A conversational narcissist is someone who constantly turns a conversation toward themselves and is often uninterested in what other people have to say. In a fast-paced world, they’re eager to get their point across quickly without making true connections with others. Often a conversational narcissist has an anxious aspect to their personality which is why they talk about things familiar to them such as their business or themselves! Signs of a conversational narcissist include one-sided conversations. They have their own agenda, and they can’t move away from it long enough to engage with someone else or to hear someone else’s opinions. Conversations with them are never interpersonal or interactive, they are more of a monologue or lecture. They often feel they are the center of the universe, and they will never admit they are wrong and often interrupt. They will appear visibly uncomfortable, bored, contemptuous, or distracted when other people are talking. Lastly, they come across as arrogant when speaking to them.
Does this sound like anyone you know? Well, we think it sounds a lot like Mayor Cheney. Just look at city council meetings and often you will find Mayor Cheney “schooling” the public or other city council members. At the recent State of the City luncheon put on by the Frisco Chamber of Commerce, the Mayor also displayed traits of a conversational narcissist during his 76-slide presentation. If you want to see Mayor Jeff Cheney’s State of the City Presentation then just visit the city website.
Over our lifetime we have lived in many cities, and rarely did we hear about State of the City Luncheons until we moved to Frisco. This was our first year to attend and according to the Frisco Chamber Website you should attend because “Frisco is a city like no other! As for who attends, well it is a who’s who of Frisco for sure. Individual Tickets were $100 per person, or you could sponsor a table for $900. But if you want to be a Visionary Sponsor that is $2000 or better yet be an Innovator Sponsor for just a mere $3000.
The mayor of course took pride and time talking about the 2024 Council Top 10 Priorities. Specifically, the master planning of Grand Park, a new Performing Arts Center, World Cup 2026, and Downtown Frisco. He could not stop boasting about how great all these things would be for Frisco.
We found the slide about Foreign Direct Investments interesting which stated according to Duns & Bradstreet, there are 71 companies in Frisco owned by a parent company that is ‘OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES.”
The next interesting thing was the “developments” coming. All we could hear was cha-ching, cha-ching, and cha-ching!
Downtown Redevelopment: $70-million project
Northwest Community Park: $40-million budget
4th Street Downtown Redevelopment: $16-million budget
Grand Park Development: Budget TBD
Fire Station 10 – Spring 2025: No Budget Listed
Police Annex: No Details Given
One thing not covered in depth was the desire for a NEW PEFORMING ARTS CENTER. On the city website it states that in 2023, the City of Frisco participated in the Americans for the Arts AEP6 Study, which found the arts sector generated $21.3 million in economic activity in Frisco in 2022! Read the full report here (PDF). So that is why they are trying to find a way to get that $500 million Performing Arts Center. In fact, Cheney didn’t say we hope to have one, he said we will have one because he has wanted it since 2017. It always has been about what he wants, right? That’s it!
That is the State of the City here in Frisco according to Cheney. We only have one question; HOW CAN WE AFFORD ALL THESE PROJECTS? Yes, we have bond money set aside, but when you think about it, we are spending money like its water just going down the drain and at some point, these city leaders are going to lock us into a rock and hard place financially.
If you are from the DFW area you may recognize the name Robert Tilton, an American Televangelist and the former pastor of the Word of Faith Family Church in Farmers Branch. His ministry peaked in the early 90’s and it has been reported his infomercial style church program aired in some 225+ American television markets. It has been reported that Tilton brought in $70 to $80 million dollars per year. The message he pushed upon viewers was the importance of “vows” aka financial commitments to the Tilton ministry. The minimum vow was $1000 but if you wanted to receive a personal “word of knowledge” from Tilton you had to “vow” anywhere from $5k to $10,000 dollars. If you sent a prayer request with a vow, then Tilton claimed to lay on top of the prayer request to heal the weak.
Tilton’s demise came in 1991 when word got out that he may be a fraud or over promising “blessings” to viewers. Some “garbologists” who worked for ABC’s Primetime Live spent over a month dumpster diving outside of Tilton’s many offices and what they found was shocking. Over 10,000 lbs. of prayer request letters cut along the edge with the vow removed and the prayer request still inside the envelope, untouched and discarded in dumpsters. Lawsuits commenced by followers, the Tilton’s headed to divorce court and many felt it was an attempt to protect their assets. Now, why am I reminding you of this Tilton character? Well, he was full of it, kind of like our city council.
