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.’
We have wondered for years how these political endorsements and donations work in the City of Frisco. We have pointed out that council members donate to each other, that they take rather large donations from developers, and that it all gives off the wrong appearance to the public. We have been met with such resistance to the suggestion that this city is bought and paid for, and the victims are the residents, just living their lives paying taxes. All we have wanted is for the residents to have a voice and a right to vote for what they want in this city, something that terrifies our council and city management. So how are things bought and paid for, well grab some popcorn because we are about to tell you.
Let’s start with Safety First Frisco, a PAC, set up to oppose Proposition A & B for Civil Service and Collective Bargaining put forth by the men and women who serve our city in the Fire Department every day. The PAC was set up by members of our city council (Bobblehead Bill Woodard), Former City Manager George Purefoy and Mike Simpson, Dick Peasley, and many more of the Cheney klan. Then add to that our current council members (minus Brian Livingston) who are out block walking, holding community events, and taking to social media to oppose the propositions and take jabs at our firefighters while trying to tell us how to vote. Yes, I know they will say we are crazy!
Well, this morning we pulled down the Safety First Frisco campaign finance report which was filed 3 DAYS LATE. What we saw was chilling, appalling, disturbing, and intimidating. We talked about how the PAC was set up in our earlier blog, The Secret PAC. Today’s campaign finance report shows that from 1/1/2024 to 3/25/2024 the PAC took in $105,201.32 which breaks down to $22,950 in monetary political contributions, $12,251.32 in non-monetary contributions (in-kind), and $70,000 in monetary contributions from CORPORATIONS OR LABOR ORGANIZATIONS. Stop and read that again and let it percolate that in 2 months a PAC took in $105,201.32.
Where, oh where, did the monetary political contributions come from:
Bill Woodard For Frisco: $1000.00
Craig and Kathryn Hall (Hall Group – Developers): $10,000
Jeff Brawner and R.J. Grogan (Law Partners): $500 each
Kyle Wilks – President Wilks Development of Firefly Park Project: $10,000
Where, oh where, did the non-monetary (in-kind) contributions come from:
George Purefoy, former City Manager: $4000 for Polling Expense
Bill For Frisco Campaign: $8000 for Polling Expenses, and $54.92 for Printing Expenses, $39.50 for Website Expenses, $206.22 for Printing Expenses, and $59.53 for Website Expenses.
Where, oh where, did the monetary contributions from a CORPORATION OR LABOR ORGANIZATION 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.
What does all this money mean? It means Frisco was bought and paid for by DEVELOPERS!!!! These same people who run the same corporations have donated to almost every one of our council members, some more than others (meaning Cheney). Just look at Keating and Pelham’s current campaign finance reports, the same names appear across the board.
Ask yourself, why are current council members so OPPOSED to the Frisco Fire Fighters Association, which has been around since 1997, but they all took ENDORSEMENTS & MONEY OR IN-KIND DONATIONS from them when running for office? The firefighters spent about $10,000 on Bill Woodard and about $8,000 on Laura Rummell. They have paid for signs and billboards for the candidates they have endorsed. Now, they want you to believe the Frisco Fire Fighters and the ASSOCIATION are trying to RUIN AND DESTROY FRISCO?
We have been to a few events now and the message from the Fire Fighters has been consistent at each one. If you don’t like Prop B, then don’t vote for it, but please understand why they are pushing for Prop A and consider voting Yes for Prop A. They also have said that come May 5th when the election is over, they will still show up at your door and be here to service the citizens of Frisco the same way they have all these years. That begs the question, how is our City Council serving the citizens? Wait, they don’t care about what citizens want. Yet when you follow the Safety-First Frisco website or Facebook page all they have done is attack with absolute hate and anger our firefighters, our former Fire Chief, and yet they claim they love them. It feels very personal, to be honest.
They are serving themselves! Bobblehead Bill wants his bikes, trikes, and trails. Tammy wants her performing arts center. Keating stands up for Veterans which we respect but outside of that he is just there for the photo opp and to be a cool kid. Laura Rummell claims to be the pet advocate, yet she has done nothing. Brian maintains his concerns about density and resident welfare. Lastly, for years, rumors have followed Mayor Jeff Cheney or should we say Real Estate Broker Jeff Cheney that he has used his position as Mayor to further his own business and personal wealth. For years, Jeff Cheney has denied over and over any wrongdoing, favoritism, or personal benefits from his relationships. All his loyal subjects fall in line and defend him and say it is just a COINCIDENCE.
In closing, we saw a post from Brian Livingston earlier about how he is not very confident that his discussion regarding lobbying restrictions will pick up any traction, well duh! He is not sure why the transparency of money movement between lobbyists, clients, and politicians is a concern for some people. We assume that “some people” he is referring to is the Frisco City Council and City Management. The same council member who when he endorsed Mark Piland for Mayor in 2022, was later removed from all committees as well as his campaign manager. Revenge or just COINCIDENCE.
Ask yourself one question, who is the real bad guy here?
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?
