handled by the Mayor’s sidekick at the time Lorie Medina, Chief of Staff to the Mayor. Fast forward to today, Mr. Baumgarten has a lot on the same map, about 7 houses down from the lot labeled Cheney at the time we wrote our article. If you missed it we highly suggest you click on the links of the blog titles and go back and read them!
Mayor Cheney has long denied any backroom dealings, double-dipping, or conflicts of interest with the PGA or Fields developments. Fair enough. But when a June 23rd video popped up on his Cheney Group Instagram & Facebook page, our ears perked up. Why? Because this time, the sales pitch was closer to home—literally.
The video in question spotlights Shaddock Creek Estates, a prestigious neighborhood in West Frisco. The video and post talk about 68-acre Cottonwood Creek Park with peaceful lakes, winding hiking and biking trails, and fully stocked fishing ponds that are finished off with two historic bridges. It practically sells itself. But there’s one very specific reason this caught our attention: Mayor Jeff Cheney lives there, perched on arguably one of the best lots in the entire community, as seen in the photo above at the end of the cul-de-sac. And in this video? He showcases it. Not just the neighborhood—his house, his putting green, his pool. All of it, which overlooks that 68-acre Cottonwood Creek Park!
At first glance, you might think it’s just a “love where you live” community promo piece. Until you see the drone view of his home, his backyard, his pool, and his golf putting green, nestled against the backdrop of Cottonwood Creek Park. Then at the end of the video, after putting a hole in one on his green, Mayor Cheney leans in and says something curious:
“If you want a greenbelt view like this, join our waiting list, because they don’t come available often.”
Hold up. A waiting list? For greenbelt properties? In one community?
We double-checked. With help from a realtor friend, we found 16 active listings in Shaddock Creek. Only one of them is listed by Cheney’s group. It’s a stunning home, priced at $1.3 million, but it’s on an interior lot, not a greenbelt. So, if you’re trying to spotlight a listing, why not that one?
Why instead feature your own private residence, which isn’t even on the market?
That’s when we got curious and started trying to connect the dots. Is Mayor Cheney quietly trying to market his own home—without actually listing it? In real estate terms, this is known as a “pocket listing.” It’s a way to sell a property off-market, often to a curated list of buyers before it hits the MLS. Convenient. Quiet. Unregulated… mostly.
But here’s where the political intrigue thickens. Imagine this scenario:
Cheney creates “buzz” by featuring his home in a video.
He talks up a fictional or curated “waiting list” for similar properties.
Later in his term, he announces he’s moving—perhaps to The Preserve, Frisco’s most elite enclave.
And guess what? He has an “immediate buyer” lined up from the list he curated himself.
Boom. House sold. Narrative controlled. Questions deflected.
Is this legal? We’re not real estate lawyers, but it’s worth noting that Texas has rules about marketing homes, especially off-market ones. The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) and the National Association of Realtors (NAR) have guidelines about Coming Soon listings, MLS requirements, and anti-discrimination compliance when homes are not listed publicly.
Even if this is technically allowed, the optics are questionable at best. A sitting mayor using his influence and real estate platform to potentially market his own home behind the scenes? That’s a tightrope walk across a political and ethical canyon.
If his home sells in the next 6 to 8 months, will we look back at this blog and his video and realize it wasn’t just a love letter to his neighborhood—but a soft launch of a personal transaction?
As always, stay skeptical, Frisco. — Frisco Chronicles
Disclaimer: This blog contains opinions and commentary based on publicly available information and listings. All real estate references are for informational purposes only. We are not licensed real estate professionals and do not offer legal or financial advice.
If transparency were a magic act, Frisco City Hall would be pulling rabbits out of hats while the real answers disappear up their sleeves. Welcome back to our ongoing tale of smoke, mirrors, and municipal mystery, The Phantom of Frisco saga. Now, in Part 2, we go deeper into the back corridors, where the stage props and “public meetings” feel more like rehearsed performances for an audience of none. Enjoy our final blog that expresses the last of concerns we have and we hope it lifts the curtains so you can see who’s really pulling the strings.
Community Arts vs Broadway:
For years, the Frisco Arts community was pushing the need for a community theater where residents could perform musicals, art shows and more. How did that turn into bringing Broadway to Frisco? Do we NEED Broadway – No! Do we NEED a COMMUNITY THEATRE EVENT SPACE – Yes! We have a lot of local groups who could benefit from it. A community theater event space would have a much smaller price tag than what the city is pitching today. The city and Tammy Meinershagen, the leader of Frisco Arts, are no longer thinking about the needs of Frisco residents or the Frisco Arts Community.
