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?
Oh, isn’t it just delightful how those oh-so-wise words we toss around like confetti have a remarkable talent for circling back and sinking their teeth into our proverbial posteriors? Leaders must know that every quote and comment can suddenly boomerang back with the precision of a guided missile, leaving them with nothing but a bruised ego and a newfound appreciation for silence. Ah, the sweet symphony of irony, where every syllable becomes a potential landmine in the minefield of conversation.
Over and over in this election, we have heard about the “Turnover Rate” in the Frisco Fire Department. We wanted to research it but without the data from the city, it is hard to tell how many good men and women have come and gone. What we do know is what is being told to us by our city leaders, but we were curious why the numbers keep changing. Angelia likes to throw out percentage rates when she talks, for example, the turnover rate in our FD is only 2%.
We are curious if that is 2% compared to other departments in the city. Is that 2% compared to other Fire Departments? Is that 2% compared to some other data? We don’t know! Then we received a text from the Vote No PAC, you know the one that is run by active Councilman Bill Woodard. As we started reading through the text, we saw the words union, union, union which is an obvious attempt to create fear as we said in our last blog. Then we get to the last sentence which states “Frisco Firefighters have a 1% turnover rate. Don’t be misled by Union lies and fear tactics!”
First, who is trying to mislead us? It is the city offering up different numbers to the same argument, not the firefighters. It is the city offering up a playbook of confusion as they like to call it, not the firefighters. We ask you, who do you believe?
We continued our journey going through weeks of material online that we could find when we came across this little nugget. At the SLAN Community Forum, a firefighter asked our current council members, now that the firefighters have asked several times for a “meet & confer” when the last time or how many times have you visited or stopped by a fire station. According to someone we emailed back and forth with who attended the event, they told us when the question was asked it changed the whole feeling in the ballroom, you heard a few oohs and aahs, and the audience waited on pins and needles for Keating and Pelham’s response.
Before we go any further, remember at the Frisco Chamber Forum Keating said true leaders admit to their mistakes (keep that in your back pocket). Keating starts to answer the question and he tells a story about the FD saving someone’s life recently, and then he talks about how if they hold events sometimes, they drop off the leftover food at the closest station. Then he said in the spirit of the question he would say probably…probably…probably (watch the video). PROBABLY MR. KEATING?
Then he goes on to say what could I do better, and talks about grocery stores, and how we get people from other cities who love to come here and think it’s remarkable the community is behind them. Keating continued to go on and it was painful for everyone, I am sure. At some point all we heard was Blah, Blah, Blah, and after it was over realized that was the most painful yet comical 2:15 minutes to listen to. To say Keating was anything other than a bumbling idiot would be a lie.
Next to the microphone was Angelia Pelham who quickly said she stopped by Station 6 to ask the question why they wanted to unionize. She said she didn’t get a lot of responses because “PEOPLE WERE NOT VERY COMFORTABLE GIVING DETAILS.” Well first, that is probably true since they don’t trust the leadership of which she is a part. Second, THEY CAN’T TALK TO YOU IN UNIFORM MS. PELHAM ABOUT POLITICS, and you as a councilwoman should have known that. Then her voice goes up a few octaves and in somewhat of a scolding manner she says I have talked to your brothers and sisters at Mochas and Javas or Starbucks across the street asking them when this is over how do we move forward. Then she threatened to “IF I HAVE TO CALL THEM OUT I WILL” which immediately told me everything. That is why the firefighters are afraid of retaliation for talking or using it against them when convenient for your political playbook.
Here is what residents should be concerned about, first her arrogant and cocky attitude. When you lose on May 4th what happens on May 5th? Can you foresee the future Ms. Pelham until the polls close and votes are cast for you to assume they are going to lose makes an ass of you. Then she says, “YOU WANT WHAT YOU WANT” and no one is willing to budge and someone in the room must be the adult to get past this. Ms. Pelham, it sounds like you want what you want. Do you even realize it came across as you were scolding a group of 15 to 20 grown men and woman firefighters in the open public of a ballroom shaking your hand or fist? Lastly, you stated if you want to talk to me, I will meet with you at Mochas and Javas after you just threatened to call them out. Why would anyone ever want to come to you? Why would any of our first responders ever think they can trust you?
In the race between Pelham and Redmond, we believe Redmond won the forum in one statement.
