Before you go early vote…

Misleading behavior in politics doesn’t always arrive with sirens blaring—it usually shows up quietly, tucked inside polished mailers and carefully scripted forum answers that sound just reasonable enough to pass without challenge.   When candidates blur facts, cherry-pick endorsements, or present half-truths as full transparency, voters are left making decisions on a manufactured reality.

That’s the real danger: not just that people are misled, but that trust itself erodes, leaving citizens unsure who to believe and democracy vulnerable to manipulation by whoever tells the most convincing story rather than the most honest one.   

While both candidates were probably preparing for the SLAN Forum tonight, I was preparing our next blog drop unveiling the misleading behavior happening in this Special Election Campaign. 

Ann Anderson’s Campaign Mailer

Wes Pierson, Matthew Sapp, George Purefoy, what do they all have in common?  They are quoted on Ann Andersons campaign mailer.  We hope she obtained these quotes from public records because if she didn’t that could be problematic.  

The quotes from two City of Frisco employees, prompted a simple but critical question: did she ask permission to use those quotes, and more importantly, did City Manager Wes Pierson authorize his words to appear in a political campaign mailer? Because “transparent government” and “borrowing credibility from city staff” don’t usually belong in the same sentence.  The quotes are misleading because it makes the public believe that she had permission from these individuals to use their names for political campaigning. 

Special Interest Groups

On Anderson’s campaign mailer she claims she is “Accountable only to Frisco Residents – not special interest groups.”   At the Frisco Lakes Forum she said she keeps hearing over and over, “You’re one of us, we are so thankful one of us is running, someone who is not intrenched, someone who is a regular person.”  Lastly, at the Frisco Chamber Forum she said she is regular citizen who has lived here for 20 years and is highly involved in non-profit organizations and has been on a few boards and commissions for the city.  Throughout the forums she has implied she is just a regular ole resident (like you and me), but is that true?  No.

Anderson claims she’s just a regular person, yet in the same breath boasts of a “broad understanding of city operations and governance.” That’s not something most everyday residents pick up between HOA meetings and grocery runs. Anderson has been embedded in Frisco’s political inner circle for years—far from an outsider, and nowhere near the political novice she’s selling.

Her political résumé complicates the picture even further. She claims the Republican label, yet previously served as campaign treasurer for Gopal Ponanji, endorsed hard Democrats like Renee Sample and Dynette Davis, and backed current Mayor Jeff Cheney in 2020.  That’s deep involvement, long-standing alliances, and a front-row seat to Frisco’s power structure.

While she may not be a part of any official special interest group, she is most definitely part of the Political Inner Circle of Frisco.  You know the ones who want to keep the status quo of running this city.   The proof was in the forums and who attended.  Big names like Mike Simpson (former Mayor), The Cheney’s, John Keating, Laura Rummell, Karen Cunningham, Lisa Kirby, Brad Sharp, David Bickerstaff, Jennifer Achu, and many more all there clapping loudly for Ann Anderson.  It was like a high school yearbook of the “popular kids” giggling and laughing and attacking someone who has spent their entire life in public service. 

So, before voters buy the “just like you” narrative, it’s time to pause and ask the obvious questions. Because Ann Anderson isn’t an everyday Frisco resident stumbling into politics, she’s part of the inner circle, and Frisco voters deserve honesty about who’s really asking for their vote.

Public Safety

Anderson continues to say Public Safety is important to her and one of her top priorities.  If that is the case why has she not dived in to learn more and better understand the ongoing issue with Public Safety and City Management / City Council.  Nope, instead she just wants to attack a person who spent 40+ years in public safety and trying to promote a false narrative of the investigation done a few years ago.  Online Anderson supporters are talking about the report and unions in post after post and in group after group.   They want to talk about how these associations are unions to scare voters and to make them believe Piland supports associations /unions, which is not the case.  Clearly at each forum Piland has addressed that he supports the people and when they city turned their back on the public safety employees and would not agree to meet and confer that left them no choice.  He clearly said he does not support unions but he does support people especially when we are asking them to risk their lives.

