Field of Dreams

by | Feb 19, 2023 | Campaign Donations, Cheney Group, Fehmi Karahan, Fields West, Matt Sapp - President of FFFA, Omni PGA Resort, PGA Frisco, Politics, The Preserve & Fields

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Curiosity is lying in wait for every secret.” One of the driving forces behind human discovery is curiosity. What if Galileo never bothered to look through his telescope? He would have never observed celestial bodies proving that there were objects in space. A person’s curiosity to look at something and then want to know the story behind it is what changed the world thousands of times. I am no Galileo, but my curiosity is what drives me to investigate to find the truth.

For years drivers along the DNT, Panther Creek and 380 roadways wondered “what will these fields develop into one day?” I don’t think Frisco residents ever expected 3 world-class developments centered around the PGA & Golf. There is no doubt about it, the deal is a win-win for Frisco and its residents. The portion that intrigued me was Fields, a 2100-acre master-planned community. Plans for villages (neighborhoods) and a network of trails built around the natural topography sound brilliant! It soon became clear with the Cheney Group announcement of being the Fields experts, that he had access to information, homesites, and builder information before anyone else in real estate and that was a red flag for me.

I am not the first to ask questions or have the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Take a moment and browse social media and you will see residents ask questions in regard to Cheney profiting personally from his position as Mayor. In May of 2018, Texas Scorecard released an article by Ross Kecseg asking will the Mayor profit from the PGA deal. On June 25, 2018, Texas Scorecard writer Ross Kecseg released another article regarding the Frisco mayor lashing out at PGA deal coverage and that he has threatened to sue Texas Scorecard to uncover their sources. The articles questioned the conflict between Stillwater Capital, The Associates and the closely tied relationship to Cheney.

In going through documents from a PIR request, I came across a series of emails. The first email was August 1, 2019 and it was written to Mayor Cheney from Holly McCall, Admin Assistant to the Mayor & Council. It reads
On Thu, Aug 1, 2019 at 11:23 AM Holly McCall wrote:
Mayor Cheney,
A gentleman named John Baumgarten, from (redacted) (investors group), came by the office this morning to invite you to attend a dinner on Sept. 10 at 6 pm at Del Frisco’s, Legacy West. Beau Welling plans to speak about building golf courses, including the PGA project. They would love for you to participate in a Q&A at the end if you are willing. Mr. Baumgarten says this is a group (of @ 25 investors) with an interest in golfing and the PGA Project, and that they “are not selling or promoting anything.”
They have also invited some of the Omni Group and Joe Trahan from Channel 8.
John Baumgarten
Principal, Private Wealth Management

The same day at 10:13 pm, Lorie Medina who was known as Mayor Cheney’s Chief of Staff responded. It’s important to note that Lorie Medina was not a city employee, she was paid by the Mayor $5000 a month from his campaign.

On Aug 1, 2019, 10:13 PM -0500, Lorie Medina , wrote:
Would you like me to ask Jon McCary about this firm? This could be a good discussion since we are trying to attract VCs and PE firms to Frisco for Inspire Frisco. Also, it might be good to include him at the meeting, if possible.

VC standards for Venture Capital Firm and they invest in industry startups and PE stands for Private Equity Firm and they buy companies and overhaul them to earn a profit. Capital for investments comes from outside investors. Inspire Frisco helps to build a network for Frisco entrepreneurs.

