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!
The other night our grandkids were over, and we thought we should introduce them to the classic movie, The Wizard of Oz. In The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy found the man behind the curtain, pretending to be the great Wizard of Oz, the spell of the Wizard was broken. The great and powerful wizard was exposed. He was simply an ordinary man, who was just able to perform some clever tricks. The trouble with fantasy is that, for some, the line between delusion and reality is blurred for those people who simply don’t deal in the truth. I am talking about those people with fantastical perceptions of themselves that are so great, that after a while, their fantasies become their reality.
After the movie was over, we played a game of Jenga. We told them, you must be careful because the game looks easy, but the truth is you must have patience as you carefully remove pieces of wood while hoping the tower does not topple over. I told them the game requires observation, strategic thinking, and sometimes a bit of intuition. Seeing young kids hold their breath while each piece of wood comes out, then mesmerized in the moment to see if the tower will topple is greatness.
As we played, I continued to think about the movie the Wizard of OZ and how it describes our city council. Mayor Cheney is the man behind the curtain, the great Wizard of Oz. While people in Frisco put him on a pedal stool, he is really an ordinary man who can pull some clever tricks past the residents. As you continue to read you will find each council member fits a character’s persona. As we played Jenga I realized we use the same skills in the game of Jenga every other week as we look over the upcoming agenda for the Frisco City Council meetings. We often find behind every agenda, there is a “hidden agenda”, but you will not find it unless you delicately navigate through the list of items and understand their implications. We find ourselves asking what is the underlying motive or objective behind certain proposals, discussions, or agenda items? Much like in the game of Jenga, if you are not careful you may miss some things that could be very important for the tower to continue to stand.
The next morning, we sat down to look over the upcoming agenda for Frisco City Council meeting. We first noticed under “Individual Items” that both John Keating and Angelia Pelham will take the Oath of Office for their elected places. Then we noticed right after that they plan to nominate the new Mayor Pro-Tem and Deputy Mayor Pro-Tem. In our opinion, the political clique who are like characters in the Wizard of OZ, will probably nominate to keep positions the same. That means Pelham, or Glinda the Good Witch and Keating, who is obviously the Brain-Seeking Scarecrow, will retain their titles since they are the two top Wizard of Oz Enforcers.
As to why the others would not be nominated, well that’s easy. They hate Brian Livingston who they treat like the Wicked Witch of the West, since he supported candidates outside the political clique in the last two elections. Laura Rummell, or the Cowardly Lion, is known as the go along to get along girl and she won’t fight any nomination for fear of getting on the bad side of the political clique. Tammy Meinershagen who is the prefect Dorothy, is too busy writing a poem for why we need a $300 million dollar performing arts center. Lastly, Bill Woodard, the heartless Tin Man, just pulled out all the stops to create a larger divide between the city and the Frisco Firefighters. Probably would not be a good choice if they wanted to “find healing” as Pelham would say with the rank and file of the Fire Department.
After the May General Election every year, appointments to the City Council committees are brought to the City Council for review. City Council members may be appointed and reappointed to the various committees at the discretion of the Mayor and City Council. That is why the regular agenda item 34 stood out which is consider and act upon appointments to City Council Committees. If you remember last year, Brian Livingston was stripped and removed from every committee he served on by the great Wizard of Oz, Mayor Cheney. It was a punishment for going outside of the political clique we told you about above.
The current appointments to each committee are:
Budget and Audit Committee: Deputy Mayor Pro-Tem Angelia Pelham & Council Member Laura Rummel.
Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition: Mayor Pro-Tem John Keating.
Frisco Square Management District (FSMD) Board is composed of three (3) City Council members and two (2) representatives from the developer per the Local Government Code. The board members currently serving are Mayor Jeff Cheney, Council Member Bill Woodard, and Mayor Pro-Tem John Keating.
Governance Committee: Council Member Bill Woodard, Council Member Tammy Meinershagen, & Deputy Mayor Pro-Tem Angelia Pelham.
Legislative Committee: Council Member Laura Rummel, Council Member Tammy Meinershagen, & Mayor Pro-Tem John Keating.
North Central Texas Council of Governments Emergency Preparedness Planning Committee: Council Member Tammy Meinershagen with Council Member Laura Rummel as her alternate.
North Central Texas (NCT) 911 Project: Council Member Tammy Meinershagen with Council Member Laura Rummel as her alternate.
North Texas Commission is represented by Mayor Jeff Cheney.
Park and Trail Naming Committee is represented by Council Member Bill Woodard.
Regional Transportation Council is represented by Mayor Pro-Tem John Keating.
Animal Advisory Committee is represented by Council Member Laura Rummel.
