16-Layer Cake

by friscowhistleblower | May 26, 2026 | Agendas, Meetings & Ordinances, Angelia Pelham, Ann Anderson, Brittany Colberg, Burt Thakur Place 2, City of Frisco, Current City Council, Jake Petras, Jared Elad, Laura Rummel, Mayor Jeff Cheney, Politics, Residents, Sean Merrell, Tammy Meinershagen

“Wag the dog” is an idiom describing the act of using a secondary, minor issue or diversion to distract attention from a larger, often damaging crisis. It is most often used in political and media contexts, where leaders allegedly fabricate, amplify, or emphasize a dramatic situation to steer public focus away from bigger scandals.

The Frisco City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, was, in my opinion, one of the biggest political messes in this city’s history. And my mission at Frisco Chronicles is to expose the shady stuff. So, let’s begin.

The Frosting

The public comments portion of the evening reached an all-time high. Everyone was talking about line item #25. The passion in the room was palpable. There were extra police, yelling, swearing, reporters, escorts out, and social media influencers. The tension was raw.

But like many others, I believe most people missed what was sitting in plain sight.

In case you missed it, or are still confused, I believe this was really about Mayor Jeff Cheney’s alleged Legacy Line Item. In my opinion, he will go down in the history books to save his best work for last. Perfect timing before his pending exit. Played and executed like a true maestro.

Remember this time last year, when the mayor’s cherry-tomato head almost blew right off his shoulders after that horrendous $340 million Performing Arts Center deal failed, along with his cohort Tammy Meinershagen’s re-election? There were too many questions about that deal and who may have benefited from it. In my opinion, Frisco was smart about that one and dodged a bullet.

Well, friends, the deals that allegedly moved forward Tuesday night make last year look like a cheap appetizer. That may also explain Mayor Cheney’s DEFCON 3 behaviors at recent Frisco City Council meetings, when he started getting pushbacks from other council members. More on that soon.

The best way to describe what I believe happened is by comparing the consent agenda to a triple-layer chocolate cake. Everyone got fooled because they were only paying attention to the three visible layers: the Jain temple, the Hindu temple, and the mosque. What I believe many people missed was the ooey-gooey, ever-so-sweet, rich chocolate frosting on top, hiding the rest. That, in my opinion, was the real story.

Before we once again deep-dive into the alleged cabal rabbit hole, let’s not kid ourselves. Open your eyes wide. It is election time, and in my opinion, it is the perfect time to wag the dog and play on voters’ fears while the recipe for the sweet frosting goes unnoticed.

How does an alleged political machine best distract voters? Well, while people were fighting over Islam, Sharia Law, temples, and fear, here is what I believe was really going on underneath the pretty frosting.

The 16 Layers

You missed the other 13 of the 16 development projects. Based on my best guess, this may have represented a development package that roughly ranges between a $750 million to $1 billion dollars.  

The Planning and Zoning Commission consent agenda included 16 separate cases totaling more than 300 acres of development across Frisco, which were then sent to Frisco City Council for a vote. Here is a brief overview of what I call the full boxed-up cake deal:

• Railhead Phase 1: 8.8 acres with 3 office buildings, 2 retail buildings, and 2 parking garages.
• Best Brains Addition Lot 3: 1.7 acres for a childcare center.
• Park 25 Block C: 15.6 acres with 2 offices, warehouse, and distribution centers.
• Centennial Pediatrics/Islamic Center: 5.8 acres with a place of worship.
• Coit & 3537 Addition: 4.4 acres with 3 retail buildings.
• FM 423 Lonestar: 14.8 acres with a temple, medical offices, restaurants, a convenience store, and drive-throughs.
• Point East Industrial: 44.1 acres with 6 warehouses and distribution buildings.
• Lebanon South: 5.7 acres with a temple and community center.
• Park 25 Block C: 15.6 acres with 2 offices, warehouse, and distribution centers.
• Four Corners Shopping Center: 4.4 acres with 2 hotels.
• Grand Park Canal South: 4.8 acres with a childcare facility and restaurant/office space.
• Frisco Fire Station No. 8: 4.3 acres with a City of Frisco stealth antenna.
• Northeast Community Park: 70.7 acres with a City of Frisco stealth antenna.
• Firefly Park Lot 4: 10.9 acres with a parking garage and professional office.
• Prosper High School #2: 98.3 acres for a public school, Prosper ISD.
• Best Brains Addition Lot 8: 2.3 acres with retail, restaurant, and office uses.

Total: 16 cases and more than 312 acres of Frisco development.

Only 3 of the 16 developments involved religious institutions. The rest included warehouses, hotels, offices, a 98-acre public school, City of Frisco infrastructure, retail, and childcare. In my opinion, this was a treasure chest of Frisco development, not merely a vote on three rubber-banded religious institutions.

