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 10th 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.
HR-GONE: The Mysterious Disappearance of Frisco’s Human Resources Trio
It’s been unusually quiet over at City Hall lately. It’s the kind of quiet that screams “Something’s rotten in the records room.” While most departments are humming along in their usual bureaucratic fog, the stench of an investigation is sweeping the building due to some major “Absences.”
A few weeks ago, Lauren “Sassy” Safranek and Jacinta Shanks, top brass in Frisco’s Human Resources Department, vanished like a bowl of queso at a Friday Night tailgate. Gone. Poof. Not a peep. Did they get lost on a ship stuck in troubled seas? Maybe they went ice fishing and fell in the hole? It’s like they just pulled a Houdini!
We reached out to some of our sources inside city hall. When something like this happens, it does not take long for whispers and rumors to begin. One whistleblower told us, “One minute they’re steering the ship, the next day they’re gone like a Margarita on Cinco de Mayo.” Did they quit? Nope. Did they announce a vacation? Were they abducted by an alien spaceship sent by fed-up municipal employees?
I mean, it’s not the craziest theory on the table. What we do know is this: Multiple sources allege they’re on administrative leave—which in government-speak often translates to: “Something’s gone sideways, and we’re pretending we have it under control.”
Rumor Tornado: Allegations Aplenty
Cue the local rumor mill which is working overtime, spinning out allegations faster than a ceiling fan in an August heatwave. Allegations range from forged documents, toxic workplace culture, and racist comments. And while we’d love to dismiss it all as wild conspiracy, here’s the truth: When that much smoke is circling, it usually ain’t from a scented candle. For a city who claims to have pride in their professionalism and diversity, something like this is not just smoke, somewhere there is a fire! Someone call the Fire Department!! (more about that in a sec)
If things weren’t already murky enough, we got word that Shamaria, another key player in HR, is also out. Administrative leave too? Vacation? Witness protection? We hope to tell you soon why people are just vanishing from the organization chart. We are just giving the city the courtesy of a comment request before we move forward. For now, they think no one’s talking. Not the city, not the employees, not even a cryptic passive-aggressive Nextdoor post. However, that is simply not true! They have more cracks and leaks than the Titanic.
At least when you email any of them you get back the “official” statement which is a robotic Out-of-Office reply that reads like it was written by ChatGPT on Ambien. The silence is deafening. No answers. No updates. Not even a cryptic “thoughts and prayers” from City Hall. So, what did we find?
HR Hotline Tellanovella
Case 61: Discrimination or Harassment! It was filed on 4/25/23 and closed one month later on 5/23/23 and the person identified in the behavior was none other than Jacinta Shanks – HR Manager. The report goes on to say that on April 10th while the Director was away, Jacinta pulled her staff into a meeting and yelled and screamed at them for two hours. It reads “she was screaming that they were bad in their roles in HR, was name calling, cussing, screaming, etc.” Not only could she be heard yelling through the department, but she could heard in the hallway too which the reporter said was abusive and unprofessional. The end result? The case was closed and no evidence was found.
Case 62: Listed as “OTHER” was reported on 5/4/23 and closed on 5/23/23. The hotline complaint is about the same “April 10th Issue” listed in Case 61 but this time the complaint is the initial report was closed out and never investigated by the HR Director, Laurn Safranek.
Case 64: Falsification of Contracts, Reports or Records was reported on 5/29/23 and closed out 6/22/23. We reported this in our Twelve Days of Christmas Blog back in 2023. It was Day 3: Case 64 & HR Malfeasance and Day 9: Case 64 Responses. You can just click the Case names, and it will take you directly to those blogs. We know for a fact his true and it is why Lauren Safranek used a fake investigation to go after the Former Fire Chief, to cover up her own fraud. The complaint was closed out due to NO EVIDENCE FOUND!
Meanwhile, Over in the Fire Department…
You’d hope that while HR has hit the skids, all the other departments would be cruising along smoothly, right? Wrong.
