If It’s Such a Great Deal, Why the Peek-a-Boo? The City of Frisco loves to tell residents how transparent they are but it is Crystal clear, like spring water, they don’t want us asking questions about the 2021 decision to open the Employee Health Clinic pushed by former HR Director Sassy Safranek. Transparency for city officials is like one of those novelty shower doors that looks clear until the steam hits and suddenly you can’t see a thing.
Welcome to the fog.
Back in 2021, the City’s Employee Health Clinic wasn’t some sleepy consent-agenda item. It was hotly contested, debated, dissected, and ultimately shoved across the finish line by a rare mayoral tiebreaker vote. Millions of dollars. Long-term projections. Big promises about savings, efficiency, and “doing right by employees.”
Fast-forward to today. Naturally, we thought: Hey, let’s see how that investment is actually doing. You know—basic follow-up … Journalism and Accountability. The stuff transparency is supposedly made of. And the City’s response? NO. NO. NO. (But said politely, on letterhead, with lawyers involved.)
A Simple Question Turns Into a Legal Obstacle Course
On November 12, 2025, Frisco Chronicles filed a Public Information Request (PIR). Nothing exotic. Nothing personal. No medical records. No names. No HIPAA panic.
We asked for basic performance data for the City of Frisco Employee Health Clinic over the past five fiscal years (or as available):
Annual number of clinic visits
Number of unique employees using the clinic
Annual operating revenue and expenses
Whether the clinic was running on a surplus or deficit
Any reports detailing utilization, cost savings, or performance
In other words: Is this thing working the way the City told taxpayers it would? Seems reasonable, right? Apparently not.
The Attorney General (Because Why Not?)
Instead of releasing the data—or even part of it—the City Attorney’s Office punted the request straight to the Texas Attorney General, asking for permission to keep the curtain closed. From their letter:
“Frisco requests that the Texas Attorney General’s Office determine whether Frisco is required to disclose the information.”
Translation: “We’d rather not decide transparency ourselves. Please hold.”
Even more interesting? The City claims it “takes no position” on releasing the information… while simultaneously triggering a process that delays a release of requested documents and invites third parties to object.
That’s like saying: “I’m not stopping you from leaving… I’m just locking the door and hiding the keys.”
Third Parties, Copyrights, and Other Smoke Bombs
The City also notified Premise Health, the private contractor operating the clinic, giving them the opportunity to argue against disclosure under Section 552.305 of the Texas Public Information Act.
Premise Health, unsurprisingly, filed a brief supporting the City’s request to withhold information. (We’ll publish that response in full—because transparency is apparently contagious when citizens do it.)
The City’s letter also raises the specter of copyright protection, which begs the obvious question: If this is just boring operational data, why the legal gymnastics?
Let’s Rewind: Why This Matters
Back in November–December 2021, City Council members openly worried about low employee utilization, long-term financial losses, and whether the private sector would ever make such an investment.
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Brian Livingston said at the meeting, “I believe it’ll take us close to eight to nine years—if not longer than a decade—to break even … I don’t believe that the private industry would make that choice.” He continued, “I’m very afraid that the losses will be much larger due to lower utilization that’s planned or expected.”
According to an article in Community Impact the estimated expenses in the clinic’s first year were expected to be over $1.44 million which included salaries, insurance, management and implementation fees and equipment purchases. The clinic’s fifth-year budget is listed at more than $1.31 million. Premise Health projeced that the clinic will operate at a loss in its first three years.
Breaking down the numbers, the clinic required a $173,754 implementation fee, over $6.28 million in salary and management fees in the first five years, and subsidization from the City’s insurance reserve fund.
Despite all that, the deal passed—barely—with Mayor Jeff Cheney casting the deciding vote. Council Members Brian Livingston, Shona Huffman and Dan Stricklin voted against the clinic. And now, four years later, when citizens ask: “So… how’s it going?” The answer is silence, lawyers, and a referral to Austin.
If It’s Saving Money, Show the Receipts
The City’s own website proudly claims the Employee Wellness Center saves taxpayer dollars, reduces insurance costs, and helps recruit and retain top talent. Great! Fantastic! Pop the champagne! So why not release the utilization numbers, cost comparisons and savings analyses?
If the clinic is the fiscal success story we were promised, these records should be the City’s favorite bedtime reading. Instead, we’re told third parties might object, copyright might apply, and the Attorney General must decide.
That’s not transparency. That’s strategic opacity.
The Real Question: What Are We Not Supposed to See?
No one is accusing the clinic of wrongdoing. No one is demanding personal health data. No one is attacking city employees for using a benefit. This is about taxpayer accountability.
When a multi-million-dollar program was controversial from the start, required subsidies, and was justified on future savings …citizens have every right to ask whether those promises materialized. And the City has an obligation to answer without hiding behind contractors and legal process.
Call to Action: This Is Bigger Than One Clinic
Residents of Frisco should not shrug this off. We encourage citizens to:
Write to the City of Frisco, demanding the release of these records
Contact the Texas Attorney General’s Office, urging disclosure under the Public Information Act related to PIR G093023
Remind leadership that “trust us” is not a financial metric
Transparency isn’t a slogan. It’s a practice.