What is Privilege? Privilege is a right or immunity granted as a benefit, advantage, or favor. In America, many believe privilege is often associated with wealth, opportunity, and powerful connections. However, in today’s America, privilege has been skewed or bent to be associated with race and racial injustice. For a foreigner who came to America and went through the process to become a citizen, I can tell you many foreigners look at privilege very differently. Most of those who have struggled to come here will tell you applying for citizenship was not easy, not cheap, and not quick. If you ask most immigrants they will tell you if you were born here in America (regardless of race/color, religion, or sexuality) you were born with an innate privilege that most Americans cannot comprehend and see right in front of their eyes. Growing up my dad always said, “If you rascals would have been lucky enough to be born in America, then inherently you would have had more freedoms, privileges, and opportunity than any other country in the entire world. It is the reason people die trying to come here.”
If you remember in Anatomy of a Friendship we talked about how Mayor Cheney announced he was going to take Mayors Privilege to make some comments at the December 4, 2018 special meeting to authorize and execute the proposed Master Development Agreement for the PGA Frisco. I have always wondered since that meeting what other “Privilege” does Cheney take using his position as Mayor for the City of Frisco. Powerful people have powerful privileges or at least opportunities to call in “favors.”
Well one citizen who walks the Cottonwood Creek trail every morning noticed several years ago that the area belonging to the city behind the mayor’s new Shaddock custom home was getting a little “spruced up” and was curious about it. After reviewing a copy of the citizens PIR submitted to us from 2021, we noticed it started with a response from Mayor Jeff Cheney. We will come back to a little later after we talk about the timeline of emails that escalated our interest.
May 24, 2019 (11:28am): First email, Jeff Cheney from his business email (Cheney Group) sent a note to Shannon Keleher with the city parks department stating they decided to build on a Shaddock lot, but they were not in love with the proximity of the trail and all the eyeballs in their backyard and he points out his lot is one of the few that intrude on this amazing park. He asked Shannon to look and see if more screening in this area makes sense as he does not think park users want to be staring at the mayor in his backyard. He continues it’s a unique situation and won’t happen in the future with the new policy but hopes there is something that can be planned now for the benefit of all. Cheney continues he plans to put some personal money and time into this park because they love it so much but would like to meet Shannon out there and get his blessing first. Lastly he notes that Shannon had mentioned the ponds might be combined and would love an update and how he would like to see a walking trail that completed the loop around the water. He ended it with his signed business signature from the Cheney Group.
Question: How many citizens can directly email the Director of Parks and Recreation asking for consideration on an issue they believe is concerning or that affects their home?
Question: At the time Cheney picked this lot, was the walking trail in question already there? Yes. Therefore, he knew before every buying or building there that his home would back up in close proximity to the trail so why is he complaining about it? Can any Frisco resident whose homes back up to the same type of walking trails and ponds get the same post consideration for privacy screening provided by the city?
May 28, 2019 (10:09AM) Shannon Keleher responds to Hi Mayor, hope you had a great weekend. Thank you for sending this, I understand your concerns and will get with our staff to see what “options” are available. It is such an amazing park, and the new policies will help moving forward. He will ask Holly (assistant) to set up a meeting for them in the next month for them to also discuss the ponds and ways Cheney might be able to help.
October 5, 2019 (3:13PM) Mayor Cheney from his personal business email account for the Cheney Group sends an email to Shannon again and points out that he cc’d Josh Sandler owner of Gold Medal Pools who has purchased two lots on the same street down from Cheney. He notes Josh has access to landscapers and trees through his business and they have been talking about improvements to the public space behind their homes that the park can benefit from. Cheney asks who would be the best person for them to talk to about being a part of the process as well as discussing perhaps additional items at their own personal expense?
Question: Since when did the City of Frisco start considering or allowing citizens to spend their own personal money to spruce up city areas that back up to their homes? Cheney said this consideration was to benefit all, but was it really just for the benefit of Cheney and Sandler’s privacy? I am curious how the city handles and responds to regular citizens who want to be a part of the process of development directly behind their homes?
October 5, 2019 (4:34PM) Shannon responds that met with the CIP team (all landscape architects) who design all the parks and trails. They came up with some ideas of things that could be placed there. Shannon asks to set up a meeting with Cheney and one of the CIP team leaders, and of course Josh Sandler (the neighbor) is welcome to come too.
Question: Would the same opportunity, time and cost be given to any citizen who just emailed the Director of Parks and Rec about their concern of looky-loos? What if a citizen had concern about the view of a park or trail from their home, would they be told how to follow a process to go about asking the city for change? Lastly, how much did Parks and Rec spend in on the landscape architects to come up with “ideas of things” that could be placed there?
Now the Mayor wrote a response to the PIR where he notes 3 streets in the neighborhood back up to Cottonwood Creek. He wrote that the city planted trees at all 3 locations with no preferential treatment to his home. He notes the existing trail does not meet our current distance requirements for trails behind homes. When he was evaluating how to solve that issue he reached out to city staff to see if they could install screening on the city side at his expense. He said city staff told him there were already plans which Cheney shared with his neighbors. Cheney notes the owner of the 2 lots next to him (we are assuming at the time that was Mr. Sandler) asked for the city to delete the plans behind his home which the city accommodated. He notes the last home provided feedback to staff as well and made additional requests, was that Councilman Jon Keatings home? He was unsure if the staff would have met with other Shaddock residents.