Five employees have recently left the Frisco Fire Department. We’re not talking about minor attrition here—we’re talking about experienced professionals pulling the ripcord. Some retired early, which means, “I’m out of here because this will never get better,” while others just walked out of the job.
Why? The unofficial rumor is due to the lack of true Fire Department leadership and lack of support by city management. Tammy’s recent comments “caught on tape” sure didn’t help when they were called 300lb Bullies. They have realized it is not going to get better without change on the Dias and new fresh minds sitting in the seats on the council. Maybe that is why the Frisco Firefighters Association and Frisco Police Officers Association has endorsed Burt Thakur and Jared Elad in the runoff. One thing is clear for sure those that put their life on the line to save our lives and our property are sick of the city’s BS and jumping off the Titanic early while there is still a lifeboat to get them somewhere else.
Damage Control in Public Works?
HR, then the Fire Department? Surely, it’s a fluke – nothing to worry about, right? Wrong. Just a few weeks ago a lady spoke at citizens input about the “issues” in public works and how she was upset that a letter she sent it to recognize someone was never given to them. Well turns out there is a flood in the Public Works Department too and it goes back several years.
Sometime in 2024, Lauren Safranek (HR – now allegedly out on administrative leave) hired an outside HR Consulting Company, called Kathy Shields Consulting, to investigate the “alleged complaints through the HR hotline of an inappropriate relationship.” That’s right, the “ALLEGED” complaints involve Lover Boy, Kevin Grant, his alleged girlfriend, Loosey Goosey Gloria Martinez (who is married to someone else who works in the city).
Sources from deep in city leadership told us NDA’s were required by everyone in Public Works. The affair is alleged to have been happening for several years now, and the consultants couldn’t understand why people were bothered by it. Well, when one who is loosey goosey starts to get promotions and special treatment you can see why it would upset those that work around her.
Piling High HR Allegations in Public Works
Case 55: Time Abuse was reported on 1/3/23 and closed on 1/30/23. The report reads that Office Manager, Gloria Martinez and Kevin Grant, Assistant Director for months would go off during work hours to donate plasma for extra money while still on the clock (meaning they were stealing taxpayer dollars and being paid for it). The confidential reporters said they believed the stolen time was equal to $50,000 dollars. Their report continued with all the CSR’s and other direct reports were aware of the happenings. HR found no evidence and closed the case.
Case 57: Offensive and Inappropriate Communication was reported on 3/17/23 and closed on 5/8/23. This report is about Marvin Redmond, a Supervisor and foul mouth in the office. HR found no evidence and closed the case.
Case 58: Nepotism/Favoritism Inappropriate Workplace Relationship was reported on 3/20/23 and closed on 4/11/23. The report says Kevin Grant, Assistant Director of Public Works and Gloria Martinez, Office Admin, are having an inappropriate relationship and disappear at different times of the day for extended periods. It mentions Kevin has a DUI so he gets Gloria to drive him everywhere. They openly flirt in the office making others uncomfortable and awkward. The Director of Public Works, Gabe appears to do nothing and turns a blind eye. HR found no evidence and closed the case.
Case 59: Violation of Policy was reported on 3/20/23 and closed on 4/12/23. The report states that Gabe Johnson, the Director of Public Works knows that Kevin Grant, Assistant Director of Public Works was convicted of a DUI which is an issue because driving a city vehicle is part of his job to check on employees and job sites. The report notes others have been fired in the past for DUI’s but this time Gabe choses to look the other way. HR found no evidence and closed the case.
Interesting thing here, we did a simple search, and we found a DUI for a Kevin Grant – could it be the same Kevin Grant that works at the City of Frisco driving city vehicles?
Case 84/85/86/87/88: Multiple Reports about Public Works and the HR Cover up also reported to the hotline in 2024/25. The first starts with a 3-page complaint about Gloria Martinez, the Strategic Services Manager in Public Works (new title), related to her behavior and ongoing love affair with her boss. The case was closed when NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND!