That is the cake. Sixteen layers. But the public was only staring at the frosting.

The P&Z Questions

Back when this was approved by P&Z, Chairwoman Brittney Colberg was absent for the vote, and Sean Merrell recused himself. Why? Election-time strategy? A conflict of interest? Something else?

New council member and former P&Z Chairwoman Brittney Colberg currently operate a Title Company.  According to publicly available information, the business appears to cater to luxury real estate agents and top producers.  Their goal, to help growth-focused real estate professionals’ level up their businesses, strengthen brand reputations, increase market knowledge, become industry leaders, and increase revenue.

Frisco Chronicles must ask, is there a potential down the road for conflict here?  If Colberg’s business benefits, directly or indirectly, from any of these deals then the answer could be yes.  We have not discovered anything as of now, but we will keep our eyes peeled now that she is elected. 

Current P&Z member Sean Merrell, is listed as a licensed professional engineer in Texas for BGE, Inc.  He is also the past president of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Frisco Chronicles wondered, does BGE, Inc., have any active applications in Frisco?  What about previous contracts with the City of Frisco? 

Surprise, surprise … well not really, Frisco Chronicles found what appears to be a warehouse project involving BGE, Inc. This may explain why Sean Merrell recused himself. 

The agenda stated: “Consider and act upon adoption of an Ordinance to repeal Ordinance No. 2025-03-16 and grant a Specific Use Permit for an Office/Warehouse/Distribution Center on one lot on 98.1± acres on the north side of SH 121, 1,015± feet west of Independence Parkway. Zoned Highway with a Specific Use Permit for an Office/Warehouse/Distribution Center and Commercial-2. Neighborhood #26. Zoning Case No. SUP25-0009. Applicant: BGE, Inc. (Development Services/JH)”  Ordinance 2026-04-34.

Did I mention this was the same warehouse project that Richwoods and Lexington residents were concerned about backing up to their community?  That’s right the one that filled Frisco Chambers just a few weeks ago with our Indian neighbors who spoke against the development while our council listened on deaf ears. 

The Planning and Zoning Commission reviews and advances development items long before they ever reach City Council.  Frisco Chronicles is wondering why were three completely separate projects, at three different locations, with different ownership groups and three different religions, allegedly bundled together under a single consent agenda line item?

I suspect a Christian church would not have been bundled in the same way.  Could those projects have been separated and voted on individually? Probably.  Was it poor organization? Doubtful, in my opinion. Political strategy? More likely, in my opinion.  The epic wag the dog.

Create a distraction while other major development items quietly move forward.

The Council Meeting Moment

Who could see the forest through the trees, when the consent agenda came up?  The only questions or pushback appeared to come from Councilmen Burt Thakur and Jared Elad. Both tried to bring up the many other items on the consent agenda that the public was clearly not focused on. 

A motion to appeal was made by Councilman Burt Thakur and appeared to be ignored. There was no second motion. Instead, Mayor Cheney appeared to move the discussion into immediate executive session to consult with the city attorney. But why?

There does not appear to be a law requiring consultation with the city attorney to happen in private, away from the eyes and ears of voters and taxpayers.  This proves Frisco Chronicles point that there is zero transparency, folks.

Mayor Cheney’s motion immediately received a second, and off they went behind closed doors. Just a guess but what followed behind closed doors may have been a heated discussion about the audacity of a couple of councilmen asking questions and suggesting an appeal. My guess is that the executive session was more of an attitude-adjustment session, the kind your mom gives you when you act up in a store and she walks you outside to the car for an understanding.

Mayor Cheney, in my opinion, was not about to let his alleged Legacy Line Item slip out of his sweaty red hands.  Back at the dais, the consent agenda passed 6-0, despite Councilman Burt Thakur appearing not to have agreed with the direction things had gone. Yes, folks, this is what you voted for.

A city council can vote no on almost anything before it. Its primary responsibility is to protect the residents. In my opinion, threats of lawsuits over religious freedom became the wag-the-dog moment, conveniently burrito-wrapped into mega projects most residents were not paying attention to.

It is the opinion of Frisco Chronicles that the PANIC was not only about getting sued over the denial of a mosque but also may have been over the other 13 development deals not going through.  Wake up, Frisco … You are being used!

Mayor Cheney does not care about mosques and temples. His track record shows he cares about cash, the deal, the development, and the legacy.  This whole situation could not have been more perfectly orchestrated.

Do you really think it was just coincidental that the alleged Legacy Line Item was pushed through during one of Mayor Monopoly Cheney’s final city meetings?

The mayor yelled from the dais, “Stop making this political.”   The audience pushed back, “No, you are!”

Councilwoman Angelia Pelham also appeared to join in with similar comments from the dais while defending Mayor Cheney.  Ultimately, they were right about one thing: it was not just political. It was about development. The money. The deals. The legacy. The generational wealth. The frosting.