Backstage Pass to PAC Mentality
Smart Frisco is a local political action committee that supports Proposition A & B. We were open to learning more but then they did a post with the caption It’s Free! Immediately we wondered who is behind Smart Frisco? Who is running Smart Frisco? Who is funding Smart Frisco? NOTHING IS FREE!
The first report filed for the PAC is the Treasure Report which lists the name Heather Eastburn. We simply googled her name at that point to find out she was arrested in April 2023 for “Assault Causes Bodily Injury of a Family Member” and thought is this someone we should trust to tell us it’s free! Then we found out Eastburn used the excuse of being INDIGENT to bond out. That means the party of the original action is unable to afford the costs of paying or giving security costs (bond). Eastburn’s credibility was in question simply because she claims indigency to get free bond/lawyer all while telling Frisco Residents that the $340 million performing arts center IS FREE and WON’T COST US A CENT! Eastburn has a layer of problems we won’t expose here but, in the future, maybe fix your home before trying to take money from our pockets through sales tax.
Who is funding Smart Frisco?
The answer, Smart Frisco has been flushed with $20,000 in cash by Frisco North Development LLC, which is owned by the Wilks Brothers, who are building Firefly Park in Frisco. Firefly is slated to be a $2.5 to $4 BILLION dollar project located next to what could be the home of the future FCFA. Clearly having a Frisco Arts Center next to their billion-dollar development would benefit them greatly.
Then you have Councilman Bicycle Bill Woodard who donated to the PAC. He has done this before when he ran the PAC against the Frisco Firefighters in 2024. Why does his involvement make us cautious? Our city is constantly in the news, and every picture taken has our council front and center at events. When you want to use the excuse “I am doing this as a private citizen not a council member” we don’t buy it! We have proven that the PAC last year used city resources which Bill could have only had access to as a councilman and to us you can’t play both sides. Residents give more credibility to what he says because he is in a position of leadership versus another PAC run by regular ole joes! When a PAC is funded 99% by a developer, and the voice for the PAC is a city council member – that concerns us!
Letter of Intent (LOI) – Language Semantics at play!
How does semantics play into an LOI? Semantics is the meaning or interpretation of a word or sentence. A letter of intent (LOI) is a formal written document expressing a party’s intention to enter into a contract or agreement. It outlines the main terms of the future agreementand shows a serious commitment to a deal. LOIs are preliminary to any formal dealsor terms and are designed to be general and non-legally binding.
Pay attention to the key words in the definition which are intention, agreement, commitment, preliminary, and non-legally binding. The City Council wants us to vote on changing the use of funds in our EDC based on a commitment, preliminary, non-legally binding agreement. Some would say it is filled with semantical words, depending on how you interpret them.
On April 1st, the city council authorized a LOI with Frisco Live for them to be the operator-at-risk for the new FCFA. We reviewed the 8-page Venue Operator Letter of Intent and the first thing to catch our eye was the following which states, “Frisco Live is a Texas non-profit corporation formed by Broadway Dallas and Broadway Across America.” Then it goes on to say they will make the best effort to obtain tax-exempt status, however if they don’t the parties will still move forward.
Why does this matter? The non-profit with a tax-exempt status is to help them with FUNDING! Remember, the last $100 million must come from donors or heavy hitter sponsors. This is the biggest piece of “the unknown” pie that residents should be concerned with. According to the IRS website, “Until a nonprofit receives that status—even if it operates as a nonprofit in good faith—donations to it are not deductible. Just calling yourself a nonprofit or even being registered as a nonprofit corporation with your state is not enough for federal tax purposes.” Why would you donate when it is not tax right off? If they did not achieve tax-exempt status and the city moves forward anyways, then how will they cover the $100 million they are supposed to be raising from donors?
They also stated at the meeting they had done two funding studies and had a target list so why not share the studies. As of now we can only assume there are no donors who have signed a commitment to fill this gap. Project Theatres has stated numerous times that most donations don’t come in an upfront lump sum – they are given over years. The city needs to state before we vote to change the use of EDC funds what will happen if they don’t get that status and where will the money come from? Why would you vote so they can continue to move forward, spend more money on a very expensive project with so many unanswered risks. How much do we spend without knowing the facts? Again, residents need to ask themselves, are they willing to take a $100 million dollar risk?