For years, our city leadership has made grand promises when it comes to some projects, but then they vanish into a cosmic void, much like matter falling into a black hole. The city has been talking about Grand Park since before most of us were born. Well after several municipal bonds, environmental studies, we have a walking trail, but no grand park (remember like Central Park in NY) or lake as promised. Then there is Wade Park which later become known as Lake Lebanon which sat for years after the developer went belly up. It later became known as The Mix, which we have heard about for the last two years and yet…still nothing but a fence around the property. Then we had the Frisco Theater, a grand place for plays and as of late now Broadway style shows. Well 5 to 7 studies later over 8 years, still nothing! Oh wait, now they want us to buy into a $500+ million theater run by the city on taxpayer dollars. My point is, they council is much like Robert Tilton and his “Word of Faith” ministry who make grand gestures and promises, ask us to pass more bonds, potentially increase our taxes and yet nothing seems to actually be coming together.
Picture of Lake Lebanon (formerly Wade Park) before it rained and filled up with water. Note it is now supposed to be The Mix. Side note we had a lake here it was just not in Grand Park like they promised. Picture by Dallas Morning News
Another example, the city has been talking about the revitalization of Frisco’s Downtown area as far back as 2016-2018. Well, after spending at least $50 to $75,000 visiting different cities to “study their downtown areas” we finally broke ground to fix downtown. The city has dragged its feet since 2016, spending money on tours and trips but only now that FIFA is coming in 2026 is there a push for this project to be done in time so we can look good for the many “visitors” it will bring downtown.
The sad part is we have had Frisco locals take interest and invest in our downtown area way before this city or the council have done anything. While we may not always agree with Donny Churchman, he is one man who has had a passion for downtown and the Frisco Rail District. In a 2018 interview with Lifestyle Frisco, he notes the downtown area has been ignored during all the development. He talked about the name change of downtown Frisco to the Rail District has a lot to do with Frisco’s history and the BNSF railroad and we could not agree more with him on that.
He started investing years ago in the downtown area with The Patio at the Rails and Tower at the Rail, then came the Nack Theater. His overall goal is to “restore downtown Frisco” and it is a passion for him. We are curious how Churchman feels today, with the city bending over backwards offering tax incentives for Rollertown Beerworks, a venue that features a two-level taproom and 4,320 sq ft outdoor beer garden. Did the city break their back for Churchman’s investments. We don’t know but would be curious to find out more.
Along with Churchman, many residents who own historic homes downtown have spent time and money to meticulously renovate and update them while keeping that 1900s charm about them. All this local money and passion bringing life in to downtown, and yet our city has sat on it since 2016. Many of these locals have advocated for something to happen downtown for the last ten years as everything seemed to develop around it. If they can do it then why did it take FIFA coming here for the City of Frisco to finally do something.
The June 2024 announcement of the new grand downtown plan made us wonder, if we went back 5 to 10 years what “priorities” did the city have and which ones have been completed. We found a town hall video discussing the 2018 Top Ten Priorities, which include the following:
1) Implement Traffic Innovation
2) Increase Capital Expenditure Fund
3) Performing Arts Center
4) Downtown revitalization & finish the master plan
5) Grow and expand our Economic Development Corp to go after fortune 500 companies
6) Lower property taxes
7) Development of the North 380 Corridor & its Growth,
8) New facility expansion options like city hall or the library
9) Final master plan for our future parks
10) Legislative Plan to Protect Frisco
Awe, the dreaded word in this town…Traffic! Cheney said the first priority was Traffic Innovation because we have become more congested (DUH!!). The priority aims to use new technologies to help relieve that congestion such as adaptive signal control systems which communicate with cars and autonomous, or self-driving, buses in Frisco by this year, used in the private sector. Seven years later, if you drive Frisco – TRAFFIC SUCKS! Not sure the signal control systems are working, and we don’t have autonomous self-driving buses in Frisco but guess what we do have…ROUND-A-BOUTS and TRAFFIC! If we were grading the city on this priority, they would get a big fat F!