Interestingly the issue of Civil Service and/or Collective Bargaining dates back to 2011, before Mark Piland became Fire Chief in Frisco.  The 2011 Climate Report, done by a third party clearly states in the summary and recommendations if change does not happen this time, the auditor believes much more is at risk – the potential for a Civil Service and/or Collective Bargaining election is very likely and the loss of many more valuable firefighters and paramedics.  Chief Borchardt and his staff (which included Lee Glover) who is now the CURRENT Fire Chief, management style must change dramatically. 

The other thing in this 2011 report is the FD staffs desire for 4 Person Staffing – which clearly shows that is not a new argument for them.  They had been calling it out for years, way before Mark Piland came into the picture.  In fact, Piland made a good point at one of the forums.  He has 10 years of good reviews from city management, and while he was Fire Chief the FD Staff never moved forward with Civil Service or Collective Bargaining.  However, after Mark Piland retired, and the city management chose to go back in time and appoint Lee Glover (from the 2011 Climate Report) as Fire Chief that is when the FD has a vote of no confidence for Glover and under Glovers leadership they filed for Civil Service and/or Collective Bargaining.   If you are wondering why public safety continues to endorse Mark Piland, it is because he is right for the city council seat. 

Republican, Democrat … or does it matter?

Piland is endorsed by both Collin County GOP and Denton County GOP.  Ann Anderson made statements at all the forums how the vote for Mark was “preplanned” and “in the bag” which according to our sources in both Collin/Denton GOP’s, was not true.   The Denton GOP did rush a meeting to make the endorsement for Mark Piland because while Ann is a Republican she does not live by or stand up for the Republican Values.  She has a history of endorsing Hard Democrats for elections and that does not go over well in the conservative Denton County area.  As much as we would like to think local politics is non-partisan in today’s world that is simply not true – nothing is nonpartisan.

When it comes to Collin County, we heard the same thing from inside sources, Ann’s previous endorsements and alignments did not go over well and it came down to a vote and Piland won because they felt he was the true Republican who had lived up the values in the Republican Agenda. 

We are also told that tonight at the SLAN Forum she continued to defend her relationships with Democrats.  What Anderson does not understand is you can have nonpartisan friendships all day long but if you have plans to run for office Republicans are not going to endorse fellow Republicans who openly help elect and endorse Democrats.  There is too big of a divide in our world and that is not going to fly.  John Keating will probably have a very hard time going for the endorsement for the same reasons.

Business 101

Ann Anderson said she is glad AT&T Headquarter Relocation choose Plano and not Frisco?  She was happy we lost a fortune 500 company that the city had worked very hard behind closed doors to get!

At the Chamber Forum she said Frisco “Dodged a Bullet” when they lost Grandscape / Nebraska Furniture Mart and that was “a GOOD BULLET that we dodged” because instead Frisco got the Dallas Cowboys.  I am curious if Ann Anderson understands Sales Tax and how it works.

Grandscape (anchored by Nebraska Furniture Mart) and The Star are both huge economic magnets —but based on the tax revenue figures public officials have shared, Grandscape as a retail tax generator likely produces more direct annual sales tax revenue than The Star’s sports/entertainment complex.   However, The Star drives a large, long-term economic impact through property value growth, tourism, and related development that isn’t easily captured in one annual number.

In practical terms, Retail sales tax drivers (like NFM/Grandscape) tend to produce easy-to-measure, recurring annual tax revenue — city and county officials are often very excited about them because the checks come in year after year and are predictable.

As for The Star (a sports/entertainment hub) will generate broader economic impact — more jobs, more tourism, and more spillover spending — but the direct annual tax revenue number per year isn’t always as public or as concentrated.

Which one is better?  Cities live and die by predictable, repeatable revenue which is sales tax that shows up every month because retail sales happen 365 days a year.  When revenue and foot traffic are based on a schedule or a brand’s performance it gets much dicer.  That is where Grandscape / NFM wins!

Fact is, if I’m the city treasurer, I want Grandscape.  If I’m the mayor cutting ribbons in a tailored suit, I want The Star.  But if you are responsible for not raising taxes when the economy hiccups then you better take the furniture store. Every. Single. Time.

Final Curtain – Get out and VOTE!

