In Frisco, there is a permission process for running for office. What do we mean by permission process? Let us share: if you are interested in running for city council, you need to let Mayor Cheney know, and he will notify his henchwoman, Lorie Medina. Medina will then let you know if you have permission and if you are qualified enough to run for office. Suppose you don’t have the support of Cheney and Medina, otherwise known as the leaders of the established Frisco cabal. In that case, they will make it very difficult for you by turning to their developer friends to fund the campaigns of the “Cabal Approved” candidates.
How do we know this? It is what we have been told by several previous candidates who ran for office against the Medina Machine! If you want to run for office in Frisco, you must have their blessing, and they will give you the “pathway” to the dais of the council. But first, one must pay their dues, of course, or they will be told, “It’s just not your turn yet!”
It makes you wonder why any rational human being would want or try to run for office in Good Ole Frisco! Maybe they believe in things like community service and making a difference. Maybe they think local government should be more than a rubber stamp for developers. Then again, maybe—just maybe—they’re the rare type of person who enjoys the thrill of fighting voter apathy that plagues our elections. Either way, this time around Frisco residents have choices, and it is up to them to get off the couch, stop making excuses, and vote for change. Otherwise, you will once again find yourself asking why your city council makes decisions without your input. Remember, you had a chance to care. You just didn’t. Let’s look at who is running for Place 4! To be fair, we will go in order of their names on the ballot.
First up is Joshua Meek, whose filing application states he is a Real Estate Professional! According to his website, he is “Your Local Real Estate Expert” – just what we need, another Realtor! According to another site, Meek Industries, of which he is the Founder and CEO, they are a diversified holding company with a mission to acquire and grow attractive investments that generate sustainable cash flow. What? It does not list any partners, investments they are involved in, etc.
According to his political website, he has attended 133 Frisco City Council Meetings. Have you ever wondered who is that guy who sometimes wears a baseball hat and sits right behind the podium where everyone speaks to the council – that is Meek. He was appointed to the Frisco Community Development Corporation Board and has been involved in several notable projects. It touts he is a community leader, who over the last 14 years served in a variety of Frisco organizations and community positions including, Frisco Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Visit Frisco Board Member, member of the Frisco Rotary Club, Leadership Frisco class graduate, and Citizens Police and Fire Academy graduate.
What is Meeks Platform? Well, it says he wants “THRIVING PARTNERSHIPS” and touts our success is due to those partnerships with DEVELOPERS, school districts, healthcare systems and higher educational institutions. He goes on to say these partnerships must be PRIORTIZED as we finalize Frisco’s buildout. Truth is he is the young Cheney who is all about development and developers from what we can tell.
Next up he wants to “Pioneer Innovation” and somehow relates that to public safety. He believes that integration of technology and artificial intelligence can further enhance the high-quality performance of Frisco’s first responders. Personally, I don’t think AI can fight a house fire or stop an armed robbery the way our actual first responders can!
Lastly, he wants to “Leverage Economics” and he will continue to lower the tax rate by leveraging the use of sales tax revenue. That way Frisco CDC and EDC are able to create funding sources to help strategically fund parks, projects and attract employers that many other communities. What caught our attention was his comment “By continuing to invest in Frisco as a destination location” but do Frisco Residents want to be a destination location or a community. He also forgot to mention the CDC or EDC will fund a big Performing Arts Center that the cabal wants.
Next up Jared Elad whom we have nicknamed “The Beard” from his yellow signs popping up! His application lists his occupation as a small business owner. According to his website, he came from a modest upbringing in Tennessee and Oklahoma and got a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University.
He began his career as a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch and later worked at Wells Fargo and BB&T/Truist as a Financial Advisor and Vice President. In 2024, he went independent to better serve his clients. Elad is married to Stephanie Elad (FISD Board Member) and has two daughters. Jared currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Villages of Stonelake HOA.
Jared Elad’s website goes on to say he wants to Eliminate excess spending, Lower taxes, Accomplish the budget, and be Dependable to the community. Get it ELAD! He touts we need fiscal responsibility with transparency, and he wants every taxpayer dollar spent efficiently, and wants to cut out wasteful expenses with a focus on projects that bring true value to “FRISCO RESIDENTS.”
Elad’s site also goes on to say he will support Public Safety, and he is dedicated to partnering with Frisco PD and Fire to ensure they have the resources, training, and equipment needed to serve and protect all Frisco residents effectively. He is for Community Friendly Development & Growth that supports economic vitality while not forgetting that it needs to align with the needs, concerns and wants of “FRISCO RESIDENTS.”
Lastly, Jared Elad has some cute pet videos and displays his support for Frisco Pets on his Facebook page. For the pet lovers, he had declared he is for a new pet shelter to ensure the safety and well-being of Frisco pets. As soon as he displayed his support for pets, the first comment came from an infamous Cabel supporter, Jake Petras, who stated he would also love a pet shelter and asked how we would fund it. Funny because we have seen many posts where Petras attacks pet people and the idea of a shelter, so we have to assume the cabal has him at work again being their mouthpiece to put other candidates running on defense or at least try!
Next up we have Jerry Spencer, and his application states he is an investor. He has lived in Texas for 76 years and over 20 years in Frisco. We could not find a website for Spencer, but we did find a Facebook page, but it was also limited to information. We sent a message asking if he had any platform ideas he wanted to share for our article.
Spencer responded that he lives on the east side of the tollway in Plantation. He would like to see Frisco shift the focus from sports, tourism, and being a destination city and broaden our economic base with a much greater emphasis on attracting emerging technology and 21st century industries such as AI, robotics, drone technology, autonomous driving, medical research, etc.
