In the heart of Frisco, a tempest brews after the release of Tammy Meinershagen’s true intentions caught on tape.   It is not a brew of natural elements, but of words, actions, and deep-seated tensions.  When it comes to the public safety departments, our city leaders love to tout how “great we are, and everything is just perfect!” However, when you talk to employees of the PS departments, you will hear a much different version, and it has been boiling for several years in private and last year became very public when the Frisco Firefighters Association worked to get Civil Service and Collective Bargaining on the ballot. 

Last year, the city said, “the Police are happy, this is just about a POWER GRAB by a few firefighters.”   You keep hearing about Station 10 being built, but the better question is, how will they staff it?  Two months ago, they had a hiring announcement for fire, and this week posted again. They better hurry and hire with the numerous people just leaving this year. Four members of the leadership team – retired so they can move on to another job, same field, with a better city/county.  More in the last month have made the exodus!   

We can’t wait to see the ribbon cutting for Station 10 and all the new equipment, oh wait!  Will that station have an engine? Will it have an Aeriel Truck, a Rescue Truck, or a Tanker Truck?  Will it have an ambulance?   We know from our discussions with city insiders that the station was built so they could finally say, “We built Station 10, we are good!”  But just because they built it does not mean it will be fully staffed or have the needed apparatuses like the other stations.   It is called “bait-n-switch” folks!  Dig into it!

On May 10^th the Frisco Firefighters Association and Frisco Police Officers Association united in a “Joint Public Safety Endorsement” for candidate Burt Thakur, who is running for CC Place 2.  Then, on May 13, the two groups released another “Joint Public Safety Endorsement” for candidate Jared Elad, who is running for CC Place 4.   The decision for both organizations to come together speaks volumes to the boiling point temperature happening within the walls of the city between public safety, city management, and the Council.  Then yesterday the Frisco Police Officers Assocation released the following statement:

As you can imagine, the supporters of Tammy Meinershagen and Gopal Ponangi were not too happy with the endorsements.  Meinershagen’s supporters have lost their ballistic missile over it. The proof shows in the things being posted across social media. It is enough to ignite a discourse that transcends typical political disagreements, touching the very core of the community’s trust and respect.  It is a campaign of swarms and smears that is hotter than a jalapeno in July. 

What should be a civil discussion about leadership and public safety has turned into a rhetorical wildfire, complete with insults, conspiracy theories, and even an unfortunate comparison to… ants?  Yes.  Ants.

In a social media post that makes your eyebrows arch, and your coffee go cold, Tammy supporter Tracie Reveal Shipman writes, “Have you ever noticed how fire ants respond to a threat? (If you’ve lived in TX long enuf… YOU KNOW what I’m talking about!)  They swarm. They send signals throughout the mound to crawl all over the perceived threat and then, on cue, they attack!   I thought of that this morning when I read the Frisco Police Association’s “attack” on Tammy Meinershagen.  

Shipmen then goes on to describe the Frisco Police Officers Association’s criticism of Meinershagen as akin to fire ants swarming on cue. “They attack,” she wrote, painting our police and fire associations—comprised of actual human beings who protect and serve this city—as mindless insects who swarm when threatened.  Shipman ends her post with “Don’t be fooled by the swarm! Don’t get bit by distractions and deceptive heresay.”

Let’s be clear: this wasn’t just some metaphorical faux pas. This was a deliberate attempt to dehumanize public safety employees for daring to speak up against a politician. For many, it crossed a serious line, and our inbox and messenger started filling up with comments and perspectives.  These are the same men and women who run toward danger when others run away, and now they’re being painted as the villains for expressing concern about ethics and accountability.

What we find even more disgusting is that Shipman is some sort of motivational coach and her website claims she works with “leaders around the globe” and she is “Dedicated to Building Purpose, Passion, and Performance.”   Ms. Shipman, if you are a globetrotting problem solver, then why not help fix the problem?  Can’t you arrange with all your insider city friends to bring together the council, management and both public safety departments and perform your earth-shaking motivational speech that will heal everything instead of attacking our public safety departments calling them ants?  

