In the last week or so there has been a rush for some elected politicians to “REBRAND” their message because they realize it is not hitting well with residents who turn up to vote.  If you are not paying attention, you might not catch the subtle “rebranding of the message” or what we simply call lying.  Political messaging is a delicate dance.  Mailers hit your mailbox with words that dance gracefully around some inconvenient truths.  A candidate’s message is supposed to be consistent but in Frisco, politicians transform blatant contradictions into poetic ambiguity, crafting messages so elusive that even Sherlock Holmes would throw in the towel trying to understand. Candidates are the maestros who have turned gaslighting into an art form and when caught on camera they politically rebrand the message making deception look like a masterpiece.

Let’s look at Keating’s first mailer which reads “Leadership. Experience. KEATING.”   He says his mission is to keep Frisco the #1 city in America by protecting our quality of life and ensuring it remains the best place in Texas to build a business and raise a family.  On the back of the flyer, Keating points out his priorities to keep taxes low, support police and fire, and again mentions protecting our quality of life.  Then in a bid red banner, it reads “Frisco Under Keatings Leadership” and is #1 Safest City In America according to Smart Asset 2023, #1 Best Place To Live according to Money Magazine 2018, #1 Best City To Do Business in Texas according to Better Homes and Gardens 2020 and #1 Suburb in North Texas according to Livability 2023. 

If you ask the residents of Cobb Hill whose backyard now faces a future theme park if Keating and the council protected their quality of life, my guess is they would say no! On March 3, 2023, he admitted the night of the vote at the city council meeting that he did not meet with residents of Cobb Hill and instead chose to go on vacation and protect his quality of life.  This proves Keating’s priorities are Keating, not the residents.  He then said we do fully expect to be held accountable. He continued, “Accountability & Transparency is part of the Frisco City Council’s DNA,” and goes on to talk about how he says that with conviction.  On May 4, 2024, we will know if the residents hold him accountable for his decisions.

Updating The Message or Spreading the Lies:  Keating’s new social media ads have a bolder look with a blue background and bright yellow text that read “His Record” as being all the same #1 labels, but this time he leaves the dates off of the publication for the rankings.  Why is that?  We guess that people don’t care how we ranked in 2018 they care how rank today in 2024.  A report in U.S. News listed the top 25 places considered the best places to live for families in the U.S. in 2023-24 and Frisco did not make that list.  The same magazine has the top 150 most popular areas to live in 2023-24 ranking and Frisco did not make that either unless we fall under #113 DFW. What Keating has failed to realize is just because he says it is true does not mean that it is true.  Many things have changed in 6 years but his Forest Gump brain still believes we are #1.

Changing Tunes on Public Safety and Proposition A & B:  Keating was proud to jump at the forums this year and announce he supports the Vote No PAC which is bought and paid for by Frisco developers.  He is also proud to be endorsed by Mayor Cheney and former Mayor Mike Simpson, both of whom are huge proponents of the Vote No PAC.  He also had his friends and fellow council members out at the polls with him encouraging citizens to vote NO against the Firefighters.  Yet in just the last 24 to 48 hours that message has started to shift.  A poll greater for Keating emailed us and said they were told not to hold a Vote No sign if wearing the blue Keating t-shirt anymore. Wonder why a shift in political messaging?

In our opinion, double speaking is not a good political message.  For years Keating has said he is an advocate for our first responders.  In fact, in a video 3 years ago he stated that his personal goals were to provide first responders with the tools and training they need to stay safe.  Keating also filed for an endorsement in the last election which we wrote about in our blog Jammed Up John Keating, and one of the questions was, “he supported four firefighters for ALL TRUCK COMPANIES” and that we have to grow accordingly to the population growth.

Fast forward to today, and now Keating says we have adequate staffing (which has not changed since the last election), and that this is a power play for those who serve themselves and do not have the best interests of Frisco at heart.  Is Keating calling our first responders “self-serving?’  Keating has also filled out the Association’s (aka the bad Union they are trying to sell us today) required questionnaire for an endorsement which comes with money in each election.  He had no issue with the Association (aka bad union) and the money they fed his campaign all these years.  Honestly, we think he is hacked off that he did not get either public safety group’s endorsement this year and why would he expect to after how he has talked about them and attacked them as evil ogres of our city?   The fact is Keating sold out our first responders for big-money developers and a house in the prestigious PGA Preserve community, and he has to live with that. 

As we said now Keating has begun to update his message on public safety.  His new mailer has red and blue emergency lights on the front and reads “In 2022 and 2023, Frisco was named #1 Safest City In America.   Then a big bold yellow banner along the bottom reads “John Keating Kept Us Safe.  Let’s Keep John Keating.”  News flash Mr. Keating, when my house was broken into it was not you who showed up at my door to keep me safe, it was our Frisco Police Officers.  When my wife had a medical emergency, it was not you who came to our home and provided that, it was our Frisco Fire Squad.  Maybe we missed your get-well card in the mail, but I am pretty sure you never “KEPT US SAFE!”  Quite frankly, the front of your postcard shows your arrogance and narcissistic personality.

The back of the newest mailer has a bright red banner that reads “John Keating Gives Police, Fire, and First Responders the Tools They Need to Keep Us Safe.”  It goes on to say our safety is not just a promise it is a priority, but we don’t believe you.  Then he says under his leadership Frisco has added 85 new police and fire personnel, which sounds great.  Can you tell us what the breakdown of that is between the two departments?  If you list that number out it might now look so good for the promises you are offering.  As for supporting the bond for Fire Station 10, who cares?  Let’s say we have a new shiny building, if you don’t staff it, what is the point?  According to city hall insiders you only plan to have one truck there and no medical which in my tax-paying opinion seems like a damn waste.

Lastly, the mailer talks about Keating Public Safety Priorities which means, “Can you smell the ShXt Keating is selling.”  Don’t defend the police – defend the police?  How will that play with the Democrat vote you are trying to win?  Support our police officers and firefighters by “advocating for maintaining adequate staffing levels WITHIN THE POLICE FORCE TO ENSURE RAPID EMERGENCY RESPONSE TIMES?  Hmmm, read that again, “within the police force!”  Guess he just forgot the Fire Department.  Wait, he has promised to advocate for years on that issue and has not done anything and still claims HE IS THE TRUE LEADER FOR OUR CITY?

Can we just lay it out for you?  Keating’s rebranding is like a symphony of semantics, where promises are whispered like sweet nothings and lies are wrapped in the velvet cloak of confusing rhetoric. He is dumber than Forest Gump and so is his political consultant Mustang Strategies.  One might even say Keating’s campaign consultant spins their web of propaganda making the narrative so tangled that even Charlotte the spider might blush with envy.

He has sold out the frontline who have supported and endorsed him for developer money and the hopes of being Mayor Cheney’s Best Friend Forever.  Keating loves to talk but his actions or food but then goes against everything he claims to stand for.  We are ashamed of those who support him because it tells us a lot about their lack of morals, honesty, and integrity.  Keating’s mailers are woven tapestries of half-truths, lies, and promises, painting a picture so vivid that even Picasso would envy their creativity.   

Winston Churchill: ‘Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.’