Spencer would like to also put a focus on regional cooperation with our regional partners in both Denton and Collin County. He believes Frisco has a Lone Ranger mentality, and he would like to see us have a regional performing arts center where we pair up with Plano, McKinney and Allen. There are 235,000 people in Frisco, but more than 750,000 in those four cities. The per capita costs of an arts center drop dramatically when spread over four cities. He said working together would be a better solution.
Next, we have Gopala Ponangi, whose occupation is listed as a Business Owner. He has lived in Texas for 24 years and spent 21 of those years in Frisco, Texas. Gopal is married with two daughters and has a pet Shih Tzu named Coco. He is a small business owner with an emphasis in Digital Marketing for Financial Services and Real Estate. If Gopal’s name sounds familiar it should, as he has served on the Frisco ISD Board of Trustees, Place one. His website at the time said, “Education is my passion, and I will strive to give my best to our students and the community.”
According to his website for Place 4 City Council, he says he is proud to be an active member of Frisco, leaving initiatives through nonprofits with a focus on Education, Healthcare and the Fine Arts. His bio states he is the Past Director of the Frisco Economic Development Corporation. He also was a founding Co-Chair of the Mayors Adhoc Committee for the Frisco Indian Affairs which has now taken the shape of the Multicultural Committee under Frisco Boards and Commissions. He touts on his website how he has served on several committees through FISD.
As for his Vision for Frisco, he would like to focus on more local jobs through smart, responsible growth. He would also like to see an improvement in traffic and will work to prioritize smart traffic solutions to keep Frisco moving forward. He is committed to Public Safety and will prioritize funding to ensure our first responders have the necessary resources to protect citizens.
After reviewing Gopal’s website, we had two questions. First if he is passionate about education then why is he running for city council? Second, he states he served on a lot of boards which made us wonder how he had the time? If you investigate his attendance for some of these boards, he boasts about it appears he was absent at 99% of the meetings. If he can’t show up for boards/committees/meetings, etc. then why would we think he will show up for city council meetings and all the duties that come with that role.
Lastly, we haveSangita Datta, and her application states her occupation as a financial specialist, having lived in Frisco for the last 6.5 years. We assume Datta is a Frisco Socialite because we constantly see her at events, and she has helped each of our current council members campaign during election cycles. According to her website, she is committed to making Frisco a better place to live, work, and grow. Her service journey began in Mother Teresa’s house in Kolkata, where she learned the meaning of life, compassion, and giving back to the community.
Datta’s platform includes promoting economic growth and fiscal responsibility through attracting quality jobs and supporting local businesses, using city resources wisely to keep taxes low, and fostering an environment where entrepreneurs can thrive. Secondly, she stands for enhancing a family-friendly community life by investing in parks, playgrounds, and community spaces and supporting initiatives that help working parents maintain Frisco’s reputation as a great city. Hmmm, we have initiatives that maintain our city’s reputation. Do tax dollars pay for that? Datta also wants to ensure safety and preserve Frisco’s unique character. After reading her site, we are not sure how preserving the city’s character affects safety, but hopefully, we have time to learn during the debates.
She believes her experience serving on the City of Frisco Parks & Recreation Board, Ambassador for the Frisco Chamber of Commerce, as Treasurer for the Indian Association of North Texas, and as an Ambassador for the Frisco Inclusion Committee will help her while serving on City Council. Datta also graduated from the Leadership Frisco, Citizens Police Academy and completed the City 101 programs.
That rounds out your choices for Place 4! Meeks reminds us of a young Cheney Real Estate mogul in training. Elad is a marketing genius with “The Beard” and we are excited to learn more about him in the debates. The pet-friendly Frisco will most likely gravitate to Elad because he has openly said he supports an animal shelter. Gopal is the obvious Cabel plant as he “supports the arts” meaning a Performing Arts Center. Proof that Gopal is one of the implants in his kickoff photos with Keating and Pelham.
We would like Gopal to explain his attendance record for previous positions he has held and tell us how it will be different this time. In our opinion, Datta should be madder than a wet hen that those she supported for years are not showing her the same respect she has shown them over the years. We need more clarification regarding her platform, and we are concerned her relationships with the current council means she will stay “inline” with what the Cheney Machine wants. However, we could be wrong, maybe there has been a clear line drawn in the sand of friendship. As for Spencer, we just don’t know enough about the person or platform to offer an opinion. The Whistleblowers want change – however that comes! We want independent individuals who will make their own decisions and not follow the gravy train of the current council members.
Frisco is the home of perfectly manicured lawns, HOA emails no one reads, and a voter turnout rate that could make a ghost town look politically engaged. Every election cycle, a handful of brave souls decide to throw their hats in the ring for city council, only to be met with the resounding enthusiasm of… crickets. Why would anyone subject themselves to this? Good question. Running for office in Frisco is basically signing up to shake hands with people who won’t vote, attend forums that barely fill a Starbucks, and post on social media only to get three likes (one from your mom). And yet, candidates still do it.
Let’s play a game: Ask your friends and neighbors what they know about the upcoming Frisco elections. Chances are, you’ll get a mix of blank stares, mumbled guesses, or the classic “Wait, we have an election?” Well, here’s a crash course: February 14th was the last day to file for a spot on the ballot (so if you were thinking about running, too late—better luck next cycle). The real fun begins with early voting on April 22nd, leading up to the final day to cast your vote on May 4th (not April 3rd, by the way). During this time, our fire stations and schools will be transformed into democracy hubs, filled with voting machines that will see depressingly low foot traffic.
Meanwhile, candidates will be busy breaking the city’s sign ordinance, because let’s be honest, rules only seem to apply to challengers. The city turns a blind eye when incumbents plaster their signs wherever they please, but if a newcomer so much as breathes near the wrong patch of grass, code enforcement swoops in like the fun police. It’s all just part of the charming tradition we call local politics.