What our leaders need to remember is the practice of the “Golden Rule” which is treating others as you’d like to be treated. It is a powerful tool for anyone seeking to understand the essence of empathetic and respectful interactions. When you apply the principle, you pave the way for open, judgment-free communication, fostering a space where everyone feels valued and heard. Right now, I don’t think the employees or the residents of this city feel they have conversations grounded in mutual understanding and kindness with any of our city leaders. Now we will see if Pelham’s crystal ball works or if she will need to return it for a new one on Saturday, May 4th.
If you attend a council meeting, town hall, or local event all you hear is Frisco is the #1 Safest City. It is drilled into us over and over that the city spends 50% of the budget on public safety and that is why we have #1 this and #1 that. The Frisco EDC has an entire list on their website of all the accolades the city has received going back to 2017.
We are curious, IS FRISCO THE SAFEST CITY? Well, it depends on who you ask! According to a study done by SmartAsset we were ranked #1 Safest City In America in 2022 and 2023. Yet the page does not show we are ranked #1 in 2024. According to Safewise in 2024 we are not the safest city. We are not even in the top 10, top 20, top 30, and top 40 of Texas Safest Cities. Drum roll please, according to Safewise, we are NOT IN THE TOP 50 SAFEST CITIES IN TEXAS. The study said all of the top ten cities reported zero murders. Eight of the top 10 cities reported zero robberies.
What North Texas cities made the TOP 50 Safest City List? Well, #1 is Melissa, #5 is Colleyville followed by Fate, Heath, Sachse, and Trophy Club to finish in the top 10. Wylie comes in #12, Murphy #13, Flower Mound #15, Prosper #27, and so on. What you won’t find is Frisco anywhere in that Top 50 list.
Recently we received a campaign mailer by TREPAC for Angelia Pelham and John Keating that states across the top Two No-Nonsense Leaders “Putting Our Safety” First. It also states they have stood with local law enforcement and firefighters, but the Frisco Police Officers Association and the Frisco Fire Fighters Association have endorsed Mark Piland.
Keating continues to advertise the #1 status of Frisco on his Facebook post which says again #1 Safest City in America. Another mailer he sent out says #1 Safest City in America right across the top. Why is the city not publishing our ranking by Safewise? Maybe BECAUSE WE ARE NOT EVEN THE TOP 50!
The Vote No PAC which is bought and paid for by developers tells you on their mailers public safety is always a top priority. Fifty percent of your property taxes go to public safety. If that is true, our city leaders have failed the residents because we are NOT EVEN IN THE TOP 50 SAFEST CITIES IN TEXAS.
Who do you believe our council, SmartAssest, or Safewise?
The art of political rhetoric is where promises flow like honey from the lips of our esteemed leaders, only to be swiftly forgotten once the ink dries and the votes are counted on election day. It is a delightful game of “he said, she said,” politicians masterfully navigate the treacherous waters between sincerity and self-interest, leaving behind a trail of broken vows and conveniently misplaced principles. We want you to embark on a whimsical journey through the whimsical world of political doublespeak, where words are but mere tools in the grand symphony of deception!
For months now we have heard the political rhetoric about the “Big Bad Unions” coming to town from our city leaders who run the Vote No PAC which is funded by developers of the Fields project. Keating & Pelham, in their own words, have openly said at forum after forum residents should vote “NO TO UNIONS” and the propositions on the ballot.
Keating’s political rhetoric via campaign mailers on the other hand has changed and the new approach is to claim he was pro-public safety and that he has been a champion for the police and fire departments. Was lying to the residents at the forums or is he lying to residents via mailers now? Now he is trying to change his message at the polls so he has instructed his poll greeters not to hold the “Vote No” signs because he thinks it might be hurting him at the polls. We think Keating is a typical politician who will spew whatever political rhetoric he wants depending on how the wind blows and that his word is no better than a grain of salt.
Meanwhile, Matt Sapp, President of the Frisco Firefighters Association, and several Frisco Firemen and women we spoke to told us over and over “Unions are not legal in Texas” and that is by Texas Law called an Association. If you ask any city leader, they are going to give the big bad union story, but Keating “In His Own Words” admitted that it is regulated by Texas Law and it is an “Association.” Why are Keating, Pelham, Cheney, Woodard, and Rummel then misleading the people of Frisco with the scary term Union when they know it is an Association? Well, it better fits their narrative and creates fear in residents which is what they want.
Pelham has claimed the push for the propositions is because someone wants POWER and CONTROL. In her own words, she said this is not about the whole fire department, it is about a select few called the Fire Association.