And if the City truly believes this clinic is a win for employees and taxpayers, then sunlight won’t hurt a thing. Unless, of course… there’s something they’d rather keep in the dark.
Disclaimer: This blog includes satire, parody, and comic relief. It contains summarized accounts created solely for humor and commentary. Any resemblance to real events is either coincidental or intentionally satirical. Reader discretion — and a sense of humor — are advised.
In a city that prides itself on transparency, Frisco sure has a funny way of showing it. The departure of city employees should be a straightforward matter. But nothing says, “honest government at work” quite like a settlement agreement wrapped in an NDA and buried beneath layers of off-limits files that are shadow labeled “confidential” and will only magically appear if someone knows exactly what to ask for.
It’s almost poetic, really. City Hall bangs the drum of accountability every election season, even though they know the city turns around and stashes public records like they’re safeguarding state secrets. One might expect this sort of maneuvering from Washington, where the filing system seems to be a combination of smoke, mirrors, and selective memory—but from Frisco? The city that can’t even agree on a dog shelter without a special called meeting.
It is amazing what buried treasures you will find when reading through these settlement agreements the city has with ex-employees. It is also interesting to see who is getting paid and how much! For example, Elise Back, who worked for the Frisco Economic Development Corporation, agreed to accept a gross payment of $125,000 and Frank Morehouse accepted $112,500. What and why are we paying this kind of money in secret NDA’s?
After months of whispers about “HR “mishaps,” and a public records chase that felt more like spelunking through a city-funded labyrinth, we now have a Settlement Agreement for the newly minted EX HR Director, Lauren “Sassy” Safranek. Let me tell you finding this and getting our hands on this was tough and the city thought they had sealed it tighter than a Prohibition-era wine cellar. And just when we thought we’d finally uncork the truth, out pop second files, “confidential” folders, and documents shuffled around like a crooked card dealer at a back-alley poker table. But the saga of Lauren “Sassy” Safrenak takes the cake, the bakery, and the delivery truck.
Frisco’s leadership keeps insisting to the public this is all perfectly normal, nothing to see here, folks, but is it normal? Is this just a standard, everyday NDA? We decided to peal it back and unwrap the taxpayer-funded mystery treasure chest (I mean document). Frisco, where transparency is optional, NDAs are fashionable, and the truth is apparently stored somewhere in File Cabinet B—the one nobody is allowed to open.
BACKSTORY
Lauren Safranek has had reputation in the city for years. Management loved her! Employees had great disdain for her! Back in June 2023 I questioned why Lauren Safranek wanted to change the Nepotism Policy and revise the Employee Code of Conduct policy that had been in place since 2006. We wrote about it in our blog All in The Family. Then we wrote about the Workers Comp Policy Changes in our blog Sassy Safranek and the mean-spirited memo written by our Professional HR Director Sassy Safranek. In December 2023 we did our 12 Days of Malfeasance blogs. Day 3 was about the HR MALFEASANCE which was about good ole Lauren Safranek forging the signature of then Fire Chief Mark Piland to a document that would change the pay scale for an entire department. Did she really think this would not raise any eyebrows and her forgery would be unearthed? Yep, she really thought she was that smart!
When she realized, she had gotten caught she kicked into overdrive to find a fake reason to investigate then Fire Chief Mark Piland and his staff. We presented all the receipts in our Day 12: Tangled Web of Lies blog!
If you forgot about all this drama you should go back and read it because this is the heart of why the city, the mayor and the cabal are trying to destroy one man who has a 40+ exemplary career years, plus positive job reviews in the city of Frisco year after year until Lauren uncovered some “malfeasance” in order to cover her own forgery of legal HR documents
SASSY SAFRANEKS LITTLE CONFIDENTIAL SECRET WRAPPED UP IN AN NDA
Remember transparency is supposed to be the heart of good government here in Frisco. Truthfully it is more of a suggestion, something politically ignored much like turn signals on the Tollway side roads. The Lauren Safranek NDA reads like a political thriller written by a board attorney on a Friday afternoon. It has pages of legal yapping designed to make sure the public learns absolutely nothing about why the City’s top HR official suddenly needed to be paid nearly a year’s salary just to walk out the door quietly.
Is this a general release? No, it is so sweeping it could double as a Tornado Warning. Safranek isn’t just leaving her job, she’s legally erasing every single gripe, claim, concern, complaint, or whisper she ever uttered about the City. Ethics Complaints filed against her? Gone. Any HR violations she witnessed? Gone. Any retaliation she alleged? Gone. Potential whistleblower issues? Vaporized.
The Payout: A Golden Parachute Stuffed with Taxpayer Cash
40 weeks of salary. 40 weeks of COBRA medical, dental, vision coverage. A lump-sum payout for her accrued leave that has not been used. Payment by city for $1,716.65 for a conference she attended. Payment by city for employees attorneys fee’s in the amount of $7,600.
City will compensate Safranek for time spent assisting with the defense in pending lawsuits at a rate of $100.00 per hour, such payment to be made in 30 days of submission.