We could keep going, but we don’t want to sound like a broken record. Sources from deep in city leadership told us NDA’s were required by everyone in Public Works during the investigation. The consultants couldn’t understand why people were bothered by it. Our guess, when one who is loosey goosey starts to get promotions and special treatment, you can see why it would upset those who work around her.
What we find interesting is each time they are closed due to no evidence found. One report, I could see its just petty employee behavior but when you have multiple reports in multiple departments and they are always investigated by the same HR folk (who are even named in the complaint) something tells me – there is some rotting shit in Denmark.
Let’s Talk About Leadership — Or Lack Thereof
Enter Wes Pierson, Frisco’s relatively new City Manager. According to the Tammy tapes, she just finished his “yearly review.” Don’t worry, we are filing a PIR for that blow pop sucker!
To hear some folks inside City Hall tell it, Wes didn’t just walk in with a chip on his shoulder—he brought the whole bag of chips on this back. There’s a growing sentiment that his arrogant, top-down leadership style is rubbing people the wrong way, all the way down to those “entry level employees.” Micromanaging? Check. Intimidating culture? Double check. Open-door policy? Not unless you’re bringing praise, apparently.
And here’s the kicker: this isn’t Wes’s first rodeo when it comes to morale problems.
Sources from his previous job in Addison say the same script played out there. Multiple departures. Low morale. Leadership complaints. Sound familiar? Because it should. History doesn’t repeat, but it sure rhymes.
Walking on Eggshells
Maybe it’s time we stopped asking what happened and started asking who’s driving the bus at the city. Insiders describe the current vibe inside City Hall as “walking on eggshells.” But in the absence of information, people fill in the blanks themselves—and right now, that blank is filled with rumors, stress, and enough anxiety to power every Keurig in the building. However our City Council Members want you to believe everything is just dandy – and the truth is the cancer is all over the city including our City Council.
Final Thoughts
To the City of Frisco: This isn’t Mean Girls. We get that HR matters can be sensitive and complex. But people deserve a straight answer—or at the very least, an acknowledgment that something is amiss. And to Mr. Pierson: you were brought in to lead, not reign. Arrogance isn’t management.Intimidation isn’t accountability. And silence isn’t transparency.
The people who make this city run—from dispatchers to developers—deserve better than this circus. We’ve got talent walking out the door, departments on edge, and a leadership team that thinks “no comment” is good enough. Then to top off the Sunday, we have city council members getting caught on tape showing their authentic self in a safe space, acting no better than some of the city “employees” she thumbs her nose up at, who work for our city. Too bad we can’t file an HR Complaint with the hotline about Tammy.
If you read this and don’t think we need a change in our city, you are simply delusional! If you want to try and discredit us because we are anonymous – go ahead. Companies and cities cannot operate this way.
Years of HR HOTLINE COMPLAINTS, which name HR as part of the problem investigated by none other than HR. Simple No Evidence Found! Years of complaints about issues in Public Works, but simply no evidence found! More reports about other departments from PD, Facilities / Maintenance, and Professional Services, simple, no evidence found!
A city’s HR Team doesn’t go POOF IN THE NIGHT, unless there is a serious issue! If you want to believe our Fire Department is a group of bullies, we can’t change your mind. The fact is that a fire department does not lose tenure like our department has in one year unless there is a reason for it. If you want to believe that our Public Works department has no issues after 15+ complaints have been reported for the same thing by different people, then we can’t change your mind. How many cities have to hire this many outside consultants or investigators to look at an issue and still find no evidence? What you should care about is that it is your tax dollars paying for it.
For years, the city has operated with the mentality to protect the ones they like and cut the ones that could or will “uncover the problem”. Hence, our former Fire Chief and several other employees across other city departments. If you want to blame the wrong people and keep denying there is a problem, better yet, that there is a cancer in the city that starts at the top, then you are blind and stupid. The problem starts with our city council leaders and trickles down through the city. I would love for someone to explain to me how one city has so many problems! Don’t believe us, fine! We can’t make you see what you choose to close your eyes to. Just continue to be sheep!
City of Frisco Motto: Keep the cancer, eat the innocent!