August 2nd the Mayor replies from his Cheney Group personal email where he was a Broker Associate with The Associates Realty and it reads
On Fri, Aug 2, 2019 at 12:58 PM Jeff Cheney wrote:
Would love his input if he thinks it’s a worthwhile use of time. I do not normally want to kill an entire evening unless necessary.
Jeff Cheney, CPA
Broker Associate
The Associates Realty
One Cowboys Way
Frisco, Tx 75034
www.CheneyGroup.com

Were the emails a big deal? We didn’t think so until we hit another email sent from John Baumgarten to Jeff Cheney on September 11, 2019. It reads

From: “Baumgarten, John”
Date: September 11, 2019 at 11:24:14 AM CDT
To: Jeff Cheney JCheney@friscotexas.gov
Subject: B & B dinner

Jeff,
Cannot thank you enough for carving out some time for us last night and sharing the history and vision of this spectacular project. Congratulations for putting this audacious project together.
As a small token of my appreciation, I would love to make a donation to a charity that is connected to this project – let me know what you suggest. I would also like to get on the unofficial lot list – let me know what is involved in that.
Thank you again. Maybe we can host another event as we get closer to the next phase being completed. Again, thank you for participating. My guests really enjoyed it based on the early feedback.
John

To understand why this email is important you must rewind to the Facebook post on 10/13/22 where the Cheney Group announced they had been working on something special for the last year. They were excited to announce the Cheney Group team were the Fields Experts and that The Preserve at PGA was teeing off and lots were going fast. The Perry Mason in me had some serious questions.

First, the email above was from 2019 and John asked how to get on the unofficial lot list mentioned at the dinner and what was involved in that. What unofficial lot list and were these lots for the Preserve village? Was Mr. Cheney the only one with access to sell these lots? How many of the unofficial lots were sold prior to the public announcement lots were available? The post said his group had been working for the last year, but the emails were from 2019 so did he work on it for more than a year?

Second, John also mentions making a donation to a charity connected to the project and we safely assumed he meant the PGA/Fields project. We were surprised that Mr. Cheney forwarded that to Lorie Medina to ask her thoughts. She responded with how about we send him to www.giveforfrisco.com and he can pick a charity of his choice. Wait a minute! Was the donation part of getting on that unofficial lot list? Was there an expectation that if a donation was made the person would have more access to the unofficial lot list? The fact that he forwarded the email to Lorie asking for her thoughts, does that display his willingness to accept a donation?

Third, the thank you email was sent to the mayor’s official email address. However, we did not see a response to it! Does that mean the mayor never responded to the gentleman’s two questions? Does it mean he replied through his private email since he knew any communication could be a public record? To give the benefit of the doubt, we are going to assume it was not included since it was out outside of the scope of the PIR.

Truth and Transparency are what residents want and it seems like we always moving in circles without an end or satisfactory answer. The emails by themselves seem like little concern but the emails as a whole have very shady implications. Even if nothing wrong took place, the appearance of impropriety is enough to cause doubt that shady shit is happening in Frisco.

Fields West Dynasty

by | Feb 17, 2023 | Cheney Group, Developements, Developers, Fehmi Karahan, Fields - Brookside North, Fields - Brookside South, Fields West, Mayor Jeff Cheney, Omni PGA Resort, PGA Frisco, Politics, Stillwater, The Link, The Preserve & Fields

I remember as a teenager sitting around the living room with my family once a week to tune in to our favorite family show Murder She Wrote. Jessica Fletcher played by Dame Angela Lansbury was not cocky, but she did know her own skills.  She knew to ask questions when she didn’t understand something and how to rely on others who may have the expertise in an area she didn’t.   My favorite thing she used to say episode after episode was “Now, I may be wrong, but frankly, I doubt it.” She taught me to be curious and to ask questions which is why once my interest was peaked I could not stop diving into what I believe is the Shady Shit happening in Frisco.

As I said in my last blog I had all these questions about how Mayor Jeff Cheney could represent Fehmi’s Fields lots and advocate for Universal at the same time.  In my humble opinion, there is a clear conflict of interest and that made me want to deep dive into Fields.  To start, you must understand that the PGA, The Link, and Fields are 3 separate world-class developments, but one would not have happened without the other.  Hunt is who identified and purchased the 2544 acres of land on the DNT.  Hunt has partnered with Stillwater Capital to do the PGA and The Link.  Hunt then announced its partnership with Fehmi Karahan (Legacy West Developer) to do the Fields West development.  Fields website states it will be home to restaurants, businesses, ten thousand homes, schools, parks, and open spaces.  It will also be home to the PGA headquarters and the University of North Texas.