Frisco Veterans Advisory Committee: Mayor Pro-Tem John Keating, Council Member Laura Rummel, & Council Member Tammy Meinershagen
On Tuesday, the city council can do one of two things. First, they could choose not to appoint or reappoint current appointees. Secondly, they can review it and make new nominations to the committees “IF THEY CHOOSE.” What do you think they will they choose to do? Will they do the right thing and put Mr. Livingston back on the committees or continue this petty behavior? Is Brian Livingston still considered the Wicked Witch of the West by his fellow council members for having independent thought?
If they shun Mr. Livingston again who ran unopposed for his seat in May 2023, then they are essentially telling the 14,282 voters that came out to vote for him “YOUR OPINION DOESN’T MATTER!” Just for a point of reference, that is 2922 more votes than Mayor Cheney received the same year. It is also telling the 41,128 residents who voted for Livingston in 2020 that their opinion doesn’t matter. In 2020, Livingston faced two opponents, if you add together the votes of those 2 opponents, they still were 11, 192 votes short of Livingston. Now compare that to the other seat on the ballot in 2020 which Laura Rummell ran for. He had 24,773 more votes than her.
Lastly on the agenda we noticed items 23 – 26 which have to do with the Boards and Commissions. Apparently, they are changing the names of some of the committees. The Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) will now be the Hike-and-Bike Advisory Committee. Bill Woodard, the heartless Tin Man, must be so excited over the change since he is known as the Hike-Trike-&-Bike guy. Then the Frisco Arts Board and Public Arts Program will be renamed to the Frisco Arts and Culture Advisory Committee. We suspect this may have something to do with the “new performing arts center” the city is trying to sell residents. Item 25 will modify certain provisions governing the Parks & Recreation Board. Lastly, the Urban Forestry Board will be changed to the Frisco Natural Resources Advisory Committee. It’s no big deal they are changing the names we just find it the timing interesting that’s all.
It is time for us to click the heels of our red shoes and chant “There’s no place like home!” We encourage you to look at the agendas and enjoy the game of Jenga the city plays with us. The city hopes we are not paying attention to the pieces of wood they are moving around but the Whistleblower Team is always paying attention. It will be interesting to see if Pelham and Keating keep the Mayor Pro-Tem and Deputy Pro-Tem titles.
It is clear Cheney is setting up the path for Angelia Pelham to be our next Mayor at the end of his term. I wonder how Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Brain-Seeking Scarecrow, or the Heartless Tin Man feel about that? We would encourage the other council members (minus Cheney) to think about that fact that Brian Livingston is a pretty popular councilman to his base that elected him. None of them have come close to the accumulated votes he has received over the years so it will be interesting to see what path they all take on the yellow brick road Tuesday night.
Do you know what the “Golden Rule” is in politics? It is rules for thee but not for me, which we have told you about many times. Common folks are expected to abide by the laws and ordinances like obedient little sheep. In the meantime, our politicians roam the pasture of power with the freedom of a rebellious teenager. They preach about transparency while hiding behind closed doors in executive session like hermits guarding their precious secrets. The concept of accountability is elusive like a mirage in the desert and the tragic outcome is voters losing faith in the system. In politics, only one thing is consistent and that is the double standard.
Ordinance No. 2020-10-69 which goes along with the Texas Election Code authorizes the City Council to enact reasonable regulations concerning the time, place, and manner of electioneering on a public premises used as a polling location. In the ordinance it states a “voting period” shall mean the period beginning the hour the polls open for early voting and ending when the polls close or the last voter has voted on election day (whichever is later).
The voting period is important because the ordinance states it is an “OFFENSE” for any person to leave electioneering signs on City-owned or controlled property that is used as a polling location before 6:00 p.m. before the “voting period” begins and to have them up (24) hours after the voting period ends. According to the ordinance any person, firm, corporation, or business entity violating this Ordinance, could be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and possibly face a fine not exceeding Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00).
The first email we received said that they knew of several people who made complaints to the City Secretary or Code Enforcement about signs being put out on April 21st, at least 6 hours before the allowed time frame. Who was the offender in this case? Glad you asked, it was John Keating, Angelia Pelham and Safety-First Frisco Vote No PAC who violated the rules. Did the city send out someone to confirm the violation? No. Did the city fine someone for the indisputable violation? No!
The email continued and said since it happened on a Sunday when Code Enforcement is off duty, they were not able to confirm or prove the violation. Why didn’t Code Enforcement ask the city to pull the security footage at each fire station, as they are surrounded by cameras? Did they receive time stamped photos with any of the complaints? This is how they “brush it under the rug.”
