Well Frisco, you might want to set down that Yeti tumbler and grab a porcelain teacup, because in this episode weâre not sipping sweet tea â weâre serving it scalding.
On todayâs episode of âWhoâs Mic Is It Anyway?â Tammy Meinershagen â our poised, polished, picture-perfect council darling â trades in her charm-school pearls for brass knuckles and pours out the kind of hot gossip that makes Bravo executives weep with envy.
You know Tammy: the one with the Barbie-blonde poise, high-heeled grace, and the kind of curated Instagram aesthetic that screams âIâm just like you but with better lighting.â For years, sheâs been Friscoâs go-to for classy civic engagement and picture-perfect smiles. But as that hot mic keeps rolling, so does a side of Tammy thatâs less Pageant Queen and more Petty Queen.
At this point, the only thing hotter than Tammyâs tea is a July afternoon on the Starâs turf field.
So hereâs the question we have to ask, Frisco: Is Tammy the well-spoken, community-loving stateswoman we all thought? Or is she Two-Faced Tammy â the master puppeteer sipping tea while setting matches? Better yet⊠which Tammy is running the show today?
Lastly, if John Keating is telling people he is running for Mayor, then doesn’t that mean he has to step down if he has started campaigning? đ«đ„
One thingâs clear: In Frisco, trust might be harder to come by than a Legacy West parking spot on Saturday night.
đ Stay tuned, because the tape keeps rolling⊠Who needs Ketchup Caddy when you have Two-Faced Tammy. Bring on the drama.
Itâs campaign season in Frisco, and you know what that means: political signs are vanishing, alliances are shifting, and hypocrisy is doing cartwheels down Main Street. We have heard from a few citizens asking us why we have a âDouble Standardâ when it comes to calling out current city leaders who support Smart Frisco while we have said nothing about Brian Livingston who is supporting the Citizens For A Smarter Frisco PAC. We have been asked why we have not disclosed how the Vote No PAC – Citizens For A Smarter Frisco is funded? Honesty matters so here you go!
Letâs rewind the tape.
Letâs talk about the political elephant in the roomâSmart Frisco, the feel-good PAC with a slick name, big-dollar backing, and conveniently aligned with current city leaders. Councilmembers Bill Woodard, Jeff Cheney, and Tammy Meinershagen have all publicly supported this PAC as well as previous PACs in the past while claiming to be wearing their âprivate citizenâ hats on. We cannot pretend their alignment with Smart Frisco doesnât carry political weight. Ah yesâthe magical invisible hat that somehow lets you hold public office and advocate for propositions without consequences or accountability. Itâs like Clark Kent glasses for ethics.
In the previous election Brian Livingston took no position and clearly said it is up to voters to decide and this time around he dared to speak up about his own concerns regarding the Frisco Center For The Arts during council meetings. It was not until the current city council members came out for a second time advocating for a PAC trying to influence the vote that Livingston clearly had enough and said what is good for the goose is good for the âŠ..
Now critics cry foul and the pearly clutching begins! The cabal acting as if he had crossed a line even though they set the precedent crossing the sacred boundary. Livingston dared to voice his concerns and support for the Citizens for a Smarter Frisco PAC, which is advocating against the current Performing Arts Center deal and now critics cry foul, as though heâs crossed some sacred boundary, they themselves trampled over a year ago.
Behind Citizens For A Smarter Frisco PAC
Based on records filed with the city the PAC started a few weeks after Smart Frisco. The treasurer is listed at Chris Fields and from what we can tell he has no criminal record, does some political consulting and works in the IT Field. We pulled their campaign finance report, and they have $0 listed, $0 donations and until the next report is out, we will not know who funded the PAC. We messaged Chris Fields and asked why the PAC developed and he responded, âout of citizen concern.â
Livingston has been front and center for the PAC at forums and reposting their content but nowhere near the extent of the city leaders on the side of Smart Frisco. Do you feel that as a representative for the city council you should be representing a pack against the performing arts center?
Livingston: Honest, Direct, andâLetâs Face ItâRight
We sent Mr. Livingston an email and asked him Do you feel that as a representative for the city council you should be representing a pack against the performing arts center and why he has chosen to support Citizens For A Smarter Frisco and this was his response.
Livingston wrote, âI want to be clearâI never wanted to represent a political action committee in this way. However, a precedent was set last year when other members of this council chose to publicly support a PAC while claiming to do so as private citizens. That action opened the door for elected officials to engage in public advocacy while still holding office, and I believe itâs important to be honest about that reality.
As a councilman, my first responsibility is to be transparent with the residents of Frisco. I have taken this position with the âVote Noâ PAC because I firmly believe the current Performing Arts Center deal, as written, is not in the best interest of our city. I also strongly disagree with the proposed change in use of EDC funds, which were never intended to support projects of this nature.
This isnât about opposing the artsâitâs about fiscal responsibility, honoring the original intent of our economic development tools, and making sure every deal we enter into reflects the long-term needs and values of the Frisco community.â
Thatâs what you call âowningâ the situation. No spin. No double talk. Just a clear admission that if weâre going to play by these new rules, letâs at least acknowledge them out loud. Whether you agree with him or not, you canât deny that what heâs offering is rare: a transparent position, rooted in fiscal concern, with zero political waffling.
Whatâs Good for the GooseâŠ
Hereâs the core issue: you canât praise transparency when it suits your narrative and then screams “conflict of interest” when someone else plays by the rules you created. If itâs okay for Cheney, Meinershagen, and Woodard to champion a PAC two years in a row while in office, then say Brian Livingstonâs advocacy for fiscal responsibility and public transparency is not appropriate and unnecessary. This isnât about theater. Itâs about trust. And whether you support the Performing Arts Center or not, you should support honest governance over political theater.
The Bottom Line
Frisco deserves better than this convenient amnesia and selective outrage. If elected officials want to play the PAC game, they should at least have the decency to stop pretending theyâre playing as âprivate citizens.â And if a councilman speaks up about a shady deal and does so publicly, letâs not crucify him for being the only one saying the quiet part out loud. It would be totally disingenuous to pretend this isn’t political coordination masquerading as “just a concerned citizen.” The real issue isnât whoâs supporting which PACâitâs why some voices are allowed a microphone, while others get handed a muzzle. Frisco voters are smarter than that. Letâs act like it.
There are several important dates to know when it comes to the ballot propositions:
I don't know, Patrick, and I'm not familiar with SREC, so I'm unable to answer your questions.
Hi Patrickâwhen is your SREC30 meeting. Missed the one and want to together before Sept.
We hope to write about it all soon. Most of the content in question - was from 3rd Party comments…
Shining a light in the dark here to just get this out of the way and moved pastâwho started the…
Bunch of Nepotism, buddy system promotion. If you ainât white you ainât right