Whistleblower is here to educate and let you know about the candidates! For City Council Place 2 we have Burt Thakur, Sai Krishnarajanagar against Tammy Meinershagen. Let’s dive into them!
Burt Thakur, a former Navy Veteran, and a longtime resident of Frisco previously made a run for Congress. Burt Thakur was born in New Delhi and raised by his maternal grandparents. He spent his childhood in India, where his grandfather was responsible for the care of the national forests, tigers, and land management. He moved to New York in the late 1980s and later attended Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania. After graduating, he enlisted in the United States Navy. Burt served as a nuclear reactor operator on the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. He was honorably discharged in 2006, after serving for 6 years. Thakur is an engineer project manager who facilitates the construction process for large data centers. He also appeared on Jeopardy and was interviewed in the Winners Circle.
Thakur recently addressed the Frisco City Council to address the issue of the Performing Arts Center and fiscal responsibility. If passed, the measures would allow the city to use $160 million to build the Frisco Center for the Arts. The center, designed to host Broadway-level shows, is estimated to cost more than $300 million.
Burt Thakur’s website states he has a vision for a Stronger, Safer and Thriving Frisco. Burt is a champion for veterans and their access to care and has helped many veterans get access to their benefits. In Frisco, Burt wants to ensure a space is granted for veterans’ organizations like the VFW and American Legion to share. As his best friend from the military committed suicide, Burt knows first-hand the value that a community and shared space can provide to his brothers and sisters who served. He also states that “integrity” is a commitment to ethical leadership. He states “True leadership is built on honesty, transparency, and accountability. I have always stood for ethical decision-making, responsibility, and staying true to my principles.
Next, we have Sai Krishna who ran in 2020 for council place 3 back in 2020. According to the Dallas Morning News Voter Guide in 2020, Krishna is a Registered Nurse with an associate’s degree in nursing, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and a master’s in business administration. He also is an Insurance Provider. During his 2020 race, Krishna had only lived in Frisco for 3.5 years. According to the guide he had not served on city boards or commissions at the time of the 2020 race. We could not find a working website for Krishna, or anything published online about his 2025 run for council.
Lastly, we have Tammy Meinershagen who currently sits on the Frisco City Council in Place 2 and has lived in Frisco for over 20 years. In a recent January 2025, Local Profile highlight Meinershagen was asked what her first impression of Texas was, and she replied “I had such a bad impression of Texas — I really did not want to come. I didn’t want to move to Frisco, and I certainly didn’t want to become a Texan. I expected everyone to be in cowboy boots and hats, and I had heard several stories of racism in Texas that also concerned me. I just didn’t think I’d ever feel at home in Texas. I pushed really hard against it for many, many years.” She went on to say that her opinion has changed because she has realized the diversity Texas offers.
Since being here and getting invested in Frisco, she became the Multicultural Chair for the Greater Frisco’s Council of PTA’s which led her to get involved in The City of Frisco. She helped organize the first multicultural float for the community in 2011 and worked on the Citizens Bond Committee, where she advocated for the arts center. Meinershagen was named the “Spirit of Frisco” by the Frisco Chamber of Commerce and one of CEO MOM Magazine’s Power 15. She is also the first Asian-American to serve on the Frisco City Council, and she made history as the first Korean-American female elected to any City Council in the State of Texas. Meinershagen is also a professionally trained musician and can play the piano and violin.
She is asking for you to “Re-Elect” her but remember we never “ELECTED” her to begin with. Meinershagen was set to run against the incumbent, Shona Huffman, who choose to resign from her current seat and withdraw from the race to focus on recovering from a breast cancer diagnosis. An election was never held and Meinershagen “won by default” meaning we never ELECTED her. This will be her first actual race for City Council. A Community Impact article from Feb 28, 2022, reads, “Tammy Meinershagen to ASSUME Place 2 on Frisco City Council; May election for city to be canceled.” The article states that according to Mayor Jeff Cheney, Meinershagen will FILL THE SEAT and went on to say they are CANCELING the May 7, 2022, election since both races were uncontested.
Meinershagen made headlines recently on Frisco Chronicles when we wrote about her husband’s involvement with Ketchup Caddy. In 2022, her husband Todd Meinershagen AGREED to pay more than $525,000, including interest, for his role in market manipulation related to the company Ketchup Caddy.
Meinershagen is a very prominent supporter of the Frisco Arts and the new Performing Arts Center. She supports the bond being put before voters for a $300+ million-dollar theater that will cost residents anywhere from $5 to $6 million a year to operate of city tax dollars. Meinershagen also supported the controversial Universal Kids Studios project over objections by local homeowners. Remember the “BAIT & SWITCH” that changed at the last minute during the development meeting before the council vote. Meinershagen was one of the loudest supporters on social media selling us the part would only be operating from 10am to 6pm when it is was actually 8/9am to 9/10pm. She also told us rollercoasters would be 40 to 50 feet high, but they are actually able to go up to 100 feet high. She used social media to sell it one way when she knew the whole time they were going to make last minute changes.
Lastly Meinershagen, stepped out front and center against our Frisco Firefighters last year during the election. While they have been asking for more firefighters, she adamantly agrees with the stance of the city leadership that everything is just fine. She claimed she was not representing herself as a council person at the polls but just a regular old resident with a passion for the issue. Residents don’t often spend that much time at the polls holding signs unless it is for a purpose, group or team.
What are your thoughts on Place 2? Will you get out to vote? We will be sending a questionnaire to all three candidates soon with some hard-hitting questions so it will be interesting to see how they respond, or if they even will respond. Next up we dive into Place 4 and the 5 candidates running for that position.