Now we have identified two players in the Fields project: Hunt Realty Investments and Fehmi Karahan.  The investors are Chief Partners and CrossTie Capital, and the development team is led by KDC Architects.  Home builders will include Darling / Taylor Morrison, Britton / Perry, Highland Homes, Olivia Clarke, Shaddock Homes, Toll Brothers, and several more custom home builders.  Mario Sinecola & Sons will probably be doing the excavating and FCS Trucking will also be involved.  In a nutshell, there are a lot of players in the overall project.  So how does Jeff Cheney fit into this?

Let’s follow the social media trail. On October 13, 2022, the Cheney Group announced The Preserve at PGA was teeing off.  It went on to read the Cheney Group would be the Fields Experts. Just days later October 16th the Cheney Group released a video with Jeff Cheney presenting all things PGA. You can check it out on the Cheney Group YouTube Channel.  On October 17th Jeff Cheney led Monument Realty’s Roadmap 2023 event where they shared tips and tricks with top agents.  The same day on social media the Cheney Group released a video of the Championship Holes 14 & 15 the Preserve lots overlooking them.  On October 19th they announced they just got their hands on the first set of floor plans for Brookside South at PGA and they had several more upcoming builder meetings planned and could not wait to fill us in!  Fast forward to Nov 2nd Capital Title hosted a knowledge session for Realtors in North Texas at Stonebriar Country Club led by Jeff Cheney.  On Nov 8th they meet with architects involved at The Preserve to learn about the level of standards they would be bringing to the Preserve.  We could keep going but I think you get the idea!

Just following the social media trail, we are left with several questions. Does the Cheney Group have an exclusive to the lots?  If so, is that because they are a top-producing team or because Cheney is mayor, and when was the deal made?  The Monument Realty Roadmap Show was that for Monument agents only or were other agents outside the brokerage invited?  How did other brokerages in DFW learn about the PGA’s future homesites? Did other brokerages get to have exclusive sit-downs with the architects?  Can any agent go out to the 14th and 15th holes and take photos of The Preserve homesites overlooking the course?  Did other brokers and agents get their hands on the floor plans the same day as the Cheney Group or after? The Capital Title knowledge session that was held for local realtors, was the Fields representatives, home builders, and developers there, or was this led by Mayor Jeff Cheney or Jeff Cheney of the Cheney Group?  It makes me curious, why are other agents and brokerages not outraged by the exclusive access Cheney seems to have?

Just the other day I visited my favorite coffee shop and two agents sitting next to me were talking in low whispers about how they felt it was a massive conflict of interest that the Cheney Group has an exclusive.  I wanted to jump up and say, me too but I didn’t.  I just sat quietly with my head tilted back reading the paper and listening to them vent their frustrations.  I don’t fully understand if Cheney has an exclusive right to these lots but it is clear that the Cheney Group has a leg up on any other brokerage or realtor when it comes to the PGA which is one of the most notable developments to hit North Texas. If the Cheney Group does have an exclusive and he is profiting from his position and connections as Mayor then an argument could be made there is a serious conflict of interest and Mr. Cheney should recuse himself from all talks, votes, well anything that has to do with Fields West.  

Someone told me once “It would be better for us to have some doubts in an honest pursuit of truth than it would be for us to be certain about something that was not true.” So in my search for transparency, and the need to know the truth, I decided to file a PIR to obtain more information.  That is where I found some shady shit!