In April of 2021 you would have thought an El Paso dust storm full of tumbleweeds came through Frisco and upset the equilibrium of our city. As we discussed in our earlier blogs Where There Is Smoke PT 1 and There is Fire PT 2, there has been a long standing point of contention between the Frisco Firefighters Association and the city in regards to workers compensation.
In 2021 the city opposed House Bill 2242 brought forward by Jared Patterson, Texas State House Rep for Frisco. In 2023 the FFA and Patterson brought HB 471, and they have been working extremely hard to get it or similar legislation passed in Austin that would protect first responders across Texas. The fight for more protection by the FFA and Jared Paterson has continued into our 2025 Texas Legislative Session.
Even though we knew about the El Paso dust storm, my wife and I were still shocked on May 16, 2023, after tuning into the city council meeting online, like we have done every other Tuesday for years. Mayor Cheney presented a proclamation to Denton County MGMR, for all the work they do each day relating to mental health. Mental Health Awareness Month aims to increase awareness about the vital role mental health plays in our overall health and well-being and provide resources and information to support individuals and communities in need of mental health support.
At that same meeting, during Citizen Input (23:00 minute mark), Frisco Firefighters Association President, Matt Sapp, along with Retired Frisco Fire Chief Mark Piland, and Assistant Fire Chief Cameron Kraemer to address the termination of Kraemer, a 27-year Veteran of the Frisco Fire Department.
What? After 27-years serving our city and its residents without hesitation, Kraemer was terminated BY EMAIL while on medical leave and under medical supervision for PTSD which we go into more detail about in our blog Backdraft which we really encourage you to read.
By the end of the meeting, I wanted to scream like Alanis Morrissette…
Isn’t it ironic? Don’t you think? A little too ironic
Where are we two years later? It is Mental Health Awareness Month again, and the second anniversary of Kraemer’s termination BY EMAIL while on medical leave. The fight is not over, not even close! It’s time to peel back the curtain on a firehouse-sized problem simmering here in Frisco? Buckle up, this one’s got smoke, politics, and no small dose of Texas-sized irony.
Smoke, Stigma & Silenced: Mark Piland
Since then, Retired Fire Chief Mark Piland has had his name wrongfully smeared and his 40-year stellar career in public service wrongfully attacked by City of Frisco leaders for speaking out on behalf of Kraemer and the Frisco Firefighters Association when he attempted to run for Frisco City Council.
The Legislative Lifeline
When your city will not support you, what do you do? The Frisco Firefighters Association has continued the fight and has been in Austin off and on the last several weeks with local State Rep Jared Patterson to fight for more protection for public safety employees in the State of Texas. Just today, HB331 officially headed to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law! The bill marks the final piece of legislation language from last session’s HB471 that our Frisco Firefighters have been advocating for the past three legislative sessions.
A Firefighters Fight: Cameron Kraemer
And Cameron Kraemer, where is he? Kraemer, while still under medical supervision, started the fight of his life against our very own City of Frisco. After a hearing on September 21, 2023, before the Texas Department of Insurance, the DMN reports that the administrative law judge hearing the case ORDERED THE CITY OF FRISCO, which is self-insured, to pay Kraemer benefits and any accrued but unpaid income benefits in a lump sum with interest as provided by law. According to John Riddle, president of the Texas State Association of Fire Fighters, Kraemer’s case is being watched throughout Texas, and it is important to the state’s 18,000 firefighters in 195 communities. Riddle said in the DMN, “For now, Frisco is among the most aggressive cities in fighting its injured employees at City Hall and the Legislature — and because of that, employees like Cameron Kraemer pay a high price.”
The battle continued as Kraemer took his case before the DOJ for them to determine if he was able to sue the city for wrongful termination which we wrote about in our blog Big Time Casino Payout. The DOJ ruled Kraemer could move forward with a lawsuit so in August 2024 Cameron Kraemer filed a lawsuit for wrongful termination against the City of Frisco in Collin County. Based on the research we have done, Kraemer is going to win, and we think he will win big! You can learn more in our December 2024 blog Kraemer vs City of Frisco that we wrote which lays out the details.