In the end, Ann Anderson’s own words are what make this so hard to square. She says she wants negative politics out of Frisco. She says voters shouldn’t be boxed in by Republican or Democrat labels. Yet she turns around and sends a hit-style mailer packed with selective framing, questionable quotes, and political drive-bys that do exactly what she claims to oppose. She says public safety comes first, while simultaneously attacking a public safety leader trusted and endorsed by those who put their lives on the line—behavior that feels eerily familiar to a council that happily accepted firefighter endorsements, then turned its back on them once the votes were counted. That’s not reform politics; that’s the same old Frisco playbook with a new cover page.

The bigger question many residents keep asking out loud now: why does this city’s leadership—and its inner kool kids club—seem to hate one man so much that they’ve tried repeatedly to destroy his reputation?  Where was the moral outrage over the mayor’s keg party for teens?  Where was the pearl-clutching when a council member embarrassed the city at a public pool in an illicit affair, or when signs saying “Get Naked” were laughed off like locker-room humor? Where was the fury when forged documents led to a settlement package fit for royalty? Somehow, silence. Yet for one man, the knives never stop. And maybe that’s why some of us see leadership not in who lands the cleanest punch, but in who takes the hits, stands firm, dusts off the scuff marks, and keeps showing up for the right reason—the residents. If Frisco voters truly want less negativity and more integrity, it may be time to stop listening to slogans and start watching actions.

Early voting has begun and Frisco Chronicles is voting for change in Mark Piland!  We are done with the Frisco Playbook.

Toxic Tammy: The Truth, the Transcript, and the Tale Behind the Tape

Since the release of the now-infamous Toxic Tammy Tapes, we’ve seen just about every excuse imaginable tossed into the public arena to discredit them:

  • They’re fake.
  • They’re deepfakes.
  • They’re AI-generated.
  • They’re illegally recorded.
  • They’ve been “heavily edited.”
  • There’s an “ongoing investigation” into them by Frisco PD

But here’s the thing: in Frisco, when someone’s caught saying the quiet parts in a safe space out loud, suddenly the how/why/when it was recorded becomes more important than what was actually said.

Even spouses of current Frisco City Council members have taken to social media soapboxes, proclaiming—without evidence—that some shadow investigation is under way. “Illegally recorded tapes!” they cry. Well, we filed a Public Information Request (PIR) with the Frisco Police Department over 10 days ago asking if there was any investigation into the origin, legality, or content of the recordings.

So far? Crickets.

How Did We Get The Tapes

How did we get the tapes? Simple.  An insider—tired of the two-faced politics, of the backroom manipulation, of the fake smiles and public gaslighting—decided the people of Frisco deserved better. They handed us the recording because they trusted us to tell the truth, and that’s exactly what we did.  Again, we want to make it clear that it was not a candidate for Place 4, but it was someone within the person’s circle and from what we understand that could be a lot of people.

We made a few promises when we were approached about the tapes.  The first was to remove the voice of the second person, we did!  We did not know at the time how difficult that would be and time consuming because we did not want to alter the message communicated.  The second request was to remove the identifiable background music we did!  The third request was from the source who delivered the tapes to protect them, we did!  We will say the source proved to us how they received the tape and the conversation they had about the tape being released to Whistleblower.  We can say nothing illegal was done, how it was obtained was not illegal and it was not recorded in any way that was illegal.

With that mutual agreement … We had the tape. It is very real. It is raw. And now, they have been fully transcribed, verified, and timestamped throughout.

How Were The Tapes Transcribed:

We ran the recordings through Otter.ai, which created the first draft of the transcript. Then we did what no AI or spin machine can do: we sat down, put on the headphones, and listened very closely to every inch of the conversation again. All of it.  Start to finish. We painstakingly cross-checked each statement, verified speaker identities, and confirmed the accuracy of every quote.

In places where the background noise (music, clinking water glasses, running water or fountain sound) made things tough to hear, we noted it. We didn’t guess. We didn’t fill in blanks. We kept it honest—because the truth doesn’t need editing.