Dynasty of A Development

by | Feb 16, 2023 | Cheney Group, Community Development Corp, Developements, Developers, Economic Development Corp, Fehmi Karahan, Fields - Brookside North, Fields - Brookside South, Fields West, George Purefoy, Hunt Realty, Mayor Jeff Cheney, Omni PGA Resort, PGA Frisco, Politics, Robert Elliott, Robert Elliott - The Associates, Stillwater, Taxpayer Dollars, The Link, The Preserve & Fields, Universal Kids

It started like any other January day residents across Frisco woke up and started getting ready to take on a new day. I stepped out of the shower and could hear the morning newscaster on the television giving the traffic report followed by the weather. The deep voice said, prepare for the warmest January day since 2009 because today we should hit a high of 83 degrees. Texans generally joke about how we hit all four seasons in one day.  Winter starts at 6 am, spring starts at 10 am, summer is at 2 pm and fall starts around 5:30 pm. 

Midmorning sitting at my desk I get a notification that Visit Frisco has gone live on their Facebook page so of course I tune in to see what is going on. Standing behind a podium is Mayor Jeff Cheney announcing all the officials and guests in attendance. He then goes on to quote Dr. Seuss and says “One Fish, Two Fish, Frisco has a new wish and that is to welcome Universal Studios and Universal Kids to Frisco, Texas.” I was thinking about why would we want a theme park, where would it go, and how did this development come about. Mark Woodbury, Chairman & CEO of Universal Parks & Resorts, share a rendering of a bright and colorful theme park geared towards young children with a hotel featuring 300 rooms. Page Thompson, President of New Ventures for Universal announced they just purchased land 97 acres east of the DNT and north of Panther Creek Parkway in the Fields development. Mayor Jeff Cheney takes his position back at the podium to thank Fehmi Karahan of Fields and Karahan Properties as well as Hunt Real Estate who brought PGA here and is now bringing Universal Theme Parks. 

In my head, I was thinking how did this dynasty development come about? The response on social media was swift and it soon became clear not all Frisconians were pleased about the park’s announcement.   Weeks went by and I passively watched everything play out online and at city meetings.  The key message being communicated by our mayor was how excited everyone was to welcome universal, and how the project had been fully vetted by the city and council. The key message from residents, they didn’t want the park.  I was just intrigued by how much our Mayor was trying to sell the project to residents and news channels, and how he advocated relentlessly for the development. 

Then one night while sitting in my recliner, I remembered back in October a post that I had seen from The Cheney Group that said his agents have been working on something very special for over a year now.  They were excited to announce The Preserve at PGA is about to tee off and if someone was interested in building their own custom home reach out to them asap.  He talked about early interest being historic levels and how they were the Fields Experts. My golf buddy in real estate around that same time was pretty upset telling me that The Cheney Group had snagged the exclusive to list The Preserve homesites.  He even showed me an alluring glossy mailer that he had received in the mail from The Cheney Group. The front talked about the residential communities of PGA, living at Fields with renderings of the development. It had an attractive picture of The Cheney Group in front of the Fields boxes we see along the feeder road of the DNT. The back talked about Fields West, from the visionary behind Legacy West referring to Fehmi Karahan and new communities The Preserve and Brookside.   

Growing up I always wanted to be like Perry Mason, Matlock, or Remington Steele probably because of my curious nature. It is that curious nature that leads me to ask how can The Cheney Group be the exclusive Fields Experts and now Jeff Cheney, acting as Mayor is advocating for Universal? Fehmi spoke twice at the February 7th, Special Meeting of the P&Z Commission and City Council meeting on behalf of Universal, so it is clear he has a personal interest in seeing Universal go through as it will be a part of the overall Fields project. I am no legal eagle, but I would think that if The Cheney Group is in any way financially benefiting from representing The Preserve for Fehmi Karahan which is part of the Fields Development then Jeff Cheney should recuse himself from any development talk regarding Fields and Universal as it is part of the same overall project. 

My curiosity had me wondering, is that why when several residents showed up to a city council meeting to speak at citizens input he responded to each of them like he was selling the features and benefits of the Universal theme park. Am I the only one who feels like the mayor is trying to sell this project so hard to the public? Am I the only one with these questions or think they may be a reason to be concerned? Am I the only one who thinks something feels shady about it? It goes back to that little word transparency, and the perception or appearance of a conflict of interest.