Well, that “select few” is over 90% of the association made up of 200 or more firefighters according to Matt Sapp. That leaves us wondering who wants the power and control in question. At certain times Pelham is about “data” and at other times she is about generalizations which ever best fits the narrative. Who do you believe?
Why are we sharing this with you? Voters must realize our elected officials are not being straightforward with us. That is all we have been trying to show and prove to you since the day we started this journey of Frisco Chronicles. Voters need to have all the information to be able to make the best decision when they cast a ballot. Next up more WWE Smackdown of In Their Own Words – Part 2.
To follow the elections up close, we have visited several of the polling stations this week in both Denton and Collin County. Our goal was to talk to the candidates and those on both sides of the two propositions to get a first-hand response and reaction. We were surprised to learn that many were being paid to be at the polls and when we asked why we should vote for the candidate many couldn’t answer that. We also met some who were very friendly, and they spent time talking to us and explaining the reason for their support of a candidate or proposition on the ballot. Lastly, we talked to some who came across as angry and crass like they had a chip on their shoulder. We sometimes walked away with the feeling that they were pretending to care about people they’d never seen before, all for the sake of getting their vote. Nothing says “genuine concern” like a forced smile and a rehearsed “have a nice day” as they enter the polling station. Truly, democracy at its finest.
It was eye-opening and all done for the sake of research. However, just like any good novel or reality TV show, there must be some drama. First, we wanted to talk to the Vote No group, and upon arrival, the first thing we noticed was that most of them had on Keating candidate shirts. We only saw a few Pelhams holding vote no signs but that was only if there were other Pelham greeters holding Pelham signs with them. We talked to an older man holding a Vote No sign and when we asked why we should vote against the propositions, we were taken aback by his answer. He told us the firefighters were lying to us by saying they needed more staffing and that this was about money, power, and control. He went on to say the men in yellow shirts were not even Frisco Firefighters they were “out of towners” and if this passed it would decimate the city. Honestly, he came across as angry and outright vengeful! We asked about the recent arson fire, and we were shocked when he said with a flippant attitude well, they probably started it to help themselves at the polls. It took everything in me to not whip the man upside the head with my walking cane.
Then we met a woman wearing a “Keating” shirt at another station who repeatedly told us the Firefighters were liars and they should be ashamed of themselves for how they have tarnished the reputation of Frisco and its leaders. She talked about how great our city leadership was and that if we voted for the propositions on the ballot, it would be our greatest regret. She said we need to trust our officials to see that they are doing the right thing. Her disdain for the Firefighters and her arrogant and condescending attitude didn’t help her case at all and it sure didn’t help Keating.
The last man we spoke to at the college came across with the best message. He was calm and reasonable and gave us his side of the facts. He had valid reasons or concerns for the propositions, and it felt as if he was truly concerned. He made no horrible innuendos or nasty remarks about the firefighters and simply said he disagreed with them on this. We asked which candidate he supported and because he did not have a t-shirt on for Pelham or Keating like the other ones did this week and he said they were told not to hold the Vote No signs while wearing the incumbents’ shirts because they felt it was hurting their campaigns.
Then we talked to the firefighters and surprisingly the statements were the same at each visit. We asked why we should vote for the propositions and if it was about a power struggle. Repeatedly we were told no, it was not a power struggle for them it was about safety, transparency, and accountability. Several said they just wanted to make it to the end of each shift so they could go home to their families. We heard over and over that they were very happy with their pay and benefits, and this was not about more money. They talked about the concerns of working off-duty events, with city gear and apparatuses, yet not being covered by city benefits in case they were injured. They talked about the concerns regarding how dismissive the city management and fire leadership is with the rank. They talked about staffing levels and how they currently compare to other cities and how as we build out and up, they feel they take more risk. They are truly concerned there is no plan for more staffing in a city that has grown 10-fold in the last 5 to 10 years. While they expressed concern for recent actions by the city and council, they never once personally attacked anyone calling them names. They were personable, factual, and non-emotional about it and simply said we hope you vote for public safety.
What did we learn from the two interactions? The two groups took very different approaches to the polls. One group came across as unhinged and the other came across as expressing concern for the safety of residents and themselves. The vote-no group needed more guys like the one at the college who appeared rational because all the others we spoke to were angry and hateful. We are not the only ones who felt this way because post after post on social media residents talked about their experience at the polls and how they felt about the vote no and council members came across in a negative way.
