The other day I was reading an article about the most common 6 phrases people say to gaslight and manipulate you. What is gaslighting? It is a manipulation tactic often wielded by emotional disruptive abusers and is insidious in nature making it hard for a person to recognize the tactic is happening. What happens when someone tries to gaslight you?
Gradually you begin to question your own judgement, memories, feelings and questioning reality. The article quoted therapist Shannon Thomas who stated that “people who cannot authentically argue their point of view or stand behind their words turn to gaslighting as a tool.” She went on to say ’they resort to confusion creating tactics, and that it really is a true sign of character weakness.”
It made me think back to our recent elections and the mixed messaging the city tried to sell to citizens while attacking our Frisco Firefighters relentlessly while also saying they support our first responders and dedicate at least ½ our annual budget to public safety. They also attacked and tried to destroy the reputation of Former Fire Chief, Mark Piland by saying he was the problem and the reason for the low morale. The solution, to make Lee Glover, the new “SAVING GRACE” Fire Chief. Based on the In-Service notes we have reviewed, the city may have failed “BIG TIME” and the leader driving the bus is our very own City Manager, Wes Pierson!
After the election was over there was a large disdain between our Fire Department and the city so they planned a weeklong set of In-Service Meetings, aka “Healing Sessions” to listen to the firefighters’ concerns. We filed a PIR for anything related to those meetings and after reading the 50+ page report of notes one thing became very clear, the city council knowingly and repeatedly lied to citizens during the election.
Example 1: The Vote No PAC, funded by Frisco Developers, and run by Mayor Pro Tem Bill Woodard
Councilman Woodard was interviewed by Jack Fink with CBS Texas and when asked why the Fire Fighters were bringing the propositions to the ballot, he specifically said due to the “FORMER LEADERSHIP” of the department, referring to Former Fire Chief Mark Piland. We assumed we would see some of those issues noted in this 50+ page report, however only 2 comments were made, which is one the environment is a little more relaxed now (uniforms) and that Piland may have tended to over communicate to the department.
However, they had a lot to say about the current Fire Chief, Lee Glover. When it comes to budgeting and purchasing new equipment, they feel the Chief Glover is out of touch with today’s firefighting tactics. Firefighters said Glovers’ only tactic since arriving has been cost cutting measures to look good to the City Manager’s Office and council and that means he his neglecting his duty to his command.
Remember the Blood Program, otherwise known as which was carried by the Squad Unit? Refresh your memory by reading our older articles “Another One Bites The Dust” and “Make It Look Pretty.” At the time Councilman Woodard was the “city mouthpiece” across social media supporting Glover’s decision to end the Squad program and transfer the blood program to two battalion chief vehicles. The report talks about Glover’s cost cutting measures and how the firefighters believe removing the Squad Unit and transferring the Blood Program was a huge failure as it took away two extra working people on calls and losing the expertise of the Squad members could be and will be deadly to citizens.
What is the end result of the firefighter’s statement above about their concerns with Glover being out of touch with today’s firefighting tactics? Chief Glover has cut valid programs, training and they believe he is purchasing the wrong equipment. Glover has also de-incentivized training under his command, and today they have less training which is dangerous. Courses and training are required for promotions to the next rank and other departments pay for employees to attend training, but Glover is telling his command to “put stock in your own training.” As for equipment, Glover is buying more Quints -the big bulky fire trucks of the old days, which are hard to get around the neighborhood’s tight and crowded streets. The firefighters prefer more engines and tillers. We are told engines are quicker and shorter in size making them a better choice. We are also told the tillers are an advantageous truck because they can go anywhere, carries more tools and is quicker to vent with 107’ ladder.
Are we done yet? Oh no, we are just getting started! There is so much to go over that we are going to break it up into multiple articles this week. Tonight, we leave you with three questions:
1. Why is the City Council and City Manager gaslighting residents into believing all of these issues are due to Former Fire Chief Piland who was endorsed by the Frisco Firefighters Assocation this year during the election?
2. Why is the City Council and City Manager gaslighting residents into thinking the problem is our Fire Association, who they called Greedy Bastards, power hungry and lazy during the election?