One would think, after one of Shipman’s Revelational Speeches we would find our city manager, city council and both public safety groups sitting together in a sweat lodge singing kumbaya my lord releasing all the toxins from their body and building purpose and passion together.  To be fair, we don’t know anything about Shipman but just based on her social media posts and her attack style on every post, we find her to be an annoying little woodpecker. 

Then we looked at the comments of Shipman’s post and the first one was from Laura Segars Woodard.  For those who don’t know that is Councilman Bicycle Bill Woodards wife.  She applauds, Tracie and then goes on to say, “Part of the reason why my husband, Bill, is no longer on FB is because of the abuse he took from the Union and pro-Union people.”   

Abuse?  Is she serious or on something like the kids in Prosper? A pity party for one, please. Let’s not rewrite history here.

Woodard was not attacked. He led the charge against the Firefighters Association by releasing internal city documents (that were not obtained from a PIR – which means he used city resources in his PAC, which I think maybe illegal), and launching verbal assaults on the department’s integrity.  He didn’t just oppose collective bargaining—he called these people lazy and tried to discredit their service altogether. Now, his wife is trying to play the victim card at a bad poker table.

Then Tracie Shipman must jump back into the fight to reply to someone, and she says, “It’s unfortunate that the comments from the altered recordings have, once again, been conveniently taken out of context to fit a tired narrative. To be clear, the reference to 300 lb bullies was directed to the union reps at the polls last year during the VOTE NO campaign. But we wouldn’t know that, because the recordings were manipulated to remove the prompting questions and context. For all we know, the questioner used the word “bullies” first and Tammy was responding to the use of that word. But hey… why let a little thing like that get in the way of some good old-fashioned righteous indignation!?

She continues, “I’m a huge fan of metaphors and I stand by mine. From my perspective, the behavior of the association members looks swarm-like with what appears to be coordinated attacks.  AND, as I said in my post, I understand WHY they are behaving like they are. They feel threatened.  The voters already rejected the union demands of one local association and Tammy represents the tip of the spear in that ongoing tax-payer fight!”  She closes with, “Oh, And I do hope CBS News picks up the story and investigates the potential crime of the recordings! Thank you for tagging them!

WHISTLEBLOWERS RESPONSE:  Your candidate, Tammy Meinershagen, has taken a huge hit because of her own choices.  She chose to violate her friendships and the private conversations she had with those friends when she went to someone else’s place and revealed what she had been told.  I am sure her friends thought they were having a safe space conversation when they talked about their families, marriages and kids.  Guess it is okay for her to violate that sanctity but not someone else?  Sounds like on top of being a bad friend, she is also a hypocrite.   We listened to the entire conversation and Meinershagen was not prompted in anyway down any single path if she was we would not have released it.

2: The “Unions” you speak of have nothing do with this.  Remember last year, when Angelia said what will happen after the election, where do we go on May 5^, 2024?  Well, Ms. Shipman, after the election last year, our Frisco Firefighters went back to work.  They have been working and on their own personal time chose to go lobby in Austin for a bill they truly believe benefits their lives, their children’s lives and the other first responders in Texas.  They have done nothing!  Now because you have nothing else to fight with you want to use scary, intimidating words, like unions in order to put a fear in someone.  This has nothing do with Unions and everything to do with Tammy Meinershagens choices!   

3: CBS NEWS: CBS is welcome to reach out to us by email or through our attorney, who is listed on our website.  Our attorney will represent us, and we will comply with all laws while PROTECTING OUR SOURCES.  We have nothing to hide, did nothing illegal, and did not misrepresent anything.

Meanwhile, Amanda Baze Hall, also posted today calling for truth over tactics.  First, she dismissed the Frisco Police Officers Association by saying they don’t represent all Frisco Police.   Hall then goes on to claim she knows what is really happening when clearly, she doesn’t!  After that she attacks “a candidate” who moved here from California who is pretending to be a conservative.  Well, if that were true then why are the Frisco Democrats not happy about that?  Why are they all backing Tammy Meinershagen who claims to be a Republican, when she isn’t?   