One of the other 2018 Priorities was the Performing Arts Center Strategy. Cheney told Community Impact in 2018 that he would like to see it as a public-private partnership. The article also said they were in the middle of a feasibility study to determine the size and needs of a potential PAC. Well in 2024, we are on our 6th or 7th study, they are proposing a city owned theater at the taxpayer expense, but they hope down the road could be a public-private partnership, and several discussions over the years for a PAC have failed and fallen flat. We would give this a priority a big fat F as well!
The 2018 Priority for finishing the downtown master plan started with them approving a contract with a consulting firm to update the 20-year-old downtown master plan. Cheney told Community Impact at the time that the council and city official plan to continue to work with the private market to explore old downtown Frisco options. Remember, the cool market with a beer garden that Frisco Market developers promised? Well, we have the market but no beer garden and downtown has not changed that much except for the private development by Churchman and residents.
What has the city done downtown? Not much, but now that FIFA is coming, we have a $70 million dollar renovation downtown happening and you can bet it will be finished in time for the visitors to come. We give them a big F for this too. Just look at what they finally say they will commit to in 2024.
The next big priority was the Northern Corridor and creating an identity for it. Cheney told Community Impact that their plan for 2018 was to attract more business and residential developments to the area. Well, they must have known something we didn’t, we are referring to the December 2018 announcement that the PGA of America was relocating its headquarters to the “Northern Corridor” of Frisco. This was a good win for Frisco, and we gave them an A+ for it! However, they get an F for the shady business dealings, friendships, and conflicts of interest that came from some of the development around the new PGA for Cheney and some council members.
As for the expansion of city facilities, we have a new 65-million-dollar library, new court building, city hall in 2023 started an expansion inside and facilities just opened a new building in the last year. As for the masterplan of parks well you can bet Bobblehead Bill got his bikes and trikes trails. As for Grand Park, well that is still…not Grand at all but if you want to see a butterfly you can walk the trail they put in.
Back to Robert Tilton, he was about big words, fancy clothes, and was about “putting on the show” to get your vow. He promised to pray for his flock, but he failed when money took over. What we have learned is that the importance of a project in the City of Frisco is determined by a select few who sit on council. We have also learned they love to talk about things and promise things for many years but the truth is they are failing us as residents. When those sitting on our city council run for office, they each run for their own purpose or passion project. That is okay but they should be representing all of us and the truth is our council only represents the WEST SIDE, which is where you have seen all the investment in the last 5 to 8 years. Why do we say that? Well just ask our council members where they live.
Not one person sitting on our council today lives on the East Side of the tollway or the Collin County side, maybe that has something to do with where all the money is going. They all live in the Denton County side of Frisco which is WEST of the tollway. That’s right folks, Tammy Meinershagen, Laura Rummel, John Keating, Jeff Cheney, Angelia Pelham, Brian Livingston and Bill Woodard all live on the WEST SIDE OF THE TOLLWAY. Maybe that is why they get the PGA and the Frisco Star, and the East Side is getting Universal and Business Warehouses Developments along PGA Parkway.
One of the main reasons people choose Frisco for their home is because of the school district. Frisco ISD is often talked about and revered as one of the best districts in North Texas. The districts website even notes, “Many families choose to call Frisco ISD home due to our outstanding reputation for academic excellence, innovative programs and wealth of extracurricular opportunities and experiences.” Frisco ISD currently enrolls more than 67,000 students in 12 high schools, 18 middle schools, 1 intermediate school, 43 elementary schools and 3 special programs schools. We were curious, how great is it?
With our kids being grown, we have not paid too much attention to ISD news. To be fair, we have had several whistleblowers send in tips and information but in general it is hard to follow up on and investigate. But sometimes there is news you come across that you have to share because it is about the safety of the children and the families right to know.
My wife, like most woman, loves to scroll social media and recently she found a post from May 2022 about a Ruben Bustillos, former employee at Frisco ISD, who had been arrested after police said they found “inappropriate” images at an elementary school. He was charged with sale, distribution, or display of harmful material to a minor which is a Class A misdemeanor. In Texas, a Class A misdemeanor is the most serious type of misdemeanor offense which is punishable by up to one year in jail and up to a $4000 fine, or both. Types of charges include carrying a gun without a permit, second DWI offense, resisting arrest and assault causing bodily injury. At the time very few details were released about what led to the arrest and the Frisco PD nor the ISD identified which school it was found at. We were curious, what happened to the case?