3. Why is the City Council and City Manager dying on a sharp sword for Fire Chief Lee Glover who in all respects to his command his nowhere to be found and neglecting his duty to his command?
We leave you with a strong remark in the In-Service notes which we stated above, “Firefighters believe Glover’s only goal is to look good to the City Manager’s Office and City Council which results in him neglecting his duty to his command.” ….. come back tomorrow for part two
UPDATE: PLEASE NOTE WE HAVE MADE CORRECTIONS TO OUR ARTICLE BASED ON MORE DETAILS RECEIVED. CORRECTIONS CAN BE NOTED IN RED OR WITH A STRIKETHROUGH MARK.
Tick-tock, tick-tock sounds the clock! Days go by, and the tick-tock never seems to stop. Meanwhile City of Frisco leadership sits behind closed doors while we watch the clock, just tick-tock! Precious moments fading away and citizens still are not standing up to ask, is everything okay? What happens when time runs out…? Tick-tock they will try to approve a $300-$500 million dollar Performing Arts Center and announce they plan to raise taxes!
Back on June 18th at the Budget and Audit Committee Meeting we learned from the agenda that both the Committee Chair – Councilman Bill Woodard and Committee Members –Councilwomen Angelia Pelham and Laura Rummel were present. They had a discussion regarding the “PRELIMINARY FY 2025 Budget” and our Chief Financial Officer, Derrick Cotton talked about potential revenue generating items. It is the last paragraph where it says Mr. Cotton talks about the “Homestead Exemption” and presented changes in the adjusted taxable values and discussed a possible tax rate change for FY25 that had our attention.
They plan to pick up the discussion this Tuesday August 6th at 3pm at the next Budget and Audit Committee Meeting. Then we noticed Tuesday nights city council meeting Agenda Item 32 calls for a public hearing on the FY 25 budget. In fact, the city memo reads “Consider and act upon adoption of a Resolution calling for a public hearing on the City of Frisco FY 2025 Budget, Frisco Economic Development Corporation FY 2025 Budget, and Frisco Community Development Corporation FY 2025 Budget. (Budget/TA)”
Why does a city call for a public hearing on the potential adoptions of the budget? Well according to Texas Local Government Code, Title 4: Finances, Subtitle A – Municipal Finances, Chapter 102 – Municipal Budget (wow that’s a mouth full) there are several reasons. Section 102.005 specifically states that if they are proposing a budget change it must be available for public inspection.
(b) A proposed budget that will require raising more revenue from property taxes than in the previous yearmust contain a cover page with the following statement in 18-point or larger type: “This budget will raise more total property taxes than last year’s budget by (insert total dollar amount of increase and percentage increase), and of that amount (insert amount computed by multiplying the proposed tax rate by the value of new property added to the roll) is tax revenue to be raised from new property added to the tax roll this year.”
Once they conclude that so called “PUBLIC HEARING” they can adopt a budget according to the law. So based on what they have been discussing, based on the public hearings they have quietly posted, we can guarantee you the city is about to announce a Tax Increase! Right now, those city leaders are just hoping you are not paying attention and all the other political distractions around the country will keep you from recognizing the destructive path they are.
Now you should say, wait a damn minute Mayor Cheney – you just ran a year ago on the fact you have lowered taxes. Let’s not forget John Keating and Angelia making the 2024 rounds campaigning for your vote claiming they lowered taxes and plan to continue lowering taxes, but all the while they knew they were going to propose an out of this world Performing Arts Center and raise taxes.
Didn’t this city council pull out all the stops to get votes to VOTE NO against the Fire Fighters because they claimed it “WOULD INCREASE TAXES” when they already knew they were going to do it anyways? What they were not telling you then is they planned to raise taxes but just for things they want for their own selfish reasons. Who cares what citizens actually need….