Final Thoughts from the Hillside Winery Whistleblower
Ask yourself why. Why is the city spending hundreds of thousands on a private law firm to fight so hard and drag this out for so long, when clearly, they are in the wrong? Why is the city spending tax dollars fighting our public safety employees instead of protecting them and just doing the right thing? What will this cost us, the taxpayers, when he wins? Our guess…. MILLIONS! But that is not all. We are hearing rumors of other lawsuits that have been or will be filed by former employees of the FD against the City of Frisco. We are digging into that now!
They had all the time in the world to prance around asking us to vote to change the use of EDC funds for a Frisco Center For The Arts but they cannot simply make things right with the firefighters. Instead, we have Councilwoman Meinershagen calling them 300lb bullies and complaining that they are fighting for protections that directly affect their life. We have Bicycle Bill Woodard, who wants you to believe the firefighters are lazy (his words during the May 2024 election), and they want to bankrupt the city. You can’t get a paycheck from a bankrupt city, so why would they want to do that? Cheney and Keating want you to believe that our RETIRED Fire Chief was fired after a stellar career with the city and 10 years of perfect performance reviews. Not to mention, in our PIR requests and federal FOIA’s, we found his entire 40-year career was stellar with not one deficient performance review. Lastly, no one is paying attention to the fact that in the last 6 to 8 months, several (rumor is 6 to 8) of our firefighters are saying Hasta La Vista Baby either via retirement or quitting their job. They are going to work for other organizations and cities where they are valued.
Just hope and pray your house does not catch fire because we were already short staffed and now it is getting worse! The city loyalists just turn a blind eye as always, and function as if nothing if wrong. They want you to believe we have nothing to be worried about, but as a taxpayer you can bet, I am worried! Big Time Payouts, the loss of experienced firefighters from our roster puts citizens and businesses in jeopardy.
As a young adult, I loved watching game shows. The mid-1950s were a period of rapid growth in popularity for quiz shows. I remember watching Jack Barry, on-air host from 1947-1958 and 1960 – 1980 who produced and appeared on “High Low Quiz,” “Juvenile Jury,” and “Tic Tac Dough.” Then, there was Dennis James who is credited with hosting television’s first network game show in 1946 called “Cash and Carry.” One of the most popular of all times was, “The Dating Game” with Jim Lange. Rodney Alcala, a contestant on the show in 1978 is often referred to as “The Dating Game Serial Killer” because when he applied to be a contestant he had already committed at least four murders and decades later authorities discovered he was a prolific serial killer, but, I digress.
The best game show in my opinion is “Family Feud,” which started in 1976 and was hosted by Richard Dawson. He was the host known as the Kissing Casanova for his signature kiss on the cheek and lips to all his female contestants. The show would be hosted over the years by Ray Combs, Louie Anderson, Richard Karn (Home Improvement), John O’Hurley (Seinfeld), and Steve Harvey. My wife and I tune in every day to hear Steve Harvey say, “We asked a 100 people” and “The survey says!” Game shows give the audience the chance to live out our fantasies thinking, “Well, if someone must win, it could be me!”
Who uses surveys? And, what is the survey’s purpose? A better question might be “Who doesn’t use surveys?” It is common for companies to do employee surveys to measure staff engagement or companies may reach out to customers after a purchase to measure satisfaction. The overall purpose of a survey is to get feedback and ideas to understand areas of improvement. We were a little surprised and intrigued when we heard rumors in the last few weeks that the Local 3732 Executive Board of the FFA had done a survey of the firefighters in response to a new chief and in regard to some of the Mayor’s recent statements.
Let’s look at the questions in regard to the Mayor’s Statement Survey:
Question: Do you want Interim Fire Chief Glover to be the next Fire Chief of the Frisco Fire Department? The survey says 92.5% said NO, they do not want Interim Chief Glover to be the new Fire Chief, which is alarming considering he is currently running the Department. Have the firefighter’s lost confidence in Glover?