Why We’re Releasing It:

After much debate with our team, we have decided to release the transcript of the whole recording because it does not violate any of the three things we promised.  We also feel the reputation of FriscoChronicles was put on the line and we have always been above board.  We understand from the public perspective it appears the recording was released with selective leaks which could appear to have been a politically motivated spin, and we can assure you that was not the case.  We release things when we get them and after we confirm the info to be factual.  We released the tapes less than 2 days after we received them and after we confirmed them – business as usual. 

Truthfully, citizens deserve to know what was said, who said it, and the context in which it happened.  Tammy Meinershagen claims to represent our values on the City Council.

And Now… The Backstory We Received

Everything has a backstory, and we are going to share what we were told as it adds to the context in our opinion.  The meeting occurred sometime in January of 2025, and it was Tammy Meinershagen who reached out to Voice #2 asking for the meeting.  After offering to meet at a local restaurant it was Tammy Meinershagen who insisted on coming to the home of Voice #2. 

The context given for the meeting was that Tammy was hoping to advise her on her campaign and help answer any questions (good or bad) the candidate may have.  At this point several “cabal leaders” had already reached out to this candidate and told them not to run.  Why?  It would hurt Gopal who was running for the same seat.  The candidate had already made the decision to run and was not going to change their mind or back down and when Tammy reached out the candidate was excited that someone actually wanted to give campaign advice and offer clarification on things they may not understand about the process.

The day Meinershagen came over, the candidate took notes with a note pad and had the phone on the table recording it so they could fill in the blanks later of anything they missed.  No evil intent behind it! 

A few sources have told us (we have not had this confirmed by the candidate) that it was the direction the conversation went that first upset the candidate and while she didn’t tell Tammy at the time, she felt when it was over that Tammy had been very derogatory to her people, and others and that she had never seen Tammy wish such venom.  The candidate felt this was another attempt to for someone to come over and to tell her not to run because it was constantly about “splitting the votes” and that would hurt Gopal.  Things progressed in the election cycle and the candidate moved forward running for office and that was the end of it.    

Now that is all we were given as backstory, we don’t know more than that but it does align with what we heard in the conversation. 

Diving Into The Transcript

Part 1: Small Talk about Place 4

Part 2: Talk about Place 2

After talking about who may or may not be running in Place 4, Tammy stated she believes she will have some opponents, too.  The candidate, surprised, asked who?  Tammy says, well, first of Sai “Idiot Sia” … she was not prompted to say that.  She was not lured into calling Mr. Krishna an idiot.  She said what she believed!  Why?  Because she thought she was in a safe space to speak the TRUTH!  Up to this point, there had been no name-calling of any candidates or potential candidates – Tammy threw the first flame!   Oh, and Tammy continued to throw the flames without any leading questions or being tricked into saying anything.

The truth is Voice #2 – The Candidate, got quiet when the conversation turned, which matches what we were told, that she was surprised at where the conversation went. 

We invite you to read the transcript for yourself. Don’t let someone else think for you – find the link at the end of the blog.

You Decide

It goes on, and on, and on!  In our opinion, Tammy was not led into any of her statements.  They were said of her own free will, they are her thoughts and she made the choice to say it!  I think the candidate whom she was speaking to that day learned some things about her Friend that she didn’t like.  Tammy’s true colors began to show and anyone would wonder – what does she say about me when I am not around? 

Personally, while everyone is condemning “the recorder” or the person who transferred it to us, we think they deserve a community applause.  As voters we have the right to hold our city leaders accountable and to a certain level of professionalism.  We also have the right to know what they truly think of the population they represent. 

What the South Asian or Desi community needs to understand is that their VOTE for Tammy Meinershagen contributes to this continued behavior.  They have only shown up to get your donations or your vote – where are they the rest of the time?  Are they attending your HOA meetings, are they showing up late to the festivals, just have to have their picture taken at the end to say “we were here!” 

That is how it appears to most of us and honestly if the South Asian community is not offended by that – then let us know so we are not offended for you.  We are going to let you decide!  The full transcript is just as bad as the shortened portions we published earlier.  In fact, we think its worse because you clearly see this is who Tammy Meinershagen is. 

We could call out her supporters and their attempt to discredit, hurt, and attack Burt Thakur, another South Asian, and Jared Elad to help you forget about the tapes, but we won’t! 