In a time when inflation is high and we are facing a presidential election these mice are running around in the clock hoping we don’t pay attention to the TICK-TOCK, TICK-TOCK of the clock. If any one of our council members vote to raise taxes – VOTE THEM OUT! Why are we, one of the flushest cities, according to Cheney talking about revenue generating ways for the city to make money. It is simple, CHENEY-VILLE COSTS A LOT TO BUILD. The old red head wants you to just do as he say’s and not ask questions ASK QUESTIONS!
Unless you are Cheech & Chong who smoke too much weed or ate one too many gummies, then you know when you hear the words Fields Frisco it is referring to Fehmi Karahans development on the Northwest side of Frisco next to the Frisco PGA. According to the Fields Frisco website, Fields is built on the big idea that when you build something so different, so magical and so enticing, they will come. Built on the big idea that pure and simple architecture is elegant, fresh and true to its core. Built on the big idea that the great outdoors is equally as important as the great indoors. So, we’re making both great.
We initially thought that Fehmi Karahan must have liked the movie Field of Dreams. Then we thought, maybe he read our blog Field of Dreams where we told you about a 2019 email involving Mayor Jeff Cheney and the “UNOFFICIAL VIP LOT LIST” he was pitching at fancy dinners. Either way, Fields Frisco is already known for its steep slopes, breathtaking views, and the winding creeks and trails soon to come. Of course, it is also known for being the development with the most exclusive new neighborhood being built called “The Preserve” aka the ESPN lots, that will look over the new PGA Frisco golf courses.
Screenshot
We have been following this development very closely and written several blogs on questionable business relationships that have come from it and “expanded” some political pockets in town. We have also called out our current leadership and their need to recuse them self from certain votes due to potential conflicts of interest we felt existed. You also know we follow the city council meetings closely and review the agendas when they are released looking for hidden agenda items.
When the agenda came out for the January 16, 2024, City Council meeting we reviewed it as normal, and nothing really stood out. Then while watching the council meeting, we were surprised after the reading of Agenda Item #60 when out of nowhere Mayor Cheney and John Keating announced they would be recusing themselves from the vote and discussion on the agenda item. The agenda item reads, “Consider and act upon approval of proposed modifications to Table 4-1 as permitted by Planned Development-280. Zoned Planned Development-280. Neighborhood #3, #52, and #53. Applicant: Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.” Seems pretty generic right?
What is Agenda Item 60 about? The Preserve at Fields Frisco! We decided to file a PIR for the recusal paperwork to learn more. At the meeting, Mayor Cheney announced he had clients who purchased in The Preserve. The recusal paperwork states he had a conflict with the agenda item as it could have a benefit of ECONOMIC INTERESTS for 1) myself and/or one of more persons related to me or 2) my client or customer. Economic Interest refers to a legal or equitable interest in real property, personal property or contractual rights with a value of more than $50,000.
Then we noticed an asterisk that says for the purpose of Section C of this Affidavit, a “person related to me” refers to a person within the second degree of consanguinity (parent or child, sibling, grandparent) or the second degree of affinity (spouse or in-law). Now this has got our attention because we have said for almost two years that Jeff Cheney had a lot in The Preserve right next door to his best buddy John Keating. We wrote about it in our blog The Preserve Lots and showed you the plat map photo taken from a builder’s office. Cheney has repeatedly denied to the public, the Dallas Morning News, to other outlets about owning any property in The Preserve.
We know Cheney and his brokerage have sold lots in The Preserve which has not stopped him in the past from speaking on agenda items or overseeing council votes on the issue. So why now? Why is Mayor and Real Estate Mogul Jeff Cheney RECUSING himself and claiming ECONOMIC INTEREST now? We are interested in what you think. Do you think Cheney owns a lot in The Preserve? Do you think he could have bought a lot for “some clients” meaning he put in a family member’s name? He knows if we find a lot in his name it will show him as a liar, especially if it is one of those great ESPN lots on the bluff over the 8 hole that sold out rather quickly on the street nicknamed “Billionaires Row.”