Of course, we like to go to the comments, and we see a name know all too well…Lisa Kirby.  Lisa attacks the FPOA Treasurer Colby Hill, for being arrested.  Is she trying to assert that all officers are bad or discredited because one has been arrested?  From everything we can tell, the FPOA was transparent and fully cooperated with the investigation.  She makes it sound like the FPOA did something wrong when they didn’t.  If she wants to hold the FPOA responsible for Colby Hill, then maybe we should hold Chief Shilson accountable or responsible for the other officers arrested under his command, right?   You will always have bad actors in life, but in this case, good officers did the right thing, and now you want to make them look bad for doing their job and holding the bad ones accountable? 

Then Kirby continues to slam the Elads, long-standing residents of our community, by implying that they cannot serve simultaneously on two separate boards.  If we look at all the boards and commissions in Frisco, are we going to find any husband-and-wife duo’s serving on separate boards?  If we do, should we question that dynamic?   

So, let’s talk about Kirby and her true colors now!  Kirby supports Meinershagen and the apple may not fall from the tree as she has several posts that in our opinion are subtle digs and making fun of Sai and Burt Thakur.  They say you are usually friends with like-minded individuals. 

Finally we have Laura Segars Woodard popping up again in the comments.  At 9:43 am today wrote, “ I was shocked to see what the FPOA posted when there is an ongoing criminal investigation for these illegally obtained recordings. What is the etiquette about discussing an open case and also sharing misinformation? The recordings were definitely edited, and there was no mention of Police in them. It is clear the pro-Union people and organizations will try to get their way by any means.” 

Funny thing, Laura Woodard…if there is a criminal investigation into illegally obtained recordings – HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IT?  If the council was informed about an investigation that would be private city business, and they should not even be discussing that with their SPOUSE.  Laura, you asked about the “etiquette of discussing an open case and also sharing misinformation?”  Is Facebook the right place to be asking that question?  Don’t you think if it is inappropriate for FPOA, to post comments, it would be inappropriate for you to be posting about an open investigation as a councilman’s wife? Especially when you should know nothing about it. Lastly, she tries to intimidate people using the word “union” which is MISINFORMATION, isn’t it?

Want to hear the best part?  Later today at 3:43 PM, Laura Segars Woodard – edited her statement on Facebook and removed everything about a “CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION” and “ILLEGALY OBTAINED RECORDINGS.” 

WHISTLEBOWERS RESPONSE

Ms. Woodard, the fact that you know anything about a criminal investigation that has nothing to do with you is ALARMING, CONCERNING, AND INAPPRORPRIATE!  The fact that your husband may have been informed of such an investigation and shared that with you IS EVEN MORE CONCERNING!  You should know and have the basic knowledge that Texas is a one-consent state and therefore, nothing was ILLEGAL. That means your comments, along with others in your Cabal, are either ignorant because you don’t understand the law, or you are flat out lying to citizens of Frisco. It is a nice way to try and PIVOT away from Tammy’s actions and words, and a useful way to try and gaslight voters and the other candidates.

TO CLEAR UP ANY CONFUSION ABOUT THE RECORDINGS

A source reached out to us and told us they had the tape.  That source WAS NOT any of the candidates in either race for Place 2 or 4.  Based on the original tape that we listened to, we can assure you the tape was not illegally recorded, we did not obtain it illegally and the only edit we made was to remove a second person at the request of the person who sent it to us.  We can also assure you we did not manipulate words, move things around to make it worse and that everything Tammy said was 1000% Tammy Meinershagen’s own words and she was not prompted in any way in the conversation!  If the Frisco Police would like to talk to us about this so-called criminal investigation, they can reach out to our Attorney! 

Where Do We Go from Here

This isn’t just another Facebook spat—it’s a full-on culture clash and first responder bash!  And it’s exposing deep fractures between City Hall, frontline workers who keep Frisco running and the residents of the community. 

Let’s end with this:  Politics will always have disagreements. But when leaders—or their surrogates—start describing our civil servants as swarming insects, when they dismiss public safety associations as mere obstacles to personal ambition, and when they twist the narrative to play victim while having a history of attack, we’ve gone too far.  Frisco deserves better. We deserve real dialogue, mutual respect, and accountability—on both sides of the aisle.  And for goodness’ sake, leave the ants out of it.