Before you believe the latest PR PUSH to blame AI, or that she was tricked into her comments read it and come to your own conclusions.  At Frisco Chronicles, we believe sunlight is the best disinfectant. And this, dear readers, is one hell of a toxic spill.

Please excuse any typos or grammatical errors on the transcript, we did not want to change what was transcribed.  We only made sure it matched the recording and that the statements were assigned to the right person.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL TRANSCRIPT

Fake Faces, Real Consequences: The Dirty Trick That Crossed the Line in Frisco Politics

Politics is nasty. No surprise there. It attracts the best and the worst in people—but mostly the worst when election season heats up like a June sidewalk in Texas. And while anonymous commentary has long been a staple of free speech (hey, Frisco Whistleblower isn’t exactly sending selfies), there’s a wide, dusty canyon between anonymity and outright impersonation.

Let’s make this clear: creating an anonymous account to voice your opinion is one thing. Creating a fake account using someone else’s real photo, name, and identity? That’s a whole other universe of dirty. And in that universe, you’re not just trolling your political enemies—you’re potentially slandering innocent people and opening them up to have their reputational ruined, legal jeopardy, or worse.

Case in point: a local keyboard warrior operating under the name Bryan Bridges III (sometimes known as Ezra Bridges) has been bouncing around social media like a pinball, slapping his name on some big accusations and slinging insults like confetti at a cheap parade. The problem? The smiling face on Bryan’s profile pic? That’s not Bryan. That’s James Bridges—a real man who lives near the Oklahoma border, works with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and whose wife of 36 years is a Texas schoolteacher. He is a father of two sons and a grandfather of four grandchildren. He leads Bible studies and hosts weekly FCA huddles.

We are guessing James Bridges is not the Frisco flamethrower or political hatchet man. We are guessing he is just a man, living his life, who probably has no idea his photo is being used to publicly drag elected officials, political candidates, and constituents through the digital mud.

We like to fact check, so we have reached out to James Bridges via email and will be reaching out to his wife as well.  We will of course let you know how he responds.  If he responds the way we think he might, it’s going to be a doozy.  We’ve taken all the screenshots sent to us of Bryan Bridges III comments and archived them as evidence. And if Mr. Bridges didn’t give consent for his image to be used in this toxic identity-theft theater, then “Bryan Bridges III” might be facing more than a few angry replies. He might be facing a libel suit. 

Let’s stop and think about this: what if James’s employer stumbles across these posts and assumes he’s the one spouting off? What if someone at his wife’s school district mistakes him for the venomous ghostwriter behind the name? This is the sort of stunt that doesn’t just smear political opponents—it scorches innocent bystanders, too.

There’s a word for people who do this kind of thing: cowards. Cowards with no moral compass, hiding behind stolen faces because they know that if they showed their own, they’d have to answer for the mess they’re making.  Maybe if they showed their face then we would know if they were the spouse of a council member, or a town bully, or maybe the sister of a political candidate.

Frisco deserves better than this kind of clown show. Say what you want, stand for what you believe—but do it under your own name or be completely anonymous.  But don’t put real people on the line who don’t even live in our town to carry out your devious acts.  Frisco Whistleblower has never claimed to be anyone but a resident of Frisco.  We are not portraying ourselves as anyone we are not, we are just not disclosing who we are.  Very different!

Because when you steal someone else’s identity just to hurl insults in a local election? That’s not speech. That’s sabotage.  And we’re not letting it slide.

Let us know what you think:

Should the Frisco Police investigate this? 

Should our city council members demand an investigation into this, the same way they did into the so-called “illegal recordings per Laura Woodward and Bryan Bridges III?”  If they would like James Bridges information, we are happy to supply it to them.

“Silence, Shame, and the Swift Vanishing Truth Bomb”

Well, Frisco…we didn’t have this one on the bingo card today.  The soap opera that is Frisco politics just added another act, and this one had all the flair of a daytime drama mixed with a deleted tweet. Today, we were all witnesses to what could’ve been a turning point — or at the very least, a moment of reckoning. That is, until it vanished faster than ethics at a campaign fundraiser.