What became very clear, is that both Keating and Pelham are rebranding the message to the public. We thought the statement about them being told not to wear the incumbent’s t-shirts while holding a vote no sign was interesting. If Pelham or Keating think it is the vote no sign a poll greeter is holding while wearing their shirt that is hurting their campaign, they are dead wrong. It is how the city has violated its own “CORE VALUES” which might be the reason they are shocked come Saturday, May 4th. Core values, like “Integrity” which reads, “Integrity is honesty, trustworthiness, ethical behavior and always doing the right thing. Integrity matters because we are entrusted with building and maintaining our community. Integrity is the foundation of all other core values.” Better yet, maybe the core value that is called “Our Employees” states we support, develop, and reward the contribution, diversity, and talents of all employees.
As for the candidates, most of the poll greeters on the front line had a passion for whomever they were supporting, from ISD candidates to City Council candidates. It is clear the ISD races are not as contentious as the city council races. All of the candidates in the ISD races took time to answer questions and greeted folks and thanked them for voting. Much more civil across the board.
As for the city council race, two things were quickly apparent when talking to them. At the city council level, one group continually undercut or made negative references about their opponents while the other simply did not acknowledge the opponent and only talked about why their candidate is or was the best choice. Secondly, it was clear some were getting paid because they could not give us one reason as to why we should vote for the candidate. When it came to the ISD races that was very different, as each poll greeter knew their candidate and only talked about how their candidate was the best choice. Some poll greeters could learn something from them.
The one thing we do know is soon the sign wars will be over and life will go back to boring. Recently one candidate filed a police report regarding their sign being stollen and the next day on the same corner appeared a new blue sign. The chance to drive by a fire station with people waving and wearing colorful shirts will be over! Then what happens, we will see!
The second wave of campaign finance reports came out and if you have been following us now for a while then you know what we are about to tell you! John Keating and The Vote No PAC must be busy in bed DEVELOPERS IN FRISCO.
John “Cheating” Keating who called out his opponent at a recent forum for having the “largest single donation” in campaign history from one person must apologize for his inaccurate words. When Mark Piland ran for Mayor, he had two (2), $10,000 donations from a neighbor in a community where he has lived for years. However, John Keating’s current campaign finance report shows he accepted $20,000 in one BIG OLE PAYMENT from Ronald Feferman who owns Primary Media a digital billboard company who apparently works with the VisitFrisco.com group according to their website. Then Keating took $1500 form John Landon of Landon Homes, $2000 from Trey Sibley of Rudco, LLC (aka Hillwood / Fields).
As for Keatings claim that Piland took the largest single donation in campaign history, that is FALSE. He also has not taken money from people actively under investigation for fraud by the federal government to the tune of 2.5 million or more. He also does not have a history of accepting shady money from people with legal problems but guess what …. John Keating does!
Then we looked at the Safety-First Frisco Vote No PAC campaign finance report, and guess what we found … John Landon of Landon Homes who has active projects in Frisco must be playing Santa Claus because he donated $10,000 to the PAC. Let’s just add that $10k to the other money they took from DEVELOPERS with ACTIVE PROJECTS that we reported about in our blog, Bought and Paid For.
Where, oh where, did the previous monetary contributions on the last campaign finance report come from:
Mario Sinacola & Sons Exc, Inc: $10,000 (they have active contracts with developers & the City of Frisco)
K-N Ventures (aka Fehmi Karahan of Fields Development): $10,000
Columbus Realty Partners (aka, Staubach, Richard Reupke, Robert Shaw & Fields Development): $10,000
Rudco Land, LLC (aka Trey Sibley III or Hillwood Properties – Fields Development): $10,000
Hunt Funding Group (aka Hunt – Fields Development): $10,000
CrossTie Capital (aka Philip Rose – Fields): $10,000 *click the name to read our last blog.
Chief Partners III, LP (aka William Vanderstraaten – Fields): $10,000
It is important to note that any of the names above that are underlined, DON’T LIVE IN FRISCO. Yes, they have a development here, but they are not Frisco Residents.
If you live in Frisco, then this should upset you our local elections are being determined by BIG MONEY FROM DEVELOPERS, who don’t even reside in our city. Oprah and her sled missed my front door when hanging our free developer money, did she make it to yours. She was too busy yelling, “You get Cheney’s Friends Developer Money, you get Cheney’s Friends Developer Money and you … well you get nothing!
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