Even if they had been working, would you want to write a ticket or citation to a sitting council member? How could a code enforcement officer be comfortable with that? The CE Officer knows the council members could make one phone call, that will go down the chains of command, leaving the CE officer vulnerable. If they had been caught, Keating, Pelham, and the Safety-First Frisco PAC would have just blamed it on the “contractor” who put out the signs. Fred Lusk is the contractor, and he has done if for years, just look at the campaign finance reports. Mr. Lusk knows the rules! How about we call it what it is, Special Treatment! It goes directly to rules for thee but not for me!
This year the battle for the ballot votes was a heated one. So much so, that the following weekend after the original sign violation Code Enforcement was on the clock. Did they approve overtime for Code Enforcement for Saturday and Sunday April 27th and 28th? According to witnesses they did make an appearance at the open polling stations over the weekend. Based on conversations with some regular poll greeters who work every election, they have never seen code enforcement, especially not on weekends. What was special about his election, that code enforcement needed to work weekends?
Code Enforcement played a critical role in this election. In fact, we received another email that stated Code Enforcement showed up wearing “Body Cameras” like a police officer. Now according to the election code, Section 61.014 election officials recommend police officers turn off body cameras when within 100 feet of a voting station. That applies to officers on or off duty. The reason, it helps to maintain voter privacy while voters are voting at polling stations, standing in line to vote, or walking in and out of voting stations. Why did Code Enforcement need body cameras? Did they turn their body cameras off or violate someone’s privacy near the polls? Have they ever had to wear body cams before?
Another email stated it felt like Code Enforcement was hassling or targeting the Frisco Firefighters. For example, the ordinance states you are allowed to have a tent, canopy or similar covering that does not exceed 10 feet by 10 feet in size. The firefighters were not aware of the size restriction and had a 10 x 20 tent at Station 7. They were told the tent was in violation and had to come down immediately. The firefighters complied without issue.
Then the code enforcement officer pointed out that it was also an offense for them to attach, place or otherwise affix any electioneering sign, literature, material, tent or other device to any building, tree, shrub, pole or other improvement on City-owned or controlled property used as a polling location. He told them the new vinyl banner made for the propositions had to come down from the tent. The firefighters complied without issue.
The firefighters got created and used their vehicle at another polling site and again they were told they could not affix signs to their truck that was outside the 100ft electioneering marker. Based on the verbiage above we would argue the truck which is owned by a firefighter is not a building, tree, shrub pole or other improvement on city-owned property. If that is electioneering, then why were candidates allowed to put signs in the windows of their cars at stations all over the city that were parked on city-owned property?
Next, he pointed out that any sign on the premises could not exceed four (4) square feet and could not exceed more than (4) feet in height including any supporting poles. The firefighter’s response was to cut up the banner to meet the guidelines. If felt like the next day, we saw new signs and confirmed they had printed new signs that were 2 x 2 and 4 x 1. According to the email, Code Enforcement was not amused by the new signs when they returned and apparently measured each one of them at each station to make sure they were within ordinance size requirements.
Now, we know Code Enforcement is just doing their job, but we were curious were their actions based on a complaint called in or were they simply doing a polling site inspection when they noticed these violations? Did everyone at the polls receive the same attention as the firefighters? We will know as soon as we get the PIR back from the city.
Another email stated, Code Enforcement came out to check the roadway political signs at polling stations. Apparently at Station 7 a “John Keating” 4 x 6 roadway sign popped up before early voting began. Code Enforcement arrived with two officers who walked over to the roadway signs at the edge of city property. The email stated they glanced at the Keating sign then walked right past it to 2 other signs that belong to John Redmond and Mark Piland. The officers talked and looked at the iPad they were carrying. That is when they noticed a person walking towards them who appeared to be from one of the campaign teams. When the campaign rep returned, they asked them was going on now? The campaign person replied, “I guess there was a sign complaint.” She said she was just checking to make sure there were no issues with her candidate’s signs because she was concerned with how they were looking at them. She said then they pointed out to her where the city property line was, and the Keating roadway sign was right on the line.
The email stated they were concerned by what they heard because just weeks before her brother (a sign contractor) had several roadway political signs go missing from the same spot. He thought it was because they were on city property, but it turns out it was private property and the landlord from the shopping center had taken them down. At that time code enforcement pointed to the Angelia Pelham and John Keating signs located next to the sidewalk (which you can see in the picture right next to the Vote NO sign). The Code Enforcement officer them at that time those signs were right on the city property line which lines up with the bush on the opposite side facing the private property. Keatings new sign was at least 2 ft in from the back side of the bush so it should have been on city property. So, where is the city property line? Maybe the city should disclose that so people can follow the rules better.