Next, we looked at John Keatings recusal paperwork from the same meeting and same agenda item. Remember he announced he had purchased a lot and while the lot was still in the builders name, he would be closing on it in the coming months, so he needed to recuse himself. Keating checked the Real Property option which states, I and/or one or more person’s related to me have an interest in real property with a fair market value of $2500 or more that is involved in the agenda item, or located within 200 feet of that property, and it is reasonably foreseeable that action on the item will have a special economic effect on the value of the property. It then denotes with an asterisk that a “person related to me” refers to a person within the 1st degree meaning a parent, child or spouse.
Our questions for Keating are obvious, he has openly declared on financial forms he was a “househusband” while married to his former wife. After being a stay-at-home dad and cheating on his wife of 20+ years who filed for divorce, he either A) got a lofty divorce settlement to buy a home in the most prestigious new gated community in Frisco or B) won the lottery. While Mr. Keating does have his REAL ESTATE LICENSE NOW, we cannot find any listings he has sold to show he made an income in the last year. We also don’t think military benefits are enough for a home in the new most “exclusive Frisco neighborhood” The Preserve.
Now fast forward to May 7, 2024, and the Consent Agenda Item #16 that reads “Consider and act upon authorizing the City Manager to execute a Third Amendment to the Second Development Agreement by and between the City of Frisco and the following Delaware limited partnerships: FHQ Development Partners LP F/K/A FHQ Holdings LP, Fields Preserve Investment Partners LP, Fields Midtown West Investment Partners LP, Fields Point West Investment Partners LP, Fields Midtown East Investment Partners LP, Fields East Village Investment Partners LP, Fields Point East Investment Partners LP, North Fields Investment Partners, LP, and Fields University Village Investment Partners LP. (CMO/MD)”
Item 16 is a development agreement, between the City and Developer, related to the public infrastructure construction and assessments dated February 10, 2021. In a nutshell, the Developer is responsible for the delivery of certain defined roadways, hike and bike trails and related infrastructure called “Developer Improvements” for the Fields project. We would assume those “Developer Improvements” would have a direct correlation to the value of the properties Cheney’s clients and Keating purchased which means they pulled the item from the consent agenda to recuse themselves from the vote on the item correct? No, they did not and in fact it was Mayor Pro-Tem John Keating who moved to approve the Consent Agenda item with Angelia Pelham seconding his motion. Why did they not pull the item and recuse themselves this time?
Then just two weeks later at the May 21, 2024, council meeting we found Agenda Item 21 on the Consent Agenda which states, “Consider and act upon authorizing the City Manager to modify the Deed of Trust as security in lieu of physical improvements for final acceptance.” We learned the agenda item is also about The Preserve Phase 1 and 2 private gated subdivisions currently under construction. The developer was requesting final acceptance on both phases prior to final completion. The acceptance is for landscaping (including screening; hardscape; plantings of trees, shrubs, sod, plants, etc.; soils; and fine grading), irrigation improvements, sidewalks, barrier-free ramps, pavers, permanent signage, and all other appurtenances and improvements related thereto. A Deed of Trust was approved by Council as a part of the Fields Second Development Agreement.
We can only assume that landscaping and the so-called improvements listed above would also have a direct correlation to the value of the properties Cheney’s clients and John Keating purchased. They obviously pulled the item from the Consent Agenda and then recused themselves, right? Nope! John Keating was the first to recommend passing the consent agenda as is. Should he have voted on this project as it directly affects the “REAL PROPERTY” he now is closing on in The Preserve?
In closing, we would love for you to comment on this blog and answer the following questions. Do you believe Jeff Cheney owns a lot in The Preserve under his name or a relative’s name? Do you think they should have to recuse themself from any item on the agenda that is related to Fields Development? Why do you think after all these years Mayor Jeff Cheney and Real Estate Mogul Cheney is now claiming the need to recuse himself when has had clients buy in this community since it was announced? Agents within his brokerage, that he owns, have sold homes in this community which means he got paid as the broker. Why is there just now a CONFLICT OF INTEREST? Last question, why do you think the city intentionally hides the development names on the Agenda Item? Do you think the agenda’s need to be more forthcoming so citizens can clearly see what is coming before the council?
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!