This morning, Marcia Locke, fiancée of Councilman John Keating, broke her silence on the now-infamous Toxic Tammy Tapes. You know the ones — the recordings that have been circulating through local inboxes and Facebook threads like wildfire through a dry prairie.

Not only did she break her silence, but boy did she come in swinging a bat that was on fire. In a now-deleted social media post, Locke took to her page and finally addressed what we’ve all been talking about in hushed tones and wide-eyed reactions:

“I can no longer accept the pressure to stay silent,” she began. “I am not okay with what has been thrown at myself or my family… Politics is one thing… Being a person of integrity is a requirement of an elected official… and I have to speak my truth.”

 Let’s pause for applause. 👏👏👏

But then Marcia didn’t stop there. She went full-on mic drop mode, calling out Councilmember Tammy Meinershagen directly:

“Tammy, you were exposed!!!”

Then—like a twist in a Netflix docuseries—she receipts us. Locke posted a screenshot from our very own comment section, a post from a reader named Rick, thanking him for telling the truth.

“Accountability is not persecution,” Locke wrote. “Those were your actions, your words, your choice, and your consequences. I look forward to early voting tomorrow!”

🔥 Mic. Drop.  Honestly? It felt bold. It felt brave. It felt truthful.

Ladies and gentlemen, for a few shining hours, we thought finally, someone with firsthand knowledge, courage, and ties to the inner circle was willing to stand up, take the heat, and say what needed to be said.

We were so floored we even commented on the post ourselves—respectfully, of course. We said we were glad she spoke out and told her truth, but also disappointed it took this long. After all, when the house is burning, it doesn’t help to show up with a water hose two years later.  But then…

Poof!!! The Post Was Deleted.

Gone. Like it never existed. No follow-up. No explanation. Just silence.

And now, we’re left wondering: What happened?

  • Did a certain councilman, mayor or city manager make a phone call?
  • Did someone remind her of who’s pulling the marionette strings on the cabal puppets?
  • Was there pressure from a political ally?
  • Did the local Cabal whisper in her ear?
  • Or did someone with influence promise support… in exchange for silence?

Who knows? But what we do know is this:

For one minute, Marcia had the guts and glory to speak up—and then someone, somewhere, convinced her to un-speak.  That’s not transparency. That’s political puppetry. And it reeks.  It is the clearest sign yet of the power behind the scenes in Frisco politics.

If politics is theater, then this was the deleted scene they didn’t want you to see. Which only confirms what many in Frisco already suspect—truth is dangerous here, and the pressure to suppress it comes fast and hard.  We can vouch for that as we were served papers ourselves today.  More details to come about that!

We applaud Marcia for finding her voice, even if it was just for a few hours. We hope she finds it again. And next time, we hope she doesn’t give it up so easily.  Because, like she said, “integrity is a requirement of elected officials.”  That must mean that the silence in the face of corruption isn’t just disappointing, it’s complicity.  We will be reminding you of John Keating’s silence when he jumps to run for Mayor in a year!

The Cult of Denial & The Silence of Cabal Leaders

The Meinershagen Conspiracy Fantasy

Ah yes, the newest myth making the rounds in Frisco’s political whisper network: “Tammy Meinershagen was tricked. Led astray. Lured into saying those things she obviously believes. It’s not her fault—it was a setup!”

Cue the dramatic violin. Please.

Let’s be clear: This isn’t a conspiracy—it’s a confession. Tammy wasn’t led anywhere. She wasn’t prompted. No one shoved a script in her hand and said, “go ruin your credibility.” What you heard in those tapes was not stumbles or slips. They were her unfiltered opinions—her beliefs, her attitude toward other fellow leaders, and her disdain for her constituents laid bare.

But Tammy supporters? They’ll believe anything—as long as it lets them avoid looking in the mirror at the cold hard truth. Anything except the truth.

The Silence of the Cabal

Now let’s talk about the rest of the Frisco elite—those quiet pillars of complicity who heard these same tapes and responded with… crickets.

  • Jeff Cheney: Silent.
  • John Keating: Silent.
  • Bill Woodard: Silent.
  • Former officials mentioned in the recordings: Dead silent.