If you live in Frisco, then you should know the name Cameron Kraemer. Kraemer, the former Assistant Fire Chief, was fired after 27+ years with the city. During his time with the Frisco Fire Department, he served as Deputy Chief, Battalion Chief, Captain, Lieutenant, Firefighter and Paramedic. But last year in 2023 Kraemer’s name was the subject of many headlines. Community Impact’s headline read, “Frisco Assistant Fire Chief Kraemer fired after nearly 30 years” and The Dallas Express headline read, “Local Assistant Fire Chief Kraemer Fired.”
Why would the City of Frisco fire such a long-standing employee? Kraemer’s history with the city goes deep, his dad Tom Kraemer, who recently passed away, worked for the city’s communications department for around 19 years. A Facebook post by the Frisco Fire Fighters Association on May 2, 2023 read, “Regrettably, Assistant Chief Kraemer has been terminated by the City of Frisco after 27 years of service, without being given the opportunity to go through the appeals process and contested case hearings,” the post read in part. The post went on to say that Kraemer went on leave in August 2022 for post-traumatic stress disorder. According to the Frisco Fire Fighters Association, Kraemer filed for workers’ compensation for PTSD in December 2022, citing Section 504.019 of the Texas Labor Code. The department denied Kraemer’s claim. He is appealing the decision. The post closed with the following remark, “It is disheartening to witness the dismissal of a Firefighter with significant tenure in this way, particularly in a city that prides itself on its care and regard for its employees.”
At Frisco Chronicles, we felt something smelled like a freshly cooking, Cowboy Cow Pile Patty, smoldering in our Texas 110-degree summer heat. That is a nice way of saying something smelled like ShXt. We started to dig, and we uncovered some dirty back door dealings about the city which we disclosed in our 12 days of Christmas Articles (check the archives). We were curious what would happen next with Kraemer, and we didn’t have to wait long to find out.
Cameron Kraemer took his workers’ compensation case before the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) claiming he was undergoing treatment for long-term post-traumatic stress when the city terminated him and denied his claims for medical coverage. On September 21, 2023, the case went before the TDI in Dallas and the administrative law judge who heard the case ordered the City of Frisco, which is self-insured, to pay Kraemer benefits and any accrued but unpaid income benefits in a lump sum with interest as provided by law.
On October 12, 2023, the Frisco Firefighters Association released a Press Release that was posted to their Facebook page that reads, “The state ruled that Cameron’s injury was compensable under the workers’ compensation law. We are working with the Texas State Association of Fire Fighters to review Cameron’s options for going forward.” Attached to the post was a Press Release and it quotes Matthew Sapp, President of the Frisco Fire Fighters Association, as saying “Cameron Kraemer was undergoing treatment for LINE-OF-DUTY injuries clearly recognized by the state legislature and medical experts, but the City of Frisco CHOSE TO BREAK THE LAW, deny him insurance coverage and terminate him.” The press release noted: The city WASTED TAXPAYER RESOURCES on this case!
The win was also reported across local news and newspapers. The Dallas Morning News headline reads “Frisco Firefighter fired while on medical leave WINS WORKERS’ COMP CASE.” The article noted Kraemer was still undergoing treatment for long-term post-traumatic stress disorder. Kraemer is quoted as saying, “They took away my job, it took away all my benefits, they took away everything, and they wanted me to retire.” Kraemer refused to retire and went through the appeals process. “I’m still young so I’m penalized for retiring before the age of 50 as a first responder. I’m only 46,” he said. “And the reality is I’ve got three teenagers, and they had to walk through this process with us. And the amount of strain and tension and stress and anxiety that it puts on the house, you can’t even quantify it.”
While many don’t believe that PTSD is a real issue, it is! Ask yourself this, if you saw a 45-foot Frisco Fire Truck back up and pin a fellow firefighter against the wall of a city building, then after you had to clean up the blood and bodily fluids at the scene and notify the fellow firefighter’s family, COULD YOU HANDLE IT? The incident, discussed in the DMN articles is what Cameron Kraemer and our fellow Frisco Firefighters see every day! As a holistic person I can only imagine the impact it has on your mind, body, spirit and soul. Do you think Sassy Lauren Safranek, the City HR Director, or any of our fellow city council members have witnessed anything like this or worse? How about seeing it throughout your 27-year career, are you sure you could handle it?
Truthfully, my wife and I could not imagine seeing the devastation and destruction these men and woman in both our Police and Fire departments see daily. You probably think the city did the right thing but of course they didn’t. Instead, they sent their attack boar Bobblehead Bill Woodard on social media to pass out false information on Kraemer’s case and attack our first responders during the most recent election. Why is a city councilman releasing personal details in an ongoing case on social media? We are glad he did because it made our spidey little senses rise and we started investigating and will write about that in our next article.
Where is Cameron Kraemer now? Well, he is still receiving treatment, and his case had to go before the DOJ to determine if he was able to sue the city for his wrongful termination. Yesterday, we learned from sources inside the city that the DOJ ruled Kramer can sue and we are betting he wins big time! Meanwhile Bobblehead Bill Woodard wants you to believe our firefighters are lazy (his words during the May 2024 election), however it is not in their nature to lay down without a fight. Kraemer is going to use the legal process to take a wrecking ball to the city in court, which he should! Infact, the case was filed on 8/2/2024 in Collin Countys 416th District Court under case number 416-05201-2024.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU THE TAXPAYER? That means taxpayers on top of spending money on Performing Arts Centers, downtown revitalization, and the upcoming Grand Park, will also be subject to a BIG TIME CASINO LIKE PAYOUT to Cameron Kraemer and rightfully so! To be direct, the city who lolly gagged around, could have tried to settle this issue but choose to swing their cajónes around and now taxpayers will foot the bill for it. NOW YOU CAN SEE WHY THEY ARE ABOUT TO ANNOUNCE THEY ARE RAISING OUR TAXES!