Question: Do you believe Interim Fire Chief Glover has improved/rebuilt morale and regained trust of the Department? The survey says 91.4% of the Association said, NO Glover has not improved morale or rebuilt trust. Interestingly, this directly contradicts what Mayor Cheney said at the Star Patriot Debate where he adamantly said Glover has increased morale and is starting to regain trust. When the Mayor answered with such confidence, did he knowingly lie? Was it an attempt to mislead the public to win the election? Just listen to him in his own words…
Now, let’s look at the Fire Chief Questionnaire in regard to the future hiring process of the fire chief position.
Question: Do you believe the organization has any qualified candidates to assume the task set forth by the City Manager’s office? The survey says 89.4% said NO that the organization does not have any qualified candidates as of now to assume the task. That is pretty telling that Frisco firefighters don’t agree with the Mayor’s view.
Question: Would you like the next chief to be an external hire or internal hire? The survey says, YES, 93.8% would like an external hire which is mind-blowing because it shows they have no confidence in current interim Chief Glover.
Question: Do you believe the finalist list should be composed of National Candidates? The survey says 91.7% responded, YES it should have national candidates. So, if it were a “national” search, why did they need to be Texas Certified? Oh no, nothing to see here.
Question: Do you believe the finalists should have experience as a chief in a department of equal or larger size and city population density? The survey says, 86.1% said YES they should have the current experience equal to Frisco’s department.
Question: Do you believe the department is appropriately preparing for the future or heading back to the past practices? The survey said 91.5%, YES, that they are heading back to the past practices. Are they referring to Mack Borchardt, the previous Fire Chief, who works now in the City Manager’s office as a special assistant?
Question: Do you believe the Department is appropriately staffed? The survey says 95.2% responded NO it is not adequately staffed. As a resident, that scares the shady shit right out of me that its own department feels that way.
Question: Do you believe there should be a stakeholders’ group of FF consisting of all ranks involved in the hiring process? The survey said 96.6% responded YES, they want to have a say in picking their next leader.
After seeing the survey, we too had some questions and decided to do some research.
Frisco’s Fire Chief was Mack Borchardt who started as a volunteer firefighter in 1973. Then, in 1982, he became the Administrator and Chief of Volunteers until 1987 when he became the City’s very first Fire Chief. Oddly, in September of 2011, the City announced he would retire and then assume new duties as a Fire Programs Consultant and Special Assistant to then City Manager George Purefoy.
Why would a fire chief take a new role out of the blue? Multiple off the record sources tell us that Borchardt was caught in some compromising situations which could have been a factor, or it could have been his staff and the association just didn’t like him either.
In the fall of 2011, a Climate Survey was done in the Frisco FD to identify growing concerns of firefighters and officers. It notes, “…there is a lack of trust, respect, and dignity between officers and firefighters. The culture… is very negative and one of intimidation, retaliation, and fear.” The examiner notes that in the conversations with the Chief and Officers they lead her to believe there is some truth to the claims. The report also notes there is considerable animosity regarding Chief Borchardt and that many in the department felt the entire senior staff along with the Chief needed to be replaced because they were all trained in Borchardt’s style. The most telling part of the report was that many firefighters believe the then Chief Borchardt was trying to run the growing department like it only had 20 employees, and instead of hiring those best suited for the job, he hired his friends.
Lastly, it notes the department is understaffed for the growing population (ding, ding, ding). At the time 76.3% of the respondents indicated they would leave the department if they could.
While we have no concrete evidence, multiple sources said Borchardt was pushed out. George Purefoy stood up for him and said, if he goes then I go, so instead Borchardt was moved into a new job at city hall working for George himself. After reading the report, it begs the question was Chief Borchardt removed “not retired” because of his personal behavior and management style that had torn apart the Department?
Did then City Manager George Purefoy save his friend with a cushy job right next to him at city hall? It is important to note that the current Interim Chief and candidate Lee Glover steadily advanced through the ranks of management in the fire department under the leadership of Mack Borchardt; so, based on the report, it might be plausible to assume Glover still has Borchardt’s management style and that is why the new survey shows no confidence in him. Either way, Borchardt and Glover are what some would call “thick as thieves.”