Next the LOI talks about how Frisco Live will contribute $4 Million to the FCFA Capital Campaign Fund as part of the 2025 “silent capital campaign” effort. It goes on to say the delivery of that money is contingent upon the following and is fully refundable if not meet.
1. In the event the project is canceled before completion or fails to be completed.
2. If The City of Frisco and PISD fail to get the bond issuances necessary to design and construct the project.
3. The City’s authorization and funding of the one-time maximum $8 million reserve balance split between three City administered funds. First $6 Million for the startup “Operational Support Fund,” plus $1 Million for the “Facility Maintenance Fund” and $1Million for the “Major Capital Expense Restricted Fund.”
What caused us to be concerned? The number $8 million because every time this slide comes up in their presentations, they say $6 Million. They have failed to highlight the two $1 Million contributions, aka they just put that in the small print.
When we watched the April 7th meeting a resident named Dan Elmer took to the microphone (2:20:00) and explained his background in private equity and how he is in charge of approval authority for loans for a local bank. He said he could not vote yes for the propositions based on what was written in this LOI. He said he was incredibly disappointed to watch the council approve this LOI especially after Councilman Brian Livingston asked the question “who are the parties to the definitive operation agreement” being discussed and no one could answer that.
Elmer went on to say, while the consultants and council expressed Broadway Dallas and Broadway Across America, based on the current LOI that is not true. Elmer then held up the agreement and said Page 1 – “Parties Involved” – City of Frisco and Frisco Live Inc.” Elmer then asked, “Why does that matter?” The structure proposed is a remote bankruptcy structure and there is no recourse to Broadway Dallas or Broadway Across America. That would require a separate agreement.
Elmer then asked, “What’s the role of Broadway Dallas and Broadway Across America as written in the current LOI?” They are CONSULTANTS to Frisco Live! That means they are providing services to Frisco Live, a Non-Profit Bankruptcy Remote Entity. Why is that important?” Let’s say they run out of funding, Elmer said that means they have no assets, andno one is required to step up and fund this entity as the LOI is written today.
Elmer continued, “in order for that to happen you need a keep well agreement which is an agreement that those entities will continue to provide funding in the event of an operational loss which is not in this LOI today.” You don’t have a guarantee of an operating agreement from Broadway Dallas /Broadway Across America. What you do have is “THE PROMISE TO NEGOTIATE THE CONSULTING AGREEMENT AT A LATER DAY UNDER UNSPECIFIED TERMS.” He also stated at the April 1st meeting it was said we are not paying management fees to Broadway Dallas / Broadway Across America. He pointed out that it is not true, we will be paying consulting fees which are stated in the LOI. He said whatever fee arrangements are to be paid should be back end loaded to limit the fees they are paid early before the concept is proven. Again, he stated, none of that is discussed in the LOI. Holding up the agreement he said these are not things to be figured out in the next steps, these are material deal terms that are not in the framework of the deal.
Elmer went on to say that he reached out to the email on the presentation and the phone number to ask what the fees are to be paid in year 1 & 2 and he got no response. He closed by stating he is not against the project, but he is against a bad deal, and this is a bad deal. Sir, you took the words right out of our mouth!
Facility Use
We heard over and over the “Community Hall” will be shared by Prosper ISD and several local community groups. Based on the presentation on 4/7/2025 (slide 7) it stats that Prosper ISD, community non-profit arts organizations, small community events, visual arts exhibits and regional events will occupy the facility 84% of the time. The remaining 16% of the time it will be dark days, meaning no use. A note at the bottom of the slide says, “community use projections INCLUDE PISD NEEDS.”
Former City Manager, George Purefoy, posted on Facebook that he was told at the open house that the local arts groups will have approximately 50% of the use of the small theater. According to the city’s FAQ , “Prosper ISD is anticipated to be the predominant user of the Community Hall.” Funny they don’t have consistent answers to the questions! It must have been a typo when they left off the percentage on the answer in the FAQ. We decided to go directly to the source… Prosper ISD that is!
We emailed the Superintendent for Prosper ISD and one of the questions we asked was what % of the time would the community theater be used by Prosper ISD. The Chief Communication Officer responded to us, Rachel Trotter and said, “AS OF TODAY, THE SMALLER THEATER WILL BE USED 84% OF THE TIME BY PROSPER ISD.”