Their SILENCE makes them complicit to the thoughts and actions displayed on the Toxic Tammy Tapes.  Silence isn’t just a lack of words—it’s a choice. A political calculation. A fear-driven retreat into the shadows. And if you want to be mayor of Frisco but can’t speak out when a sitting council member exposes herself as part of a toxic, backroom clique that mocks constituents and violates confidence, then guess what:

You are not fit to be mayor.

You don’t deserve the trust of the public if your response is to remain silent, then wait and see which way the wind blows.

The Keating Episode

Now, about John Keating. When the tapes dropped, he said nothing publicly. But privately? Oh, we heard from him. Trust us, we debated long and hard whether to release what he told us, because we have rules. One of them is protecting real sources (aka whistleblowers).  However, let’s be clear: Asking us to scrub information about your family out of the tapes doesn’t make you a whistleblower, it makes you someone who is asking for a favor. And we don’t owe you favors.

Keating was upset that his kids were mentioned in the recordings. And rightly so. He sent us an email on Friday, May 2nd at 6:46pm asking us to remove or edit out the portion about his sons, or references to them.   That’s right, instead of confronting Tammy Meinershagen, who aired private conversations she had with his ex-wife, he came to Frisco Chronicles asking for a favor. 

To be very clear, we understand why Keating is upset and we respect it.  His kids (even though they are grown) don’t deserve to be in the discussion.  They are private citizens who did not ask for their life to be on blast.  However, let us be plainly clear – we are not the ones who put them on blast…. Tammy Meinershagen did!  It does not matter if the meeting was recorded or not; she should never have brought it up to someone else outside of her conversation with John or Leslie.  Tammy Meinershagen broke the confidence, broke the trust, and broke the friendship lines and barriers.  NO ONE ELSE!

On May 3rd at 3:11 AM we wrote Mr. Keating back and said thank you for request.  Removing it now is nearly impossible as it has already been uploaded and shared.  We told him we understood his frustration, however we are not the ones who brought his kids into this – Tammy Meinershagen did.  We did ask our tech guy if there was a way to take it out after being posted (to be kind) but he told us there was not. 

That say day, May 3rd at 7:54 AM, John Keating replied and said he understood and agreed “Tammy is responsible for all of this.” 

He then continued to tell us, “Despite playing a small role in the overall story, I must say, the written narratives were very clever, wickedly entertaining, and at times, hysterically funny.”

He closed his email with “I hope the community does hold Meinershagen accountable for what she said. She certainly offended all four corners of Frisco with insults, bigotry, jealousy, and hatred.”  Yet publicly, Keating remained silent!  Never once standing up for the four corners of Frisco he mentions.  This is a man who already discussing with folks his bid for Mayor when Cheney’s term ends.  He is already actively asking for endorsements for when that time comes. 

HOW DO YOU ENDORSE A GUY, SUPPORT A GUY, WHO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THE RIGHT THING, AND STAYED SILENT? 

We’ll say it as directly and plainly as possible: If you’re more upset about being exposed than about the bad behavior being exposed—you’re part of the problem.  Keating has endorsed Gopal and been across the city with him the last month wooing the South Asian community to vote for Gopal.  He will also be at the polls with Gopal, why?  Keating expects Gopal to do the same in return when he runs for Mayor and he knows he can’t and won’t win with out the South Asian vote!

WAKE UP SOUTH ASIANS!!!! NEITHER GOPAL, NOR KEATING CARE ABOUT THE SOUTH ASIAN COMMUNITY. THEY STRICTLY WANT YOUR MONEY AND YOUR VOTE!  IF THEY DID CARE, THEY WOULD HAVE STOOD UP FOR THE COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF REMAINING SILENT AND COMPLICIT! 

A Final Word to the Voters

Next time Keating—or any silent leader—asks for your vote, remember what they said when the city needed courage. Nothing.

If you can’t speak up when your own political ally crosses the line, don’t pretend you’ll fight for the rest of us when the stakes are higher.

Truth doesn’t need a PR campaign. It just needs a spine. And Frisco’s voters deserve leaders who have one.

Forum Fix: Frisco Chamber of Complicity?