The frosting, folks, is the perfect camouflage for any cake. You really do not know what you are getting until you cut into it. Anything could be lurking under there: cheap angel food cake or the most luxurious and decadent dessert you have ever placed on your taste buds.

In this case, it was a 16-layer cake with top-shelf premier frosting used to camouflage the layers hiding underneath.

The Timing Questions

Conveniently and coincidentally, the appointment of the Mayor Pro Tem and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem was moved until after the elections. Additionally, the replacement of the open P&Z position was also delayed. With a contentious mayoral election happening, I believe they were not going to rock any of those boats until after the election.   Just a guess but this was a political move.

Community Chatter Rumor Mill

This section includes rumors, community chatter, and allegations and Frisco Chronicles is not presenting these as proven facts. The reason for including them is because it helps explain the larger pattern that may deserve public scrutiny.

One source told Frisco Chronicles they have heard rumors that Jason Young, who recently won the Universal Liquor business, allegedly is a contender for the open P&Z spot.  

Another source told Frisco Chronicles that allegedly, Lori Medina, may become Mark Hill’s new “Chief of Staff” if he wins the election.  You may be asking, “Who is Lori Medina and why is she important?”  Let’s look at Lori’s resume:

• Lobbyist for Wilks Brothers who is building the billion-dollar Fire Fly Development near 380 and DNT
• Former Chief of Staff for Mayor Jeff Cheney
• Former Business Partner of former Councilwoman Tammy Meinershagen (star of the Tammy Tapes)
• Current Campaign Manager or leader in the Mark Hill Campaign
• Lori was also allegedly involved in a physical altercation with then-candidate, veteran, and South Asian candidate Burt Thakur

Lastly Frisco Chronicles heard rumblings that Jason Ford, current President of Frisco Economic Development Corporation, may allegedly step down or be forced out.  His alleged replacement … Jeff Cheney.  

Let’s face it, while all of this is alleged and rumors it does make sense.  Greed is never satisfied and everyone knows Cheney does not want to let go of control on the development in Frisco.  It is an addiction.  Cake is good, and there is never enough cake.

Final Question

So, what was this about?  Was it three religious institutions? Was it religious freedom? Was it fear? Was it development? Was it timing? Was it legacy? Was it money? Frisco Chronicles things it was all of the above. But the cake metaphor still says it best.  The public saw three layers. I believe the real cake was sixteen.  And the frosting was the distraction.

Appendix: For Reference Only

Frisco City Council Regular Meeting – Consent Agenda Items 19-25 on Tuesday, 5/19/26

19. Consider and act upon the approval of minutes. (CSO/KM)

A. Consider and act upon the approval of the May 5, 2026, City Council Work Session meeting minutes. (CSO/KM)

B. Consider and act upon the approval of the May 5, 2026, Regular City Council meeting minutes. (CSO/KM)

C. Consider and act upon the approval of the May 12, 2026, Special-Called City Council meeting minutes. (CSO/KM)

20. Consider and act upon authorizing the City Manager to execute an Interlocal Agreement by and between Collin County and the City of Frisco to provide funding for the construction of Dallas Parkway PH5. (Engineering/WJ)

21. Consider and act upon accepting private donations raised by the Leadership Frisco Class XXIX toward the installation of shade structures at Hope Park at Frisco Commons Park. (Play Frisco/JC)

22. Consider and act upon adoption of a Resolution authorizing submittal of a Metropolitan Transportation Plan Policy Bundle, Round 6 application, to the North Central Texas Council of Governments for Transportation Development Credits. (Engineering/MD)

23. Consider and act upon adoption of a Resolution authorizing the submission of the FY25 Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use grant application through the Bureau of Justice Assistance by the City Manager or his designee. (Police/LT)

24. Consider and act upon award of Best Value Bid #2603-050, Downtown Garage and Plaza Cleaning Services, to Ambassador Services. (Administrative Services/DF)

25. Consider and act upon whether to direct Staff to submit a written notice of appeal on behalf of the City Council to Development Services, pursuant to Subsection 6.19 of the Zoning Ordinance and/or Section 4.02 of the Subdivision Ordinance, regarding action taken by the Planning and Zoning Commission on any site plan or plat. Any written notice of appeal must be submitted to Development Services. (Development Services)

Disclaimer This article is written as opinion, commentary, and personal interpretation based on publicly available records, meeting observations, agenda materials, and information I have heard from community sources. Any statements involving motives, intent, conflicts of interest, contracts, relationships, or behind-the-scenes activity should be understood as alleged, suspected, or opinion unless directly supported by cited public records. Readers are encouraged to review the linked materials, attend public meetings, request records, and form their own conclusions. Nothing in this article