Wouldn’t the world be such a simple place if someone’s nose really grew when they told a lie? Think about it for a moment, we wouldn’t have to spend so much time trying to determine if someone is telling the truth or a lie. It is much easier in person through verbal and non-verbal ques to tell if someone is lying or withholding the truth from you than it is through filing a Public Information Request. However, PIR’s are all we have here at Frisco Chronicles to get to the truth.
Recently we filed several PIR’s based on leads we received from “whistleblowers” to see if the city would disclose “The Truth” to us through PIR requests. One of the PIR requests read, “We would like the list of the complaints made about political signs to code enforcement or the city secretary for the period of 1/1/2024 to present. We would like a copy of any complaint made about electioneering at the election polls from April 20th to May 5th.” It is a very simple request and after we paid the $6.30 we thought we would get a handful of responses. Instead, we found that the city left a lot of complaints out of our request. We know this because many folks sent us copies of their complaints to the city and they are not in the disclosed information given to us even though it fits the criteria of the request.
The first email we received a copy of was from Councilman John Keating, sent to Kristi Morrow on May 4th, Election Day. It states “poll greeters are playing loud music at FS 8 (they turn it down, then turn it back up). Also, this truck passed through the parking lot several times. Within 30 minutes of receiving the email Kristi Morrow forwarded it to Amy Moore in Code Enforcement who made her way out to Fire Station 8. This is the incident we reported about in our blog Election Playbook: Code Enforcement.
The interesting thing about this email is that John Keating failed to mention to the City Secretary his own team including himself, The Cheney’s, and his friends were electioneering in the parking lot for almost four hours that morning. It is documented with pictures in our blog and proves our point that it is okay for John Keating to break the rules, but others can’t. Just “PAR FOR THE COURSE” in the city council world.
The next email we received in our PIR was about “Illegal Signs” that was sent by Judy Adams on May 3 to City Secretary, Kristi Morrow. It states, “These signs are placed by polling stations all over the city. It is in violation since there are no disclaimers. Very sad that ‘these people’ are claiming to uphold the law and order but are breaking the law by doing the things they accuse others of. I believe they should be removed immediately.” The picture just barely shows the corner of a sign, but we did recognize it.
Why did we recognize the sign? It is a Frisco Chronicles sign! Now to be clear we did not buy these signs, we did not put them out, and we have no clue who did. With that said we do love them, and they gave us a good laugh! We received an anonymous email from a whistleblower that they put them out to spread the word of our site. They did confirm they were all placed on private property and none of them were placed on city property or at any fire station. Lastly, it is not a political action committee, it does not support a candidate, so it does not need a disclaimer.
Judy, think about carpet cleaner signs or we buy ugly houses signs, do they need disclaimers? We suggest Judy Adams focus on what she does best which is blowing people aka blo me! Now get your mind out of the gutter! We are referring to her focusing on her new Blo Bar she just opened for those who need a good blow, or maybe her real estate career, or her closed coffee bar instead of silly illegal signs on private property. Better yet maybe she should make her own BLO ME signs with a phone number to make an appointment, if she does, we will make sure to have readers call them in for being illegal signs.
The third email we received was from April 22 from Jeff Cheney to City Secretary, Kristi Morrow. It is important to note the email was sent from JCheney@friscotexas.gov so clearly, he wrote this as the “Mayor of Frisco” and not as an individual resident. It states, “Pretty clear this is not in compliance with the maximum size of 10×10” referring to the Firefighters tent at Station 7. Kristi Morrow sent the email to Amy Moore in Code Enforcement and Amy replied Justin was on his way to the station. Then Kristi Morrow replied and asked Amy to call her when she gets a chance. Wonder what they talked about?
The next email we received was on April 25th, from Councilman John Keating (JKeating@friscotexas.gov) to City Secretary Kristi Morrow and Assistant City Manager, Henry Hill. He questions if “these are allowed as they are showing up at polling stations. He specifically notes the one at Fire Station 7 in the picture he submitted. He is referring to a Voter Guide Stand that is put out at every election by a political conservative group called Red Wave. You can see at the bottom of the voter guide it says Pol Ad Paid For Red Wave Texas.
Why does Keating not like the voter guide stand? Oh, that is because it has listed for Place 1 Mark Piland and for Place 3 John Redmond. We want to know how often John Keating votes in elections. These have been at polling sites during several election cycles. If he is just now seeing it, then we are curious if he has been doing his civic duty to vote? Maybe he just didn’t like it because it was not his name on the guide!
Lastly, we received an excel spreadsheet of complaints. Not sure what to make of it!
Here is the problem, our request was very simple and straightforward which states, “We would like the list of the complaints made about political signs to code enforcement or the city secretary for the period of 1/1/2024 to present. We would like a copy of any complaint made about electioneering at the election polls from April 20th to May 5th.” We have several emails sent to us which reported about in our blog, Breaking All The Rules related to John Keating, Angelia Pelham and the Safety-First Frisco PAC putting up signs at 9am on Sunday April 21st which was 6 to 9+ hours earlier than they were allowed. We have several emails about the 4 x 4 political signs at Station 7 and questioning if they are on city property that were sent to us.
We also have several emails sent to the city secretary regarding electioneering occurring at the polls, some even documented with videos and pictures.
Yet none of these emails and others we have were given to us in our Public Information Request. They fit the issue, time frame and criteria of the request we made so why don’t we have them from the city. What other emails have they withheld that we don’t know about? Readers and have sent them in but our own city will not be forthcoming and turn them over in a Public Information Request. We have proof the city HAS WITHELD PUBLIC RECORDS…AGAIN! The city claims TRANSPARENCY, yet they can’t even be honest with a public information request and fulfill it as they should. WHY DOES THE CITY LIE AND HIDE INFORMATION FROM TAXPAYERS?