ASK YOURSELF: An at-will HR director being handed nearly a year’s pay to quietly resign is not “normal.” It’s not even “Frisco normal,” and this city has normalized some Olympic-level gymnastics around accountability.
The Most Alarming Part: The Secret Second File
Buried deep inside the NDA is the crown jewel of municipal opacity: The City agrees to take all negative documents—complaints, investigations, findings, her ethics complaint, and more—and remove them from her public personnel file and place them in a separate, hidden, confidential file.
Transparency Hidden In – A literal second file.
According to the NDA “these documents will be agreed upon by Safranek and will include, at a minimum, the following: Shank’s complaint, Coulthurst’s complaint, investigation findings, employee’s ethics complaints,” the letter from the Deputy City Manager dated June 16, 2025 and this agreement.
It also notes that basically the second file the public will not see, that is kept “to the extent permitted by law,” which is lawyer-speak for “we’ll hide it unless someone catches us!” WE CAUGHT YOU!
This is the Frisco leadership and government equivalent of cleaning your house by shoving everything into the garage and padlocking the door. Frisco taxpayers deserve better than a filing system borrowed from Watergate.
The City Also Requires Her to Help Defend Them in Lawsuits
Safranek must cooperate in two ongoing lawsuits involving Cameron Kraemer and Jesse Zito, paid at $100/hour — and she gets to keep her notes connected to those cases.
A city that insists it did nothing wrong is apparently very eager to keep its former HR Director close at hand… just not on staff, not in the building, and not talking.
A “Neutral Reference” to Keep the Story Contained
If a future employer calls? HR will give a bland, robotic response confirming her dates of employment. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing truthful.
Because when you’ve spent thousands of taxpayer dollars hiding the mess, the last thing you want is someone in HR accidentally telling the truth.
City Admits Nothing, Explains Nothing, Accepts Nothing
As expected, the NDA contains the standard “we did nothing wrong” boilerplate. The City denies all wrongdoing, says they’re settling merely to avoid “cost” and “distraction.” Right — because nothing says “totally innocent” like hiding negative documents in a secret secondary file and giving your fired HR director 40 weeks of hush money.
Council Approval: Your Elected Officials Signed Off
Don’t miss this detail: The NDA was contingent on City Council approval at a public meeting which happened on July 1, 2025. This was the meeting that Burt Thakur and Jared Elad were installed as new council members. How much did they know about this agreement is to be seen. We are curious how much knowledge Jeff Cheney, John Keating (mayoral candidate), Brian Livingston, Angelia Pelham, and Laura Rummel had.
Fact remains, every elected official who voted “yes” signed off on lying to the public, a year’s salary and cobra benefits, withholding information from the public in a secret file, hiding negative or truthful reviews to a future employer and more. Keating made the motion to approve, and it was seconded by Angelia Pelham.
Crazy part is if you go to that agenda on the city website and click on Item 24 it has not documents attached to it. Why because the city PLAYED HIDE AND HOPEFULLY, THEY WON’T SEEK!
The Bottom Line
You could hide a small nation’s war crimes under a release this wide. The Safranek NDA isn’t a routine HR separation. It’s not a miscommunication. It’s not an exit interview gone wrong. It is a coordinated legal shutdown, executed at the highest levels, designed to hide information from the public and neutralize the City’s own HR Director.
The City didn’t just settle a dispute. It purchased silence. It buried documents. It built a second file. It erased complaints. It sealed the story.
And they used your tax dollars to do it.
Frisco deserves transparency — not confidentiality closets, political NDAs, and under-the-table golden parachutes.
More to come.
Disclaimer: This blog includes satire, parody, and comic relief. It contains summarized accounts created solely for humor and commentary. Any resemblance to real events is either coincidental or intentionally satirical. Reader discretion — and a sense of humor — are advised.
Oh, Frisco… where the City’s HR Department isn’t about human resources so much as it is about covering resources.
This week City Manager Wes Pierson dropped a long-winded HR love letter into inboxes, trying to explain away the latest drama inside the City of Frisco’s Human Resources Department. Think of it as a Hallmark card written by a bureaucrat: “We value you, we support you, ignore the gossip, let’s hold hands.” Sweet, right? Except the subtext was basically: “Don’t read FriscoChronicles, don’t ask questions, and for the love of God, don’t expect HR to actually help you.” The letter, which was supposed to be a healing session really just raised troubling questions about leadership, transparency and employee silence being threatened.
Let’s unpack this.
The Email: A Leadership Reset—or a Power Grab?
Some might say the HR Department turned into an episode of Real Housewives of Frisco over the last year. According to Pierson, HR was dealing with “internal issues” that boiled over into fractured leadership between former HR Director Lauren “Sassy” Safranek and Assistant Director Jacinta Shanks. A complaint about Shanks allegedly creating a racially hostile work environment brought everything to a head. Pierson claims the complaint didn’t hold up under investigation but it still “highlighted unprofessional boundaries.” Are we surprised by the investigation outcome, No. Most investigations that occur within the city “don’t hold up.”