Question: Cheney noted the neighbor (Sandler who ultimately sold his lots) asked for nothing be done behind his house and the city accommodated the request. So were the citizens who live on this street provided a menu board of services that could be provided to order off what each lot wanted? Maybe it is just those with privilege “the handpicked” who get to say what they want and do not want behind their houses?
Question: Cheney pointed out that the existing trail does not meet current distance requirements. As a real estate mastermind, he knows that means the existing trail is grandfathered and it does not have to be updated to new standards or policies the city may have adopted. So why then did the city accommodate these specific requests? Was it because who requested it? Does it set a precedent so that any resident in the city who has a trail that does not meet current standards can now ask the city to update it at their expense and give them the same “courtesy” that Mayor Cheney received?
Question: Did the mayor buy his specific lot because it was the best one in the development that had privacy on two sides, expansive greenbelt views of nature and waterways knowing the trail was there? Yes, he did! Cottonwood Creek Greenbelt spans 77 acres through Shaddock Creek and Heather Creek Estates and it is one of the city’s most beautiful spaces. In April of 2017, the Star Local Media published an article where Shaddock said, “envisioned an area where kids could play, explore nature in a somewhat wild setting like he experienced as a boy growing up.” Honestly it sounds fabulous to me!
Question: Why did the mayor even feel the need to write a response to what seems like such a trivial PIR at first glance? It is the fact that he took the time to respond that made my wife and I say, hmm something is a rye! It is clear he knows it looks bad, like he used his position or privilege to ask for special treatment which is why he made it sound like it was no big deal.
Of all the questions we have, we go back to what if a citizen had concern about the view of a park or trail from their home, would they know what to do or be told how to follow a process to go about asking the city for change? Well on June 20th, residents from Starwood came before the council during Citizens Input to talk about Starwood Park and how it has deteriorated and is unsafe. They note the picture of the park on the city website looks nothing like how the park actually appears. The city website notes it is a 2-acre park that was completed in 1996. They want to know why the city has not done anything to maintain the park and to keep it up. The residents noted it is listed on the city website as a city park and it connects to all the other Frisco city parks. One resident made record of the fact that originally Blue Star (Jerry Jones) owned the land, and they transferred it to SHBT, LLC in Denton, Texas. Wait if the city does not own it, then why is it listed as a city park on the city website?
Mayor Cheney was out of town so acting Mayor Keating noted they are not supposed to interact, but he was going to take mayoral liberty to respond, and Bill Woodard also noted he had a comment. Bill went first and noted he received their email, he did reach out to Henry (Hill?) but did not have a chance to go over their concerns in detail with Henry at this point. He then noted that they are not supposed to interact during citizens input (but he continues) and that he will circle back with them after he talks Henry about the legal challenges they are facing there. What? Legal Challenges?
We have community parks that have legal challenges. Apparently there is an issue of who owns the land. Then Brian Livingston steps up noted he received a text and had made some inquiries too, and then asked Ben Brezina to get back with all the council on the issue. Then one of the residents responded it is a city park, it’s on the city website and SHBT, LLC should pay to keep it up and if they don’t the city should. She then said she was told since the land belonged to Jerry Jones and good luck getting him to pay, as well as the city does not want to bother good ole Jerry since he brings so much money to the city regarding the upkeep of this little darn park. Then stand in mayor Keating made a few comments and thanked them for coming.
Again, we go back to what has been our burning question of all, if a citizen had concern about the view of a park or trail from their home, would they be told how to follow a process to go about asking the city for change? Someone should tell them to just email Shannon the Director or Parks and Rec. Not one person on the council told them to contact Shannon so that he could investigate and come up with some ideas. The red carpet is not being laid out for Starwood residents like it was for Mayor Cheney. In a city with so much money, if we are not making the owners of the land maintain it then I agree with the residents we should make the city take care of it. Legal Challenges have never stopped the City of Frisco before!
In closing, it is clear the mayor received special treatment. You have residents all over the city who back up to the trails, greenbelt and waterways that don’t meet current standards and we did not give them all the option to have the city update their areas. Did residents along Beacon Hill Dr and Midnight Moon Drive who back up to walking trails and waterways get the same opportunity? If you have ever walked there then you would know from the walking trails you can see straight into every backyard, heck if the blinds were open you could probably see them changing into the nude.
Did residents in Phillips Creek Ranch who just built million-dollar homes, then learn a Walmart was coming in get the same opportunity to have one-on-one service from Parks about the very open views behind their homes that back up to very busy walking trails and waterways?
The one reason he didn’t like his lot is probably because of the concern regarding neighbors or trail walkers seeing him hosting underage drinking parties at his home for kids. It is a clear case of abuse of power, privilege, and using his position on council AGAIN for his personal advantage.
Frisco police should absolutely investigate. It may even be an FBI matter.
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