Question, if Prosper is using it 84% of the time and it’s dark 16% of the time, then when are the community non-profit arts organizations, small community events, visual arts exhibits, or regional events supposed to use the facility? The question of Prospers quantitative use of the community hall was asked this week and Gena with Project Theatres paused and never directly answered, instead she gave generic percentages as we expected. Based on how the Universal Kids vote went down, it is our opinion that the night of the vote many will be shocked to learn some “changes” may take place leaving no availability to other groups. We call it the Bait & Switch!
Well, they can use the large hall right? Yes, but can they afford to rent the large hall? Probably not!
Next, based on the usage chart, Broadway will only be using the Large Hall 15% of the time. A $340 million dollar investment for 15% of the time to be used for Broadway. Does that sound reasonable to you?
Conflict of Interest
Lastly, we point out the conflict of interest starting with Tammy Meinershagen. She claims to be voting yes for this because she believes it is good for the community; the truth is there is no way in hell she would vote against it. Tammy was introduced to music as a young child and plays the Violin and at age 5 she played her first concert at the Rockford Symphony Orchestra in front of 5000 people. Her family moved to Frisco in 2004, and in Voyage Dallas Magazine article in 2018 she said, “As a professional musician and teacher, I felt a bit like a fish out of water in Frisco, and I wanted to help our city become more well-rounded.”
Meinershagen went on to say in the article, “I began serving in many capacities regarding arts and culture, as PR/Marketing Chair of the Texas Music Teachers Association, Diversity Chair for the Frisco Council of PTA, a Board member of Frisco Public Art, and Frisco Association for the Arts. After meeting Councilman Jeff Cheney (now Frisco Mayor) in 2009, I was eventually appointed to the 2015 Citizen Bond Committee to represent the arts. It was there, that I spearheaded a successful bond initiative of $10 million in bonds for a performing arts center in Frisco.”
At the time of the article, she was serving as the Executive Director of Frisco Arts, the city official arts advocacy agency. Our point, even if Tammy Meinershagen thought this was a bad deal – there is NO WAY SHE IS VOTING AGAINST IT. She is blinded by her love and conflict of interest. She knows if this does not pass it could be another 5 to 10 years down the road before another opportunity comes up. Her conflict of interest is glaring when it comes to voting and being involved on this project.
Next up, Cheney! He has been transparent that he wants this to be a destination city. Based on the proposed location it will help Mayor Jeff Cheney, and the Cheney Group sell more houses at the PGA (where he claims to have no exclusive contracts). It will help his friends, the Wilks brothers, and their billion-dollar development. It will help the new PGA Entertainment District being built by Cheney’s friends (remember his former Broker). The potential millions to be made off tourism directly are the real driving force here for Cheney and his developer friends.
Lastly Bicycle Bill – if he wants to donate from his campaign fund to the Smart Frisco PAC and be a voice for the PAC then claim he is doing it as a private citizen – we say NO WAY! You did not donate from your personal funds, he used his campaign money, that was donated to him to help him win his run for the council. In our humble opinion, we would say that is a conflict of interest.
TIME TO VOTE
Where does it end? April 22nd starts early voting, election day is May 3rd, and you are the deciding vote! What we do know is that details are important, and the truth is we don’t have many details at all. City leaders have said this is the most transparent project they have ever worked on, and you’re seeing the whole picture. But as any good illusionist knows: if you’re watching the right hand, you’re missing what the left one’s hiding.
We warned you to buckle up! We told you the sales pitch would be coming from all angles, and it would be Oscar-worthy. We also told you don’t be surprised when the fine print on this production budget reads: No refunds, taxpayers!
Listen to what others are telling you and look at the resume! Former City Manager George Purefoy says this deal is no good. Ron Patterson, who resigned after 21 years with the City of Frisco, where served as an Assistant City Manager, President of the Frisco Economic Development Corporation (EDC), and then became the Deputy City Manager and was one of the top 3 candidates to replace George upon his retirement has also said this is a bad deal. Former City Council member Shona Sowell and current Councilman Brian Livingston are saying – no! Cheney wants you to believe they are all idiots and they just don’t understand this deal.