The last email we received referred to the violations happening at Station 8 on Election Day by none other than John Keating, his poll greeters, and the Cheney’s. The email stated that for several of the morning hours Keating’s poll greeters were walking into the parking lot to greet people exiting from their cars. They would talk to them about how they need to go in and vote for Keating and against the propositions then come outside and take a picture “with the candidate or Mayor.”
Unsure if that was allowed, a poll greeter emailed Collin County Elections to ask the rules about being in the parking lot outside of the 100 ft marker point. Elections emailed back it was okay, so a poll greeter for another candidate went out to the parking lot stood on the grassy median and did the same thing Keatings poll greeters had done all morning. It was at that moment, when Jeff and Dana Cheney yelled out, “you can’t do that, you can’t do that!” Then she said a voice from the side said, “well you have been doing it all morning and told them elections confirmed they can do it.” That is when Mayor Cheney said Frisco has an ordinance against doing that and Dana Cheney yells out, I can just file a complaint; I will call right now and file a complaint.
Next, they saw the poll greeter come back up to the sidewalk and one of the poll greeters emailed the City of Frisco to file a complaint against Keating and his poll greeters, and Cheney’s. The email included videos and pictures of the violations (which we received also). Within 20 minutes, Code Enforcement showed up at Fire Station 8 and told everyone they had a complaint with pictures of poll greeters electioneering in the parking lots and reminded them they cannot enter the parking lots or driveways. They told the poll greeters if they had to come back, they would be writing tickets.
Mayor Jeff Cheney was referring to Section 54-213 of Ordinance No. 2020-10-69 which states, “It is an offense for any person to engage in electioneering on driveways or parking areas on the premises of a polling location or in such areas that the fire chief or his/her designee determines to be unsafe for electioneering or determines will interfere with patrons or city employees and staff who use the areas other than for election purposes. This restriction shall not apply to electioneering signs, literature or materials that are attached to vehicles lawfully parked at the premises of a polling location.”
In closing, say it with us, “Rules For Thee But Not For Me!” Clearly the Cheney’s and Keating know the ordinances so why did their own team break them all morning long? Keating stood on the sidewalk and watched his poll greeters go after car after car in the parking lot all morning. Why didn’t Keating or the Cheney’s correct the electioneering offense happening then by his own poll greeters? Dana said she could go in the parking lot because she did not have any clothes on supporting a candidate, but that is not true because before she stepped into the parking lot, she was holding a candidates sign on the nearby sidewalk, so it was clear she was poll greeting regardless of what she was wearing. It is just another example of how the rules don’t apply to the Elite who sit on our council. We can understand giving a warning for violations but not when it’s the City Council and the Mayor whose signatures is on the ordinance. Maybe Cinderella Cheney needs to hold herself, her husband, her adult son, and their friends on council accountable for their actions.
Ah, the City of Frisco elections, where candidates pop up like mischievous moles in a game of whack-a-mole. The battle in the whack-a-mole arena begins and the candidates are ready to take their swing at the other. It starts with the Whack-a-mole Forums, where they take a stance and tightly grip their mallet waiting for the right opportunity to smack down the opposing candidate. To everyone’s surprise, candidates just keep popping up somewhere else. It is a constant battle through the political season as you whack and jostle for position, each promising to fix the potholes, and lower property taxes while dodging the inevitable accusations of shady dealings. As early voting begins, you wonder if you’ve nailed down your opponent enough that they will surrender and retreat to the darkness of their hole. They surprise you and pop back up and are ready to battle to the very end. As election day draws to a close so does the delightful game of whack-a-politician and soon a winner will be given the gold mallet. If only it were that easy!
Now that the recent election is over, we want to look at the “Election Playbook” or tactics used because you may be surprised by some of the underhanded measures that involved active and former city officials. Then again maybe not! The first tool in the election playbook is the power of social media. The Safety-First PAC, run by an ACTIVE SITTING CITY COUNCIL MEMBER BILL WOODARD, took the “take no prisoners” rhetoric approach which means victory or supremacy at all costs without any regard to consequences.
One post talked about how when there’s a fire in the city, they don’t want to see the Frisco Firefighters sitting on the sidelines campaigning and playing politics. “Don’t claim the department is understaffed when 6-7 firefighters are sitting at each of the polls every day doing the Union’s bidding” the post said.