The official email spin?
Both Safranek and Shanks are now gone. Translation: Both Safranek and Shanks were escorted off the stage. Cue the applause track.
Employees are told the shake-up is for the greater good. Translation: “She didn’t technically break the law, but she definitely acted like she was auditioning for Mean Girls 3.”
And in comes Kathy Shields as Interim HR Director—someone Pierson calls “an experienced HR leader” who will “steady the ship.”
But here’s the kicker: Kathy Shields isn’t some neutral, outside expert parachuted in, to clean house. She’s a longtime friend and ally of Safranek. And she’s not new to controversy, either.
Kathy Shields: The Investigator Who Finds Nothing
Before this promotion, Shields led the investigation into Public Works—a department that’s had multiple accusations reported through the city’s own HR hotline. Those complaints ranged from hostile workplace issues to favoritism and management misconduct. And yet, somehow, Shields found nothing wrong. Bullying? Nothing wrong. Retaliation? Nothing wrong. Management misconduct? Guess what—nothing wrong! A spotless record in a department where employees have been whispering for years. In our opinion, she could walk into a five-alarm fire with bodies on the floor and conclude it was just “a warm team-building exercise.”
Now we’re supposed to believe this same person who will restore credibility to HR? Forgive us if we’re skeptical. When the investigator is friends with the very people under scrutiny, it doesn’t look like oversight, it looks like protection.
The Email’s Tone: Encouragement or Inappropriate Threat?
Pierson’s email was drenched in positivity but tucked between the lines was the pep talk that reek of PR Control tries to wrap everything in positivity.
“I encourage us all to use our time and energy to support one another, serve our community, and continue to build an organization we can all be proud of.”
Nice words. But then comes the subtle jab:
“While outside voices may seek to focus on rumor or sensationalism, what matters most is the meaningful work we do together every day.”
Translation? “Stop reading FriscoChronicles. Those bloggers are the real villains here!” Ignore what you might read on the blog. Don’t listen to the outside noise. Trust us instead.
Except here’s the problem: When employees feel unheard, disrespected, or retaliated against, where else can they go besides outside voices? When the very department tasked with protecting employees—HR—has been accused of circling the wagons to protect leadership, how can staff trust the system? Trying to frame outside commentary as “rumor” or “sensationalism” feels less like reassurance and more like a warning shot.
Let’s talk about the city’s “Core Values” referenced by City Manager Wes Pierson. One is integrity, which is honesty, trustworthiness, ethical behavior and always doing the right thing on the city website. Integrity is the foundation of all other core values.
Another one is “Our Employees” who we support, develop, and reward the contributions, diversity and talents of all employees. Really? Does this email sound like you support and develop your employees?
And when a city official suggests that sharing information with others violates “our core values,” it starts sounding a lot like an overreach into free speech rights. Employees don’t surrender their First Amendment protections when they clock in at City Hall.
The Real Question: Who Holds HR Accountable?
Let’s be clear: HR is supposed to be the place where employees feel safe, heard, and protected. Instead, in Frisco it’s more like:
HR Hotline = Suggestion Box at a mafia club
Investigations = “Magic Eraser” for management screw-ups
Leadership changes = Musical chairs with the same old players
If your boss harasses you, retaliates against you, or ignores you, don’t worry—HR will investigate, declare “nothing to see here,” and send you back to work with a smiley face sticker. If HR investigations are compromised by friendships, if complaints are routinely dismissed, and if leadership emails frame whistleblowers and bloggers as troublemakers, then what’s left?
HR is supposed to be the department that listens to employees, investigates fairly, and upholds ethical standards. In the City of Frisco, it looks more like a PR machine for management—a department where loyalty matters more than integrity.
So, what do employees do when the “system” is dirty? When internal complaints vanish into thin air, when investigations return with “nothing to see here,” and when leadership paints critics as nuisances?
They speak out. They share their stories. They find outside platforms—like this one—because silence only protects those in power.
Final Thought
Frisco’s HR Department doesn’t need a “new leader.” It needs an exorcism.
Until then, employees will keep doing what they’ve been forced to do: whisper, leak, and share their stories elsewhere. Because when the system is this dirty, outside voices aren’t a nuisance; they’re a lifeline.
Wes Pierson’s email may have been intended as reassurance, but instead it raises more questions than answers. With Kathy Shields at the helm, and the HR department’s credibility already on life support, employees are right to wonder: Is anyone in Frisco HR truly on their side?
So yes, Wes, people are going to talk. And if that “disappoints” you? Good. Maybe disappointment is exactly what City Hall needs. Until we see transparency and accountability, this isn’t an HR “reset.” It’s just business as usual with a new nameplate on the door.
Disclaimer: This blog includes satire, parody, and comic relief. It contains summarized accounts created solely for humor and commentary. Any resemblance to real events is either coincidental or intentionally satirical. Reader discretion — and a sense of humor — are advised.
Tammy Meinershagen speaks of how she loves “governance” and that is her favorite part of the job as a councilwoman. One “best practice” and vital component of good governance is transparency. Why is transparency so important? It boosts public trust, confidence, and citizen participation. Transparency has become a virtue in public management and public policymaking. It is an important democratic value that a trustworthy, high-performing, and responsible government pursues.