Well, we decided to look up Bustillos case in Denton County which can be found under Case No. CR-2023-01499-E. It shows the case was filed on 3/7/23 in County Criminal Court #5. From the court documents, it appears that on 5/30/23 Bustillos pleaded “No Contest” to charge #1 of Sale/Distribution/Display Harmful Material to a Minor. The “disposition” meaning the outcome was “DEFERRED ADJUDICATION” which is a term that generally refers to a “PLEA BARGAIN” wherein a defendant pleads guilty or no contest to the charges against them. He was sentenced to 15 months’ probation with 80 hours of community service. Hope that community service is not done around children! The total court costs he had to pay was $692.00. Do you think that is a fair and just outcome for a man who was around Frisco ISD children?
Then in May of 2023, Kendal Augustus, a Frisco Police School Resource Officer was arrested after allegations surfaced that he had an “INAPPROPRIATE RELATIONSHIP WITH A STUDENT.” The allegations dated back to 2017-18 and involved him and a 14-year-old Frisco ISD student. When the allegations surfaced the Frisco Police Department put him on administrative leave and began an investigation. Augustus was later fired and arrested on June 14, 2023, at which time he was charged with sexual assault of a child, indecency with a child and sexual performance of a child. His bond at the time was set at $55,000. Ever wonder what happened with this case?
Well in a search of Denton County’s 367th Judicial District Court we found three case numbers: F23-5117-367, F23-5118-367, and F23-5119-367. All three charges are considered a 2nd Degree Felony in Texas. Besides Augustus trying to modify his bond conditions on 12/20/2023 a True Bill of Indictment came in on all three charges. What is a True Bill? It simply means nine grand jurors determined that there was probable cause that an offense occurred. Then on 5/31/24 it appears they appeared in court to present a plea bargain data / continuance data, but we are not really sure what that means. As of right now, it appears the case is still moving through the court system.
Then we came across a recent Facebook post from June 14th in a group about Collin County Jail Records, and we are guessing one of their teachers might need to answer some questions. It appears on 6/14/2024 Taryn Glasgow, a Newman Elementary teacher at Frisco ISD, and her husband Randy Glasgow were both booked by the Celina Police Department on 6/14/2024 for Injury to a Child, Elderly Individual or Disabled Individual. According to a jail records search, Taryn Glasgow was booked #2024-BK-07569 and Randal Glasgow was booked under #2024-BK-07568. Both had a $25,000 bond with conditions. Just from the booking photos we can tell the couple may have had one to many that night.
We had to look up the penal code because we wanted more details. The Texas Penal Code § 22.04. for Injury to a Child, Elderly Individual, or Disabled Individual reads, “(a) A person commits an offense if he intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence, by act or intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly by omission, causes to a child, elderly individual, or disabled individual: (1) serious bodily injury; (2) serious mental deficiency, impairment, or injury; or (3) bodily injury.”
It goes on to read, “(c) In this section: (1) “Child” means a person 14 years of age or younger. (2) “Elderly individual” means a person 65 years of age or older. (3) “Disabled individual” means a person with one or more of the following: (i) autism spectrum disorder; (ii) developmental disability, (iii) intellectual disability.”
As for the court case there is not much information currently. They appeared in Magistrate Court under case number DCMAG-46229-2024 and DCMAG-46228-2024 both of which appear to have been heard on 6/14/2024. According to the Collin County website “the Collin County Magistrate Court includes advising the defendants of their rights, determining probable cause, setting bond, and issuing warrants in criminal cases. The Magistrate may also issue and enforce bond conditions. A defendant is considered to be a person charged with a crime.”
We are not trying to embarrass the couple but if these charges are in any way true then parents who sent their kids to Newman have a right to know. They are serious accusations related to a potential child. As a parent I would want to know and since this has already been posted several times across social media, we felt the need to share.
Have you ever wondered if Frisco ISD is the top tier district you think it is? You can always read the Texas Education Agency Report Card. We found the 2023 Federal Report Card for Frisco ISD online and you can click here to read it. According to SchoolDigger.com Frisco ISD ranks 41 out of 968 districts in Texas and has a 5-star rating. So why do we keep having issues with Frisco ISD staff? Does the district do backchecks every few years on current employees or only at the time of hiring? What is the policy of the district when it comes to reporting something like this to them? What is the policy when it comes to informing parents? Parents should be armed with all of the information when it comes to the safety of their children.