The mayor and council are banking on residents to fall for the Broadway glam, so they don’t look at the details behind the curtains. Hell, we have not even talked about the parking garage that will be needed for this project yet. Trust me, they say! In the end, if this passes, they hope that by the time the shiny new Performing Arts Center opens, everyone will have forgotten how the money got there in the first place. Maybe they’re right. Or maybe, just maybe, Frisco isn’t as easily distracted or stupid as they think. Know Before You Vote!
As for me? I’m just an old man who’s seen this kind of story before. When you cut corners in winemaking, you don’t get a masterpiece, you get something undrinkable. And when you cut corners in city finances, you don’t get a thriving, well-managed town. You get a mess.
Standing ovation or a total flop? Stay tuned for May 3rd.
Well folks, it’s that magical time again in Frisco—election season—when the lawn signs bloom like spring wildflowers, the political mailers clog our mailboxes faster than credit card offers, and the campaign coffers overfloweth… with cold, hard cash.
But not just any cash. Oh no, we’re talking about that sweet, sweet nectar of the gods: Developer Donation Dollars—a.k.a. Tammy’s Triple D’s.
Yes, in a stunning twist no one saw coming (except literally anyone who has watched city politics for five minutes), Councilwoman Tammy Meinershagen reported a jaw-dropping $40,833.64 in campaign contributions in just the last three months. That’s a lot of yard signs and catered meet-and-greets. But here’s where it gets juicy: $31,041.44—roughly 76%—came from developers who have current or future projects in the pipeline and paving Frisco one luxury development at a time.
Coincidence? Just your average neighborhood bake sale gone wild? Or maybe developers just have an intense passion for local democracy… the kind of passion usually accompanied by architectural renderings and infrastructure impact studies. Why are these developer titans so invested in our humble city council races? Are they just really, really into zoning meetings? Or could it be they know that in Frisco, if you want to shape the skyline, you’ve got to shape the council first?
Let’s put on our rubber gloves and dig through the money trail, one donation at a time—name, company, and what exactly they’re building in our backyard. Spoiler alert: it’s not a public park. Grab your hard hats, folks. It’s time to follow the bulldozers—and the bucks.
$1000: Todd & Heather Lisle: Todd worked at Forvis Accounting until he retired. According to the Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports each year on the city website, “FORVIS, Certified Public Accountants, has issued unmodified (“clean”) opinions on the City of Frisco’s financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2023. The report of the independent auditors is located at the beginning of the Financial Section.”
$2000 Each: Theresa & Michael Sinacola, James Sinacola and Joseph Sinacola – works on projects every day in Frisco for private developers and the city projects.
$3000: Philip Rose – CrossTie Capital (Frisco Fields Development)
$3000: Fehmi and Elizabeth Karahan – Karahan Companies (Frisco Fields Development)
$5000: Robert Shaw – Columbus Realty Partners (Frisco Fields Development)
$5000: Richard Reupke – Partner and Chief Financial Officer at Columbus Realty Partners since the firms inception in 1999. They own Twelve Cowboys Way Luxury Apartments and are involved in PGA/North Fields developing a Class A Multifamily development in Frisco.
In-Kind (Non-Monetary) Donation:
$9,892.34 Craig Hall – Founder of Hall Group For Kickoff Venue/Food/Beverage
Other donors include:
$500: Jason Denton – Local Businessman and on the Frisco CDC Board
$1500: Answer Azam – Local CPA and Former Candidate For Council
Political Expenditures Made:
$5000: Cynergy-Ink ** We could find no company website for this company, no franchise tax id account in Texas and the address but the address comes back to a home registered to a woman whose social media says she does Graphic Design
$2900: Campaign Management Services for a mobile app and we can not find anything on this company but they appear on several candidate campaign finance reports for campaign services.
And there you have it, folks. Just another heartwarming tale of local democracy, where average citizens like you and me—armed with nothing but a mortgage, three kids, and a dog that eats Legos—are expected to go toe-to-toe with deep-pocketed developers who treat campaign donations like they’re dropping quarters into a casino slot machine that spits out zoning variances.
Some residents are tired of wondering why that five-story mixed-use “village” just popped up where the park used to be, or why our street floods every time someone flushes during a light drizzle—maybe, just maybe—we should follow the money (unless you don’t want to ruin the surprise). I know, I know… who has time to read campaign finance reports when “The Bachelor of Frisco Lakes: Retirement Village” is on? We’ve got real problems—like whether our HOA will fine us for leaving your garbage bin out 14 minutes too long. It leaves us no time to wonder why our city council candidate suddenly got $40,000 from developers who wants to turn a pasture into a “luxury lifestyle hub.” That’s just a coincidence! Pure civic enthusiasm!