We have a PIR out right now for the body cam footage from the Code Enforcement cameras worn during the election, but they have sent that to the Attorney General. Why do they not want us to hear the conversations they had at the polls with the political candidates or the firefighters regarding code enforcement complaints called in?
Most concerning is how our Mayor and Councilman Keating act like winey children when it is something they don’t like so they use their city emails and position to make complaints which are acted upon immediately by the city. However, the numerous complaints about the signs being put out early at the fire stations by these same folks had no action or fines taken against them for clearly violating the rules. Rules that they should know as they are sitting active council members. Remember John Keating has 16 years on council so if he does not know the rules by now, then he truly is dumber than a bag of rocks. In fact, those complaints are not even documented apparently, or they would have been in our public information request. This is Frisco folks! Rules for thee but not for me!
Do you know what the “Golden Rule” is in politics? It is rules for thee but not for me, which we have told you about many times. Common folks are expected to abide by the laws and ordinances like obedient little sheep. In the meantime, our politicians roam the pasture of power with the freedom of a rebellious teenager. They preach about transparency while hiding behind closed doors in executive session like hermits guarding their precious secrets. The concept of accountability is elusive like a mirage in the desert and the tragic outcome is voters losing faith in the system. In politics, only one thing is consistent and that is the double standard.
Ordinance No. 2020-10-69 which goes along with the Texas Election Code authorizes the City Council to enact reasonable regulations concerning the time, place, and manner of electioneering on a public premises used as a polling location. In the ordinance it states a “voting period” shall mean the period beginning the hour the polls open for early voting and ending when the polls close or the last voter has voted on election day (whichever is later).
The voting period is important because the ordinance states it is an “OFFENSE” for any person to leave electioneering signs on City-owned or controlled property that is used as a polling location before 6:00 p.m. before the “voting period” begins and to have them up (24) hours after the voting period ends. According to the ordinance any person, firm, corporation, or business entity violating this Ordinance, could be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and possibly face a fine not exceeding Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00).
The first email we received said that they knew of several people who made complaints to the City Secretary or Code Enforcement about signs being put out on April 21st, at least 6 hours before the allowed time frame. Who was the offender in this case? Glad you asked, it was John Keating, Angelia Pelham and Safety-First Frisco Vote No PAC who violated the rules. Did the city send out someone to confirm the violation? No. Did the city fine someone for the indisputable violation? No!
The email continued and said since it happened on a Sunday when Code Enforcement is off duty, they were not able to confirm or prove the violation. Why didn’t Code Enforcement ask the city to pull the security footage at each fire station, as they are surrounded by cameras? Did they receive time stamped photos with any of the complaints? This is how they “brush it under the rug.”
Even if they had been working, would you want to write a ticket or citation to a sitting council member? How could a code enforcement officer be comfortable with that? The CE Officer knows the council members could make one phone call, that will go down the chains of command, leaving the CE officer vulnerable. If they had been caught, Keating, Pelham, and the Safety-First Frisco PAC would have just blamed it on the “contractor” who put out the signs. Fred Lusk is the contractor, and he has done if for years, just look at the campaign finance reports. Mr. Lusk knows the rules! How about we call it what it is, Special Treatment! It goes directly to rules for thee but not for me!
This year the battle for the ballot votes was a heated one. So much so, that the following weekend after the original sign violation Code Enforcement was on the clock. Did they approve overtime for Code Enforcement for Saturday and Sunday April 27th and 28th? According to witnesses they did make an appearance at the open polling stations over the weekend. Based on conversations with some regular poll greeters who work every election, they have never seen code enforcement, especially not on weekends. What was special about his election, that code enforcement needed to work weekends?
Code Enforcement played a critical role in this election. In fact, we received another email that stated Code Enforcement showed up wearing “Body Cameras” like a police officer. Now according to the election code, Section 61.014 election officials recommend police officers turn off body cameras when within 100 feet of a voting station. That applies to officers on or off duty. The reason, it helps to maintain voter privacy while voters are voting at polling stations, standing in line to vote, or walking in and out of voting stations. Why did Code Enforcement need body cameras? Did they turn their body cameras off or violate someone’s privacy near the polls? Have they ever had to wear body cams before?
Another email stated it felt like Code Enforcement was hassling or targeting the Frisco Firefighters. For example, the ordinance states you are allowed to have a tent, canopy or similar covering that does not exceed 10 feet by 10 feet in size. The firefighters were not aware of the size restriction and had a 10 x 20 tent at Station 7. They were told the tent was in violation and had to come down immediately. The firefighters complied without issue.
Then the code enforcement officer pointed out that it was also an offense for them to attach, place or otherwise affix any electioneering sign, literature, material, tent or other device to any building, tree, shrub, pole or other improvement on City-owned or controlled property used as a polling location. He told them the new vinyl banner made for the propositions had to come down from the tent. The firefighters complied without issue.
The firefighters got created and used their vehicle at another polling site and again they were told they could not affix signs to their truck that was outside the 100ft electioneering marker. Based on the verbiage above we would argue the truck which is owned by a firefighter is not a building, tree, shrub pole or other improvement on city-owned property. If that is electioneering, then why were candidates allowed to put signs in the windows of their cars at stations all over the city that were parked on city-owned property?
Next, he pointed out that any sign on the premises could not exceed four (4) square feet and could not exceed more than (4) feet in height including any supporting poles. The firefighter’s response was to cut up the banner to meet the guidelines. If felt like the next day, we saw new signs and confirmed they had printed new signs that were 2 x 2 and 4 x 1. According to the email, Code Enforcement was not amused by the new signs when they returned and apparently measured each one of them at each station to make sure they were within ordinance size requirements.