Have you ever wondered what the relationship is between The City of Frisco and the Frisco Chamber of Commerce.  Despite the cozy public image, they often present together at ribbon cuttings and business luncheons, they are legally and structurally separate entities. The Chamber is its own entity and has a foundation which is a private, nonprofit organization.  What does all that mean?  Simply put, they are not a department or arm of the city government. 

The Chamber has a board of directors and its own funding, which is primarily from membership dues and sponsorships.  While the Chamber claims to be independent they often collaborate on economic development, public policy and community events.  City officials and Chamber leadership often sit on the same committees and advisory boards. 

Every election cycle, the Frisco Chamber Government Affairs division takes a strong and proactive stance on governmental issues.  Locally they focus on business-friendly initiatives and educating and informing local voters.  Per there website, “The Frisco Chamber does not endorse candidates but plays a strong role in encouraging voters to know the candidates and issues and make informed decisions. The Frisco Chamber does this through candidate forums and communication efforts.”

We would argue that they do “endorse” without “endorsing” candidates.  We would also argue they do limit what they want to inform voters about.  When it comes to candidates they are not as “fair-and-balanced” as they claim to be.  Want the proof?

Compare those three situations and tell me what is the difference between them?

At the Chamber Forum in 2023, where Mark Piland ran against Mayor Jeff Cheney, the Chamber team specifically asked Mark Piland about a false story that was planted in the DMN by the city to destroy his character just before early voting again.  They went as far as asking Piland about a direct quote in the article.  The point of this question was to push votes towards Mayor, Jeff Cheney!

In 2024, we wrote about the Frisco Chambers “Election Fix” in our blog. There were two propositions on the ballet for Civil Service and Collective Bargaining.  They never wanted to go this route, but they felt the city had given them no choice after years of denying staffing issues that put their lives at risk each time they report to a fire.  The Frisco Chamber invited Safety First Frisco PAC run by Councilman Bill Woodard to the Forum and gave him 10 minutes to speak about why citizens should Vote Against the Propositions.  What about the Firefighters, were they given the same time?  No, they Frisco Chamber did not invite them.  The night of the event two of the Frisco Firefighters Association board sat in front row and the Chamber could have seen the oversight or mistakes they made and allowed them to speak the same courtesy, BUT THEY DIDN’T! 

The Frisco Chamber also sent out two email blasts, one in March, and one April before the election to local business and members advocating on the issue to Vote No!  Local resident, James Nunn took to Facebook and wrote, “The Frisco Chamber of Commerce just sent an e-blast to their membership advocating a “no” vote on a local issue relating to the workforce of the City of Frisco.  This is another example of the Chamber pandering to elected (and formerly elected) officials in Frisco.  This action alienates part of the membership and effectively removes the Chamber as an independent voice on local issues.”

Fast forward to 2025, Tammy “Toxic Tapes” Meinershagen, whose story was posted on Frisco Chronicles You Tube Page and then was picked up by the DMN, CBS11, WFAA, Fox4, and NBCDFW. Everyone should have been on pins and needles waiting for the Chamber team to ask the big question, that never was! In fact, not ONE question related to her “direct quotes or comments” on the tapes released were brought into question.  They completely avoided asking her about the tapes, her divisive and hateful statements; instead, they focused on the increasingly divisive political climate created by individuals referring to supporters of other candidates. 

Remember earlier, we asked you to compare these 3 situations and tell us the difference between them. What is it? The difference is the RULES! 

They don’t play by their own rules on the Chamber website which is to “INFORM & EDUCATE” local voters on the issues.  WHY?  Why would they do that?  The answer is $414,306.80!  That is how much the Chamber has received from the City of Frisco for items such as seminars/schools/training, dues and subscriptions, travel/meal/lodging, food and provisions, and lastly promotional marketing from 2020 to present.  They got over $95k of that in November of 2024!  The Chamber “CAN’T BITE THE HANDS THAT FEED THEM!” 

Want to know the biased board members and employees: click here!

The Frisco Chamber of Commerce is 1000% a biased organization to protect the city, and what the city wants!  For them to claim anything other than that is an absolute fallacy of epic proportions.   Now it is time for some fireworks, stay tuned!