But hey, democracy’s working just fine. As long as by “democracy,” you mean a handful of land speculators playing Monopoly with real houses, real traffic, and your real tax dollars. We have shouted it from the rooftops of Frisco homes, trying to warn you that when that same candidate tells you they “can’t be bought,” they’re technically telling the truth—because let’s be honest, at this point they’re on layaway. Just waiting to be delivered after the election.
We have told you before you can learn a lot about what the city is trying to do by reviewing city council meeting agendas. We noticed the Frisco City Council approved a master agreement on July 2nd with a company called FW Development LLC. The master agreement provides up to $94.5 million in “PERFORMANCE-BASED INCENTIVES” to the developer of the $660 million mixed-use development known as Fields West. The goal is to ensure the developer adheres to its intended construction timeline and scheduled opening date.
Who is FW Development, LLC or Fields West? Well, it was created by The Karahan Co. which is owned by Fehmi Karahan. According to sources we spoke to inside the city, they believe the project will help achieve the council’s directive to activate North Frisco. The Dallas Business Journal made mention of it, along with that the project is expected to bring in $400 million annually in new sales and purchases for Frisco.
We went back to watch the meeting and we learned that Mayor Jeff Cheney recused himself from the vote. We are guessing he did this because of this known relationship between The Cheney Group and the residential part of Fields (aka The Preserve). However, his little marionettes knew what to do and approved it in a 6-0 vote. After watching the vote, we are curious why John Keating participated in the vote. Remember, he recently recused himself from a Fields vote due a to “conflict” because he was going to be closing soon on a lot in The Preserve.
In the discussion of the project, Keating talked about how he remembers years ago going on a walkthrough of Legacy West with Fehmi Karahan. He remembers the attention to detail in the development from the park benches, to how the bricks were laid in the crosswalk, and how it is lit up at night so it’s safe 24/7.
We are guessing that John Keating does not remember Christina Morris, or better yet could care less to remember her because it is not about his Cowboy Fit Club. Morris went missing in August 2014 from the Legacy West parking garage. In March of 2018, it was announced that remains found in a wooded area of Anna, Texas had been identified as Morris. In March of 2022, there was a shooting of a restaurant at The Shops of Legacy? Safe is relative Mr. Keating!
Keating also noted this was a flagship project that will be great for the surrounding residential neighborhoods to enjoy. Wait, you mean Resident Keating who is about to close on his lot in The Preserve at Fields? Yeah, this is the exact reason WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE RECUSED YOURSELF ALSO!
The next question, what does a developer have to do to earn $94.5 million in “PERFORMANCE-BASED INCENTIVES?” According to the memo on the city council agenda the performance requirements require the developer to construct by a certain date, a minimum of:
350,000 square feet of upscale retail and restaurant space
320,000 square feet of Class A office space; and
1,100 multifamily residential dwelling units (not incentivized)
Where does these $94.5 million dollars come from, the city purse or personal savings account? First, the Separated Materials Sales Tax Grant will provide up to $7 million in City, Frisco Economic Development Corporation, and Frisco Community Development Corporation sales tax revenues generated by project construction material and service purchases. Secondly, the Frisco EDC Qualified Infrastructure Grant will fund up to 50 percent of the cost to construct a planned water feature (not to exceed $2.5 million in incentive value) and up to 50 percent of the cost to construct internal streets built to city standards (not to exceed $10 million in incentive value). Lastly the TIRZ #7 Funding will finance the construction of 3 public parking structures accommodating a minimum of 2,430 public parking spaces to serve the development. This debt service will be funded by TIRZ #7 property tax revenue generated by the Fields West development and supplementary sales tax revenue generated by the Fields West development.
It just leaves us wondering, how do we have all this money? Where is all this money coming from? It is like the city has a SUGAR DADDY funding it! With that said we were told during the recent election that if Proposition A & B passed it would bankrupt the city – so how is it we have money for one thing but not another? Oh wait, Cheney can’t make money or build his stature or status up on our first responders.
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.
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Interesting Article
I don't know, Patrick, and I'm not familiar with SREC, so I'm unable to answer your questions.