Now, we know Code Enforcement is just doing their job, but we were curious were their actions based on a complaint called in or were they simply doing a polling site inspection when they noticed these violations? Did everyone at the polls receive the same attention as the firefighters? We will know as soon as we get the PIR back from the city.
Another email stated, Code Enforcement came out to check the roadway political signs at polling stations. Apparently at Station 7 a “John Keating” 4 x 6 roadway sign popped up before early voting began. Code Enforcement arrived with two officers who walked over to the roadway signs at the edge of city property. The email stated they glanced at the Keating sign then walked right past it to 2 other signs that belong to John Redmond and Mark Piland. The officers talked and looked at the iPad they were carrying. That is when they noticed a person walking towards them who appeared to be from one of the campaign teams. When the campaign rep returned, they asked them was going on now? The campaign person replied, “I guess there was a sign complaint.” She said she was just checking to make sure there were no issues with her candidate’s signs because she was concerned with how they were looking at them. She said then they pointed out to her where the city property line was, and the Keating roadway sign was right on the line.
The email stated they were concerned by what they heard because just weeks before her brother (a sign contractor) had several roadway political signs go missing from the same spot. He thought it was because they were on city property, but it turns out it was private property and the landlord from the shopping center had taken them down. At that time code enforcement pointed to the Angelia Pelham and John Keating signs located next to the sidewalk (which you can see in the picture right next to the Vote NO sign). The Code Enforcement officer them at that time those signs were right on the city property line which lines up with the bush on the opposite side facing the private property. Keatings new sign was at least 2 ft in from the back side of the bush so it should have been on city property. So, where is the city property line? Maybe the city should disclose that so people can follow the rules better.
The last email we received referred to the violations happening at Station 8 on Election Day by none other than John Keating, his poll greeters, and the Cheney’s. The email stated that for several of the morning hours Keating’s poll greeters were walking into the parking lot to greet people exiting from their cars. They would talk to them about how they need to go in and vote for Keating and against the propositions then come outside and take a picture “with the candidate or Mayor.”
Unsure if that was allowed, a poll greeter emailed Collin County Elections to ask the rules about being in the parking lot outside of the 100 ft marker point. Elections emailed back it was okay, so a poll greeter for another candidate went out to the parking lot stood on the grassy median and did the same thing Keatings poll greeters had done all morning. It was at that moment, when Jeff and Dana Cheney yelled out, “you can’t do that, you can’t do that!” Then she said a voice from the side said, “well you have been doing it all morning and told them elections confirmed they can do it.” That is when Mayor Cheney said Frisco has an ordinance against doing that and Dana Cheney yells out, I can just file a complaint; I will call right now and file a complaint.
Next, they saw the poll greeter come back up to the sidewalk and one of the poll greeters emailed the City of Frisco to file a complaint against Keating and his poll greeters, and Cheney’s. The email included videos and pictures of the violations (which we received also). Within 20 minutes, Code Enforcement showed up at Fire Station 8 and told everyone they had a complaint with pictures of poll greeters electioneering in the parking lots and reminded them they cannot enter the parking lots or driveways. They told the poll greeters if they had to come back, they would be writing tickets.
Mayor Jeff Cheney was referring to Section 54-213 of Ordinance No. 2020-10-69 which states, “It is an offense for any person to engage in electioneering on driveways or parking areas on the premises of a polling location or in such areas that the fire chief or his/her designee determines to be unsafe for electioneering or determines will interfere with patrons or city employees and staff who use the areas other than for election purposes. This restriction shall not apply to electioneering signs, literature or materials that are attached to vehicles lawfully parked at the premises of a polling location.”
In closing, say it with us, “Rules For Thee But Not For Me!” Clearly the Cheney’s and Keating know the ordinances so why did their own team break them all morning long? Keating stood on the sidewalk and watched his poll greeters go after car after car in the parking lot all morning. Why didn’t Keating or the Cheney’s correct the electioneering offense happening then by his own poll greeters? Dana said she could go in the parking lot because she did not have any clothes on supporting a candidate, but that is not true because before she stepped into the parking lot, she was holding a candidates sign on the nearby sidewalk, so it was clear she was poll greeting regardless of what she was wearing. It is just another example of how the rules don’t apply to the Elite who sit on our council. We can understand giving a warning for violations but not when it’s the City Council and the Mayor whose signatures is on the ordinance. Maybe Cinderella Cheney needs to hold herself, her husband, her adult son, and their friends on council accountable for their actions.
In the intricate dance of politics, strategic maneuvering often extends beyond conventional means. Employing a political infiltrator to gain an advantage over opponents is akin to deploying a subtle, yet potent weapon in the arena of power. You are maybe thinking this does not happen in Frisco, right? We received several emails from readers and insiders saying it did. The Infiltrator Playbook can unearth secrets about your opponent’s campaign. The result can make a candidate alter their political narrative and potentially shape the very fabric of political dynamics.
We received an email about how the Frisco Safety First PAC (aka the city) sent insiders to a private event held by a Stonebriar resident for John Redmond, Mark Piland, and the Frisco Firefighters Association. It was like a meet and greet but at the country club open to residents who lived within the community interested in meeting the candidates. According to the sender, former Frisco Mayor Michael Simpson and former Frisco City Manager, George Purefoy showed up. Other guests included Dick Peasley whose name appears on the PAC paperwork and represents the city on the North Texas Municipal Water District for the last 10 years. Steve Trent attended who serves on the Visit Frisco Board. Next, you had representatives from the Pelham campaign including Linda & Ed Kelley and Ann Harris. Linda serves as Angelia Pelham’s current campaign manager and Ann served as her campaign manager in 2021. That is quite a list of the Who’s Who of Frisco!