WHY IS FRISCO NOT TRANSPARENT?
We have to assume everyone reading our blog is new and may not have read previous blogs. In 2023, when Mayor Cheney was running for re-election against Retired Former Fire Chief, Mark Piland we wrote the blog Tangled Web of Lies (click on the title to read it) which detailed out how acting HR Director Sassy Lauren Safranek set in motion a calculated witch hunt to protect her job and wrongdoing against then Fire Chief, Mark Piland.
Why is that blog so important? In it, we mentioned that on April 4, 2024, the Frisco City Council, after emerging from an executive session, voted on one item from its executive agenda. “In connection with item No. 2A, ii on tonight’s agenda, Bill Woodward made a motion, “I move to authorize the city manager to release the second investigative report, dated Sept. 1, 2022, concerning Mark Piland.” That night, the Frisco City Council, with a 5-0 vote, moved to pass the motion. Mayor Cheney conveniently recused himself. It is important to note that Bill Woodard, Angelia Pelham, John Keating, and Tammy Meinershagen had already endorsed and been helping with Mayor Cheney’s re-election campaign. That night, it was clear the release of this document was designed to be a political hit job. Since that night, Woodard also ran a PAC against our Firefighters and started the Vote Yes for Broadway PAC with Tammy Meinershagen.
CLEARLY, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WERE COMPROMISED AND SHOULD HAVE ALSO ALL RECUSED THEMSELVES ALONG WITH JEFF CHENEY! BETTER YET, IT SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN VOTED ON BY THE COUNCIL MEMBERS – WHY NOT SEND IT TO THE AG INSTEAD?
They didn’t want to wait 45 to 60 days because that would have been “after the election,” and they were worried Mark Piland might win. So, shaking in their boots, they took it upon themselves to vote at the council. The same council that determines ethical complaints against each other!
Fast forward to 2025 and we write our blog City Hall’s Troubled Seas last week that questions why “TOP BRASS” HR Director, Sassy Lauren Safranek and Assistant HR Director, Jacinta Shanks just vanished into the dark night. Missing for weeks, internal sources telling us that they both had been suspended, investigations were ongoing, and their return dates to the office were unknown made us file some PIR’s for more information.
FIRST PIR REQUEST: JACINTA SHANKS
4/1/2025: FWB Filed the Public Information Request
“We would like all documents and information regarding the investigation into, administrative leave of, and outcome of Jacinta Shanks – HR. We would like any and all investigative records, including emails, screenshots, and messages regarding Jacinta Shanks and fellow employees that refer to them making racist remarks/comments to other black subordinates, disparaging employees, and making fun of other employees. We would like to know if Jacinta Shanks received a promotion after this investigation.”
4/16/2025: City of Frisco responds and asks us to “CLAIRFY” our request to the city
4/22/2025: FWB replied to the request
5/7/2025: We assumed in the eye of “GOOD GOVERNANCE” they city would be transparent just like they have been with previous employees, right? No. Absolutely Not!
We received the response that reads, “The City of Frisco has reviewed its files, and has located documents responsive to your request. However, due to issues of confidentiality, the City has chosen to seek a ruling from the Office of the Attorney General regarding the release of the responsive documents. Please see attached for a letter from Abernathy, Roeder, Boyd & Hullett, PC, attorneys for the City of Frisco, informing you of the City’s decision to seek a ruling from the Office of the Attorney General. The Office of the Attorney General has up to 45 business days in which to make a ruling regarding your request.”
SECOND PIR REQUEST INTO JACINTA SHANKS AND JIREH SHOE
4/1/2025: FWB filed a PIR Request
We also filed a second PIR that reads, “Related to the Jacinta Shanks and Jireh Shoe Investigations or any other HR employees. We would like a copy of any NDA signed by a new employee related to their failure during the probation period. We would like to know if any female employee received a payout or payment related to this investigation, was asked to sign an NDA, who was released, terminated, removed, etc for failing their probation period.”
4/11/2025: City of Frisco responds and asks us to “CLAIRFY” our request to the city (sound familiar)
4/22/2025: FWB replied to the request
1. Jacinta Shanks and Jireh Shoe Investigations: We are specifically requesting any investigative reports, findings, HR communications, termination notices, or disciplinary actions related to Jacinta Shanks and Jireh Shoe. If these individuals were involved in internal investigations conducted by HR or Legal, we request all documents reflecting: • The nature of the investigation • Dates of the investigation • Parties interviewed or named • Final outcomes or recommendations • Settlement agreements, if applicable
2. NDAs Signed by New Employees Who Did Not Complete Probation We are requesting copies of any Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) signed between January 1, 2021, and April 1, 2025, by employees of the HR Department who were released, terminated, or resigned before completing their probationary period. If a list of names is required to narrow this down, we ask the City to identify individuals who meet the criteria during that time frame so we can refine accordingly.