Residents were quick to respond that the post was appalling, arrogant, and ignorant. City Councilman, Brian Livingston responded to the post and said he was pretty sure firefighters get days off and if called upon would have been happy to assist. He specifically pointed out we can disagree on the props without personally attacking them. Sapp, President of the Frisco Firefighters Assoc was also quick to respond. He said, “to insinuate that our OFF-DUTY engagement in exercising our First Amendment rights suggests we don’t care about our department or our brother and sister firefighters facing a fire is GARBAGE! He continued, if the city had called for help, he could guarantee the polls would have been empty and every OFF-DUTY firefighter would have shown up.”
We quickly noticed each time a negative comment was made, the PAC just hid or deleted it, and then they swiftly blocked residents from the page to control negative opposition. These were the actions of councilman, Bill Woodard, and his city sidekicks. Wait, are you telling me the Safety-First Frisco PAC (aka the city) which fought so hard and nasty against the firefighters don’t believe in FREE SPEECH? You know your FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT! Ultimately the post was removed from the page probably because burning down the house (figure of speech) was not the best idea.
Another post called the firefighters association “soldiers without a war, and they follow a playbook of confusion, fear, and intimidation.” After talking to residents, we are sure the VOTE NO PAC put out the confusion, created fear, and used intimidation tactics with the DEVELOPER MONEY they had in their pockets. Over the next several posts they released several takeaways from Mayor Jeff Cheney’s conversation with Sheryl Sculley regarding the “big bad Unions!”
In the first video Mayor Jeff Cheney called his “BIG AHA MOMENT” related to the playbook of unions and how they operate. The first was that Associations/Unions try to pit citizens against their elected officials, city manager, and city government.
Then he goes on to say they intentionally put out misleading information. For example, the signs across town say Frisco Firefighters “really big,” and the “association” is very small. What we find interesting is that Mayor Cheney had no issue with the Frisco Firefighters’ signs when they endorsed him and put it on a billboard. We found this on social media, that says Frisco Fighters REALLY BIG, and where is the word association? Ouch, it hurts to look like a crybaby!
The next post was about the Cockroach Theory. We must assume since the video was posted that the Safety-First Frisco Vote No PAC agreed or endorsed Sculley’s comments. It starts with her claiming that the San Antonio unions during elections would tell candidates to give them what they want, or they won’t support them and will run someone against you.
What we find humorous is that Bill Woodard, Jeff Cheney, Laura Rummell, Brian Livingston, and John Keating have all WILLING APPLIED AND ACCEPTED the endorsements from the Association (OH SORRY, UNION), over the years. Since they supported another candidate other than the incumbent, we are now we are supposed to believe they are in a power struggle and blackmailing people.
She then goes on to say the machine of the Union has to keep the “PRESSURE ON” the council members, and once they have them under their shoe like a cockroach, they had to apply pressure and change their tactics to keep them reeling until the Union’s goal is achieved.
We see this very differently because it was the city’s Vote No PAC that sent multiple mailers with different messages, multiple text messages with different verbiage, and talked about higher taxes and outsiders. At one point we felt like if we voted FOR the proposition “outsiders” being Aliens might abduct us in our sleep and take us to their leader to brainwash us and intimidate us into voting NO.
The next post was a video of Sculley and Cheney talking about how you can love your firefighters and disagree about having a union in your community. We could not agree more with Mr. Cheney. You can disagree civilly, however, that is not what you, the council, city and former city officials, and the Vote NO PAC funded by your friends choose to do.
Would you like examples? Angelia Pelham personally attacked the Frisco Firefighters Association board members at a forum and threatened to oust the firefighters who spoke to her in private. Then the Chamber did not allow the firefighters to present at an educational community forum. Lorie Medina, your former Chief of Staff, and campaign manager repeatedly shouted that our firefighters were liars at the polls. Mr. Dick Peasley verbally berated them saying they were overpaid and underworked. Friends of the council in a large social media group then accused firefighters of setting the fire in Chappel Creek to help their cause for the propositions. The Vote No PAC constantly attacked the character, integrity, and qualifications of the Frisco Firefighters. It was “NASTY” Mr. Cheney but it was one sided and the choice was yours, the councils and the Vote No PAC on how that played out.
In closing, social media has serious fire power when it comes to getting out a message. Maybe that is why the social media appears to be scrubbed and cleaned up. We could not find any of the previous posts from Safety First Pac who deleted their page, or photos of the council holding the VOTE NO signs at the polls.
While residents were shocked by some of the posts, employees and former employees of the city were not, according to insiders who emailed us. One said, “That type of behavior is standard operating procedure for the city from the departments to the king of the hill better known as City Manager, Wes Pierson.” Another insider email said, “The only difference is now the residents are seeing what happens behind closed doors at all levels of the city.” They concluded by asking us not to use their name for fear of losing our jobs at city hall. Fear of losing their jobs is something we hear often from City of Frisco employees.
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?
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!
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