Simpson, Harris, and the Kellys, qualified per the invite we received a copy of because they reside in the community. We were puzzled, why would they want to go to a meet and greet when they support Keating, Pelham, and Safety Frisco First PAC? Then you have Peasley and Trent who live in Frisco Lakes, and Purefoy who lives across the tollway who did not qualify per the invite. Peasley is on the Safety-First Frisco PAC paperwork and that is why we are confused. Call me stupid, but WHY WOULD YOU GO TO AN EVENT FOR CANDIDATES THAT YOU DON’T SUPPORT AND COULD CARE LESS TO GET TO KNOW?
According to the email someone from the club asked Purefoy, Peasley, and Trent to leave because it was a private event. The person close by heard one of them say, “We are with Mike Simpson and want to offer an opposing view.” I asked my wife if she would want to sit through a meet and greet for candidates, she had no intention of voting for? Her answer was short and to the point, “hell no!” Then she asked me if the party crashers invited the opposing FOR view to their meet and greets. She has a valid point.
We keep going back to WHY DID THEY COME? The only clear answer is to spy with their own little eyes, cause trouble, or infiltrate the event to hear what the other candidates had to say and to disrupt it with the opposing view which we find to be rude and classless. If they felt strongly about hearing the opposing view on the propositions, why didn’t the same people insist that the Frisco Chamber of Commerce invite the Frisco Firefighters Association to the Chamber community forum?
Next up we heard about the Frisco Firefighters Association holding an event at a local restaurant and they invited the community to come out and talk to them. My wife and I went to eat and check things out. As we sat there, I said to my wife, don’t those guys look familiar? We pulled up the email sent to us, and there were some familiar faces, Dick Peasley and his Vote No Friends.
We thought it was so nice of them to show up and offer so much support for the Frisco Firefighters (just kidding), but they were there to watch and listen to what was happening at the FFFA Meet and Greet. We are guessing they paid close attention so they could report back to Frisco Star Enterprise. Now it is a public restaurant, but it was no accident Dick Peasley and his friends showed up and kept trying to engage with firefighters. If we had to guess, they probably were recording them and everything they said to try and use against them later in the campaign.
If we were to ask Dick, why are you here? My guess is we would be told to make sure the “opposing” side was represented. How many times do you think the Frisco Firefighters, Piland, or Redmond showed up at their private events? Just a guess, but we would say zero! It was clear they would attend every event they could based on their orders from Frisco Star Enterprise. WHY WOULD YOU GO TO AN EVENT FOR CANDIDATES THAT YOU DON’T SUPPORT AND COULD CARE LESS TO GET TO KNOW?
The best one, we saved for last! We received an email tip that Keating may have put a plant into the firefighter’s campaign station at the polls. At first, this was a stretch even for us, but we kept reading. The email stated they had been at the Fire Station to do a few hours of poll greeting and noticed an older lady sitting with the firefighters. They stopped to say hi to them and asked if the stranger was one of their mothers out to help for the day. They responded no, she just came over and sat down with them and said something about she would not hold a Vote No sign and wanted to support the firefighters.
When their time was done, they went about the day when she realized one of her earrings was missing. She wanted to backtrack her steps and ended up going back to the fire station. She pulled into the parking lot and noticed it was empty except for two cars across the way from her. She recognized the “older woman” from earlier that day sitting with the firefighters and already knew who the man was from seeing him at the polls.
Well, who was it? Jason Zelovics, owner of Mustang Strategies LLC, a political consultant and guess who he represents, John Keating! In fact, Keating has paid Mustang Strategies over $85,446.50 from October 2023 to April 2024 for political consulting, mailers, signs, digital media, flyers, and polling expenses. Why was this woman talking and being so friendly with Zelovics, who DOES NOT support the firefighters? The email said, something felt off, so she started taking pictures and videos of them in the parking lot. She saw them exchange a little “black thing” and then after about 30 minutes they said goodbye and drove out of the parking lot.
Flustered, she forgot about her earring and drove home. Later that evening her husband shows her the new Safety-First Frisco post which talks about yellow firefighter shirts, and it has a close-up photo of the so called “union” logo. The next day when she went to complete her two hours at the polls and noticed the same woman wearing a “KEATING T-SHIRT” and holding a Re-Elect Keating sign. As she walked by the firefighters, she said hi and stopped to tell them what she saw, and they said they knew something was off by the questions she asked and because she wanted a shirt so badly. They seemed to blow it off, the writer said.
After reading her email and looking at the pics we thought, this woman was not crazy. That leaves us with one very important question. Did Keatings “political consultant” put a mole in with the firefighters to try to get a shirt, take pictures and record them? Did they use the little bit of info they obtained to adjust their communication talk track? The lady came back every day until election day, never talked to the firefighters again and held a Keating sign every time.
In closing, it was clear the Safety-First Frisco PAC, Keating and Pelham’s people were going to go to any lengths to win. There was a lot of “Fields Developer Money” at stake and expectations to pull off a win. We should all be asking the following questions: Why did Dick Peasley and his buddies show up over and over at both private and public events held by the “other side?” Why did Dick Peasley feel the need to berate the firefighters at the polls telling them they are overpaid and under worked? What level of desperation did you feel that you had to send a 70-year-old mole into sitting with the FFFA at the polls to gain intel? Is Keating proud of his Cheating (in many ways apparently)? We would also like to know if Keating will release the itemized bill from Mustang Strategies. Why, well something does not add up that he spent $85,446.50 more than any other recent local and even some state-run elections.
The coward must abandon his dignity before he abandons the field of battle – James B. Donovan
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