3. Female Employees—Payments or NDAs Related to HR Investigations We are seeking records that show whether any female employee involved in an HR investigations between January 1, 2021, and April 1, 2025: • Received a financial payout or settlement (voluntary or involuntary separation) • Was asked or required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement • Was terminated, released, or otherwise separated during or at the end of probation These may include settlement agreements, NDAs, HR exit memos, or other documents reflecting these outcomes.
We are not asking the City to answer legal questions—only to provide existing documents that meet the above clarified criteria. If there is a more efficient way to identify the documents—such as a keyword search (e.g., “probation,” “settlement,” “NDA,” “termination”) or a specific custodian of records—please advise. We are happy to work with you to facilitate this.
5/7/2025: Guess what, we assumed for a second time that in the eye of “GOOD GOVERNANCE” they city would be transparent. I bet you can guess their response; it was identical to our other PIR. Literally, identical!
We received the exact same response as the first PIR which reads, “The City of Frisco has reviewed its files, and has located documents responsive to your request. However, due to issues of confidentiality, the City has chosen to seek a ruling from the Office of the Attorney General regarding the release of the responsive documents. Please see attached for a letter from Abernathy, Roeder, Boyd & Hullett, PC, attorneys for the City of Frisco, informing you of the City’s decision to seek a ruling from the Office of the Attorney General. The Office of the Attorney General has up to 45 business days in which to make a ruling regarding your request.”
THIRD PIR WE ARE FILING NOW: Lauren Safranek HR
Now we are going to file a PIR for everything related to Sassy Lauren Safranek and what do you want to bet, we are going to get the same response. Using delay tactics to push it out, then send it to the AG to further delay it. Why? What do they not want to come out before you and I vote at the polls? The delay is purposeful and if they truly wanted to show “GOOD GOVERNANCE” – Tammy Meinershagen couldn’t you vote to release the files? Lead the charge for transparency!
GOOD GOVERNANCE: JUST VOTE ON IT!
In our opinion, the city set a precedent with Mark Piland on what is or is not confidential in an employee’s HR file when they went to the council and voted to release his record, especially when that vote was by four members of the council who endorsed and were working on Mayor Cheney’s campaign against that employee. So why can’t they vote again to release the HR file for Safranek, Shanks, and anyone else in the HR investigation? Show the voters you have nothing to hide and that it is consistency of GOOD GOVERNANCE.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
We think all the citizens of Frisco who want transparent communication should email the city attorney’s office, the entire city council, and the City Manager’s office, demanding the release of all documents from the HR Department investigation, just like they did with Former Fire Chief, Mark Piland. If there is an issue, they should be able to vote on it at a city council meeting. We would expect the same transparency in a 5-0 vote to release it. Because good governance is transparent, right?
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing as a citizen of Frisco to request full transparency on behalf of the city, to release all HR documents related to the HR investigation into Jacinta Shanks, Lauren Safranek, and any other employee. For us to trust our city government, we need to see transparency, even if that means it has to go to a vote at the city council meeting to be released.
What are they hiding? It should alarm citizens that the city will vote to release one employee’s or a former employee’s records and not release others. One was running against the mayor for office, while the others were not. If you didn’t believe us in 2023 when we called it a political hatchet job, then you should believe us now! Why else would they fight the release of HR records for other employees under investigation?
HR-GONE: The Mysterious Disappearance of Frisco’s Human Resources Trio
It’s been unusually quiet over at City Hall lately. It’s the kind of quiet that screams “Something’s rotten in the records room.” While most departments are humming along in their usual bureaucratic fog, the stench of an investigation is sweeping the building due to some major “Absences.”
A few weeks ago, Lauren “Sassy” Safranek and Jacinta Shanks, top brass in Frisco’s Human Resources Department, vanished like a bowl of queso at a Friday Night tailgate. Gone. Poof. Not a peep. Did they get lost on a ship stuck in troubled seas? Maybe they went ice fishing and fell in the hole? It’s like they just pulled a Houdini!
We reached out to some of our sources inside city hall. When something like this happens, it does not take long for whispers and rumors to begin. One whistleblower told us, “One minute they’re steering the ship, the next day they’re gone like a Margarita on Cinco de Mayo.” Did they quit? Nope. Did they announce a vacation? Were they abducted by an alien spaceship sent by fed-up municipal employees?
I mean, it’s not the craziest theory on the table. What we do know is this: Multiple sources allege they’re on administrative leave—which in government-speak often translates to: “Something’s gone sideways, and we’re pretending we have it under control.”
Rumor Tornado: Allegations Aplenty
Cue the local rumor mill which is working overtime, spinning out allegations faster than a ceiling fan in an August heatwave. Allegations range from forged documents, toxic workplace culture, and racist comments. And while we’d love to dismiss it all as wild conspiracy, here’s the truth: When that much smoke is circling, it usually ain’t from a scented candle. For a city who claims to have pride in their professionalism and diversity, something like this is not just smoke, somewhere there is a fire! Someone call the Fire Department!! (more about that in a sec)
If things weren’t already murky enough, we got word that Shamaria, another key player in HR, is also out. Administrative leave too? Vacation? Witness protection? We hope to tell you soon why people are just vanishing from the organization chart. We are just giving the city the courtesy of a comment request before we move forward. For now, they think no one’s talking. Not the city, not the employees, not even a cryptic passive-aggressive Nextdoor post. However, that is simply not true! They have more cracks and leaks than the Titanic.