In 2013, the city hired Mark Piland as the new Chief of Frisco Fire Department. According to many of the sources we talked to, YES, change did start to happen, but it didn’t help that Piland was met by resistance from then Manager George Purefoy who conveniently had Mack Borchardt, the previous fire chief, in his ear. Think about it, if you are an old fire chief of 20+ years, would you want to see what you built in the Department change right in front of your eyes?
Tension began early on from what sources tell us, making it very difficult for Piland to make significant changes. Borchardt worked the ear of his longtime friend and boss George Purefoy for years, straining the relationship from the onset with Piland and Purefoy. We are guessing Piland realized early on he was facing a losing battle going up against the old fire chief in the City Manager’s ear day-after-day during his entire tenure. One has to wonder, is this why Piland thought he might better serve the City as Manager? One also wonders if the new City Manager Wes Pierson was really chosen because he would fall right in line?
As a side note, I had some of these suspicions months ago when I filed a PIR asking for Borchardt’s recent contract renewal by Purefoy that was signed just before retiring, which, NO, we still have not received.
Now, it’s 2023 and Glover, who has been the Interim Chief, is a candidate for Chief of the fire department. You can bet he wants that position badly, and his mentor and friend in the city manager’s office, Mack Borchardt would not mind seeing him in the position either. If that wasn’t enough, we asked around, and multiple officers told us shocking things regarding Glover that left us flabbergasted. YES, flabbergasted!
Obviously, out of fear of losing their jobs, I can understand why they would not want to go on the record. With that said, multiple firefighters spoke off the record. They have witnessed the Interim Frisco Fire Chief belligerently drunk multiple times in public and threatened them if they ever spoke up about it. The same firefighters confirmed he was recently seen in the street at a FD Conference, again belligerently drunk, peeing on a tree in the median during the middle of the day. Witnesses also say he drank heavily at lunchtime during some of these conferences. So now, the current survey makes total sense. All of these factors, history, and more, contribute to the survey results. We were told he has a known history of maliciously undermining all ranks of FD leadership for his own personal gain.
Based on what we were told, someone at city hall might want to ask the following interview questions of Interim Chief Lee Glover:
Is it true you have a history of being belligerently drunk at FD training conferences and FD apparatus purchasing meetings?
Do you have a DUI on your record from August of 1985? Were you sentenced to 2 years’ probation? Is the city aware of this?
Did you urinate on a tree in the middle of the street at an FDIC conference in Indianapolis? And is it true, you threatened FD staff if they spoke of the incidents and suggest they would “regret it?”
Is it true you have a history of using your rank to cause people in your department to fear losing their job should they go against you?
If we told you there was a tape of you making racially inappropriate statements how would you respond? Do you have a history of making racially inappropriate statements?
If the City had the guts to sit down with the staff today face to face for an honest conversation, would your current staff say all these incidents were true?
Lastly, does the Public Lewdness charge from 1992 and the indecent exposure charge in 2000 belong to you or your father?
From the City’s recent meet and greet, we now know the candidate shortlist is Rob Bergersen, Richard Davis, Lee Glover, Kenneth Johnson, and Marc Pate. None of them have held the position of Chief. But, we learned of a few names that were removed, and we are interested in asking, why since they seem to have much more experience? Take Paul Henley, who is the Fire Chief in Flower Mound and President of the Texas Fire Chiefs Association–why was he taken off the list? Chief Lasky in Lewisville, a 40-year veteran and has served as a Fire Chief for the last 12 years–why was he taken off the list? Hello? With the stellar background of on some of these candidates, one should wonder why they were removed from the list. “Survey Says…“
I don't know, Patrick, and I'm not familiar with SREC, so I'm unable to answer your questions.
Hi Patrick—when 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 past—who started the…
Bunch of Nepotism, buddy system promotion. If you ain’t white you ain’t right