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
Diversity refers to the presence of a variety of people, cultures, races, religions, and more that make up a local community. Growing up in another country we traveled to many destinations and that allowed us to learn about diversity and different cultures in our early developmental years. It was eye-opening and breathtaking, and little did we know it was exposing us to the diversity in those local communities. My dad loved talking to the locals, eating local foods, and doing what the locals did. Those are some of the best memories that I carry with me today.
Now as a dad and granddad, I try to expose them to the same blessings bestowed upon me by my father. A few years ago, my grandkids said, Papa can we go to the event where they throw colors all around and get dirty? I explained to them that Holi or the Festival of Colors, was a religious Hindu event to mark spring’s arrival and the triumph of good over evil. I explained to them it was rooted in ancient traditions, and that it is one of the most prominent Hindu celebrations next to Diwali, the Festival of Lights. The kids were excited to learn more and understand it better and now we take them every year. By attending the event they had fun, made new friends, and learned that diversity in a community is a great thing.
Frisco is growing so much that in 2017, Mayor Cheney created an ad hoc committee on fostering communication between the city’s Asian Indian community and city leadership. The Frisco Indian Affairs Committee defined its mission through four pillars: community outreach, civic engagement, philanthropy, and events. At the time it was created, the Indian community was made up of about 35,000 residents and that has only increased with rapid growth in our region. With the rapid growth of the Indian American community comes a significant political constituency. An online survey conducted in September 2020 showed that while holding relatively liberal views when it comes to US politics, Indian Americans are conservative when it comes to issues back in India.
Over the last few months, we have received several emails from different followers living in our Indian American community here in Frisco. Surprisingly, they shared the same sentiment of concern over whether their community understands the effect of their voting power and how to choose the candidate who will best represent or include their community. They explained that the “leaders” of the community with a substantial presence generally “guide others” on who to vote for. They are concerned some leaders have ulterior motives and may not be doing what is best for the community, but what is best for them. So, we decided to investigate one.
One leader in the Indian American Community is Gopal Ponangi who currently sits on the Frisco Independent School Board. We pulled up his campaign finance reports for the period covering 01/01/2021 to 06/30/2021, expecting to see lots of donors but there were only three and each one donated $5000.00. The donors were Venu Bhagyanagar, Anand Chillappa, and Pavan Nellutla. Then one more donation for $500 from Dustin Paschal.
We pulled up his second campaign finance report from 07/01/2021 to 12/31/2021 and has a $200 donation from Angelia Pelham (current councilwoman), and $1000 from John Keating (current councilman). Under pledged contributions, you have Venu Bhagyanagar, Anand Chillappa, and Pavan Nellutla for $5000 each. Then there are several more from other individuals ranging from $50 to $1500.
Then we looked at his more recent campaign finance report for the period 7/1/22 through 12/31/22. We saw the same three names under pledged contributions: Venu Bhagyanagar, Anand Chillappa, Pavan Nellutla and each gave $5000 dollars.
At first glance, we notice several of his donations are from current or former members of city boards and commissions including Chinasatyam Veernapu – Parks and Recreation Board, Venu Bhagyanagar – Former Frisco Parks Recreation Board 2021, Pavan Raj Nellutla – Urban Forestry Board, Hitesh Naidu – Board of Adjustments / Construction Board of Appeals, and Venkat Mulukutla – Social Services & Housing Board. The other concern is the donations from Angelia Pelham and $1000 from John Keating.
Gopal appears to have a very vested interest in who he supports. Our question is, did Gopal Ponangi encourage his community to vote for the best candidates or the ones who donated to him? It also makes you wonder if his largest contributors sit on City boards and commissions, could that influence who he supports? Could it be a conflict if he wanted to endorse another candidate instead of the current sitting council members? Obviously, Gopal is not going to bite the hand that feeds his campaign contributions list.
Gopal was out at the polls on election day with Keating and he kept pulling people over and telling them how to vote. Then he had them take pictures with Mayor Cheney, which he later posted on his social media pages. We will talk more about that in another blog. More importantly, do these leaders show up throughout the year, or only annual events, and during election season?
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