At least when you email any of them you get back the “official” statement which is a robotic Out-of-Office reply that reads like it was written by ChatGPT on Ambien. The silence is deafening. No answers. No updates. Not even a cryptic “thoughts and prayers” from City Hall. So, what did we find?
HR Hotline Tellanovella
Case 61: Discrimination or Harassment! It was filed on 4/25/23 and closed one month later on 5/23/23 and the person identified in the behavior was none other than Jacinta Shanks – HR Manager. The report goes on to say that on April 10th while the Director was away, Jacinta pulled her staff into a meeting and yelled and screamed at them for two hours. It reads “she was screaming that they were bad in their roles in HR, was name calling, cussing, screaming, etc.” Not only could she be heard yelling through the department, but she could heard in the hallway too which the reporter said was abusive and unprofessional. The end result? The case was closed and no evidence was found.
Case 62: Listed as “OTHER” was reported on 5/4/23 and closed on 5/23/23. The hotline complaint is about the same “April 10th Issue” listed in Case 61 but this time the complaint is the initial report was closed out and never investigated by the HR Director, Laurn Safranek.
Case 64: Falsification of Contracts, Reports or Records was reported on 5/29/23 and closed out 6/22/23. We reported this in our Twelve Days of Christmas Blog back in 2023. It was Day 3: Case 64 & HR Malfeasance and Day 9: Case 64 Responses. You can just click the Case names, and it will take you directly to those blogs. We know for a fact his true and it is why Lauren Safranek used a fake investigation to go after the Former Fire Chief, to cover up her own fraud. The complaint was closed out due to NO EVIDENCE FOUND!
Meanwhile, Over in the Fire Department…
You’d hope that while HR has hit the skids, all the other departments would be cruising along smoothly, right? Wrong.
Five employees have recently left the Frisco Fire Department. We’re not talking about minor attrition here—we’re talking about experienced professionals pulling the ripcord. Some retired early, which means, “I’m out of here because this will never get better,” while others just walked out of the job.
Why? The unofficial rumor is due to the lack of true Fire Department leadership and lack of support by city management. Tammy’s recent comments “caught on tape” sure didn’t help when they were called 300lb Bullies. They have realized it is not going to get better without change on the Dias and new fresh minds sitting in the seats on the council. Maybe that is why the Frisco Firefighters Association and Frisco Police Officers Association has endorsed Burt Thakur and Jared Elad in the runoff. One thing is clear for sure those that put their life on the line to save our lives and our property are sick of the city’s BS and jumping off the Titanic early while there is still a lifeboat to get them somewhere else.
Damage Control in Public Works?
HR, then the Fire Department? Surely, it’s a fluke – nothing to worry about, right? Wrong. Just a few weeks ago a lady spoke at citizens input about the “issues” in public works and how she was upset that a letter she sent it to recognize someone was never given to them. Well turns out there is a flood in the Public Works Department too and it goes back several years.
Sometime in 2024, Lauren Safranek (HR – now allegedly out on administrative leave) hired an outside HR Consulting Company, called Kathy Shields Consulting, to investigate the “alleged complaints through the HR hotline of an inappropriate relationship.” That’s right, the “ALLEGED” complaints involve Lover Boy, Kevin Grant, his alleged girlfriend, Loosey Goosey Gloria Martinez (who is married to someone else who works in the city).
Sources from deep in city leadership told us NDA’s were required by everyone in Public Works. The affair is alleged to have been happening for several years now, and the consultants couldn’t understand why people were bothered by it. Well, when one who is loosey goosey starts to get promotions and special treatment you can see why it would upset those that work around her.
Piling High HR Allegations in Public Works
Case 55: Time Abuse was reported on 1/3/23 and closed on 1/30/23. The report reads that Office Manager, Gloria Martinez and Kevin Grant, Assistant Director for months would go off during work hours to donate plasma for extra money while still on the clock (meaning they were stealing taxpayer dollars and being paid for it). The confidential reporters said they believed the stolen time was equal to $50,000 dollars. Their report continued with all the CSR’s and other direct reports were aware of the happenings. HR found no evidence and closed the case.
Case 57: Offensive and Inappropriate Communication was reported on 3/17/23 and closed on 5/8/23. This report is about Marvin Redmond, a Supervisor and foul mouth in the office. HR found no evidence and closed the case.
Case 58: Nepotism/Favoritism Inappropriate Workplace Relationship was reported on 3/20/23 and closed on 4/11/23. The report says Kevin Grant, Assistant Director of Public Works and Gloria Martinez, Office Admin, are having an inappropriate relationship and disappear at different times of the day for extended periods. It mentions Kevin has a DUI so he gets Gloria to drive him everywhere. They openly flirt in the office making others uncomfortable and awkward. The Director of Public Works, Gabe appears to do nothing and turns a blind eye. HR found no evidence and closed the case.