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?
The City of Frisco is asking taxpayers to consider a new Performing Arts Center that has a rumored will cost taxpayers a rumored price tag of $300 Million up to $600 Million+ dollars. The city has started a “Sell It to the Public” campaign with a company called Theatre Projects on social media which begins with residents taking a survey to gather feedback on the grand idea. They announced plans to host open house sessions at City Hall, talk to local arts organizations, and will host listening sessions for the public.
We received an email this week from one reader who attended their “Zoom Session” and guess how many residents participated? Maybe 15 plus the representatives from Theater Projects who is doing all the dog and pony work for the city. I guess the small attendance still counts towards feedback but compared to a city of 220,000 people it does not like seem a great sample to us. The email also said how they are currently looking at two properties to potentially house this Performing Arts Center which we find very interesting.
The website which has been set up talks about the Project History and how the city has been studying the possibility of a new performing arts center for over 6 years. It refers to several studies and assessments done to support the future planning of the “critical Frisco asset” for our community. It also has a link to the 45-page 2023 Business Plan put together by Theatre Projects. Even though the 2023 Business Plan put together by Theatre Projects shows the Hall Group vision, our inside source says Hall Group is out! They will not be a part of this theatre project in any way shape or form, and they are not offering up the land for it any longer. Hence why on the “zoom” we mentioned earlier, they stated they were “eyeing two different potential sites for this PAC.
They are using every avenue to make sure we know how great and grand this project is and to show us how badly we need it. The city’s friends at Frisco Enterprise, the paper in their back pocket, wrote an article and it states that “Back in September, the Frisco City Council approved a $1.4 million professional services agreement with consultant Theatre Projects.” Part of that agreement is that the city leadership and the team from Theatre Projects would do venue tours to gather data and talk to venue operators. We “the taxpayers” are paying for all this travel, plus we are paying for the additional travel cost for the Theatre Projects team to attend. In case you are wondering that additional expense is not included in the $1.4 million agreement we have with them for consulting services.
According to the Frisco Enterprise, the visits included the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts in Greensboro, North Carolina, the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, Florida; the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, Florida; the Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences in Lubbock, Texas and the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
We figured since they were on this whole “Sell It to The Public” Road Show, we would file a Public Information Request for more information. We asked for the complete copies of the performing arts center studies and any associated documents related to the reports including those from consulting groups or 3rd parties like Frisco ISD or Hall Group. We asked for all 6 of the previous studies they have done that we were able to find in meeting minutes.
We assumed that it would be no issue getting any documentation because of how badly they want to “Sell It Like a Cheap Cheney Piece of Real Estate” to Frisco taxpayers. Imagine our surprise after paying $16.74 yesterday and today the status changed to “SENT TO AG FOR A RULING.” The did release the 7 studies to us, but the “other supporting documents” are subject to copyright and will be available in the City Secretary’s Office for viewing only. Who wants to go review the documents for us and report back what is in them? Email us at FriscoWhistleBlower@protonmail.com
What did they send to the AG for review? How much are they withholding from US, THE TAXPAYERS, whom they are going to pitch a tax increase to soon so they can spend hundreds of millions of dollars for a performing arts center which will be city owned and operated. Then we always hear them quote “copyright” as a reason to withhold things. We are just confused, when does copyright matter to the city? They made it clear during the recent political election when council members were using the “copyrighted” city logo in their campaign materials they did not care and in fact they said they could not do anything about it. Strange because the city websites states in black and white they CAN NOT USE THE CITY LOGO for political campaigning so why have a rule you can’t enforce about a copyrighted logo? Now when it comes to documents related to the Performing Arts Center, they want to say copyright matters. It seems they use that word copyright when it is convenient to withhold information, they don’t want you or me to see.
The way we see it is simple! The city is spending millions of bond approved tax dollars on studies for a PAC, then they want to claim copyright to withhold those details from those of us who are paying for it! Just release all the documents and stop trying to play games because it is getting really old.
Oh, one last thing, Frisco ISD got tired of the games a year or so ago, and they are currently building their own Performing Arts Center because outside influences kept delaying the project. That means you, the taxpayers will be paying for multiple Performing Arts Center. Feels like an episode of Oprah, where she yells “You get an arts center, you get an arts center, and you get an arts center!”
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!
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