Case 59: Violation of Policy was reported on 3/20/23 and closed on 4/12/23. The report states that Gabe Johnson, the Director of Public Works knows that Kevin Grant, Assistant Director of Public Works was convicted of a DUI which is an issue because driving a city vehicle is part of his job to check on employees and job sites. The report notes others have been fired in the past for DUI’s but this time Gabe choses to look the other way. HR found no evidence and closed the case.
Interesting thing here, we did a simple search, and we found a DUI for a Kevin Grant – could it be the same Kevin Grant that works at the City of Frisco driving city vehicles?
Case 84/85/86/87/88: Multiple Reports about Public Works and the HR Cover up also reported to the hotline in 2024/25. The first starts with a 3-page complaint about Gloria Martinez, the Strategic Services Manager in Public Works (new title), related to her behavior and ongoing love affair with her boss. The case was closed when NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND!
We could keep going, but we don’t want to sound like a broken record. Sources from deep in city leadership told us NDA’s were required by everyone in Public Works during the investigation. The consultants couldn’t understand why people were bothered by it. Our guess, when one who is loosey goosey starts to get promotions and special treatment, you can see why it would upset those who work around her.
What we find interesting is each time they are closed due to no evidence found. One report, I could see its just petty employee behavior but when you have multiple reports in multiple departments and they are always investigated by the same HR folk (who are even named in the complaint) something tells me – there is some rotting shit in Denmark.
Let’s Talk About Leadership — Or Lack Thereof
Enter Wes Pierson, Frisco’s relatively new City Manager. According to the Tammy tapes, she just finished his “yearly review.” Don’t worry, we are filing a PIR for that blow pop sucker!
To hear some folks inside City Hall tell it, Wes didn’t just walk in with a chip on his shoulder—he brought the whole bag of chips on this back. There’s a growing sentiment that his arrogant, top-down leadership style is rubbing people the wrong way, all the way down to those “entry level employees.” Micromanaging? Check. Intimidating culture? Double check. Open-door policy? Not unless you’re bringing praise, apparently.
And here’s the kicker: this isn’t Wes’s first rodeo when it comes to morale problems.
Sources from his previous job in Addison say the same script played out there. Multiple departures. Low morale. Leadership complaints. Sound familiar? Because it should. History doesn’t repeat, but it sure rhymes.
Walking on Eggshells
Maybe it’s time we stopped asking what happened and started asking who’s driving the bus at the city. Insiders describe the current vibe inside City Hall as “walking on eggshells.” But in the absence of information, people fill in the blanks themselves—and right now, that blank is filled with rumors, stress, and enough anxiety to power every Keurig in the building. However our City Council Members want you to believe everything is just dandy – and the truth is the cancer is all over the city including our City Council.
Final Thoughts
To the City of Frisco: This isn’t Mean Girls. We get that HR matters can be sensitive and complex. But people deserve a straight answer—or at the very least, an acknowledgment that something is amiss. And to Mr. Pierson: you were brought in to lead, not reign. Arrogance isn’t management.Intimidation isn’t accountability. And silence isn’t transparency.
The people who make this city run—from dispatchers to developers—deserve better than this circus. We’ve got talent walking out the door, departments on edge, and a leadership team that thinks “no comment” is good enough. Then to top off the Sunday, we have city council members getting caught on tape showing their authentic self in a safe space, acting no better than some of the city “employees” she thumbs her nose up at, who work for our city. Too bad we can’t file an HR Complaint with the hotline about Tammy.
If you read this and don’t think we need a change in our city, you are simply delusional! If you want to try and discredit us because we are anonymous – go ahead. Companies and cities cannot operate this way.
Years of HR HOTLINE COMPLAINTS, which name HR as part of the problem investigated by none other than HR. Simple No Evidence Found! Years of complaints about issues in Public Works, but simply no evidence found! More reports about other departments from PD, Facilities / Maintenance, and Professional Services, simple, no evidence found!
A city’s HR Team doesn’t go POOF IN THE NIGHT, unless there is a serious issue! If you want to believe our Fire Department is a group of bullies, we can’t change your mind. The fact is that a fire department does not lose tenure like our department has in one year unless there is a reason for it. If you want to believe that our Public Works department has no issues after 15+ complaints have been reported for the same thing by different people, then we can’t change your mind. How many cities have to hire this many outside consultants or investigators to look at an issue and still find no evidence? What you should care about is that it is your tax dollars paying for it.
For years, the city has operated with the mentality to protect the ones they like and cut the ones that could or will “uncover the problem”. Hence, our former Fire Chief and several other employees across other city departments. If you want to blame the wrong people and keep denying there is a problem, better yet, that there is a cancer in the city that starts at the top, then you are blind and stupid. The problem starts with our city council leaders and trickles down through the city. I would love for someone to explain to me how one city has so many problems! Don’t believe us, fine! We can’t make you see what you choose to close your eyes to. Just continue to be sheep!
City of Frisco Motto: Keep the cancer, eat the innocent!
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!
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