The Universal Mystery Machine (updated)

by | Mar 7, 2023 | City Council, Community Development Corp, Developements, Developers, Economic Development Corp, Politics, Universal Kids

Imagine yourself in a period of time that was in filled with generational conflict, the Vietnam War, and Nixon was president.  Four teenagers, Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy are driving around in a van with a Great Dane dog looking to solve mysteries.  Little did anyone know that a cartoon called Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? would become a cult classic and last for generations.  Who wouldn’t want to be in a crime-fighting gang with a dog that says “Ruh-roh-Raggy” and has a decked-out van called The Mystery Machine? 

I remember sitting on the couch in the basement watching my favorite cartoon Scooby Doo when my older brother and his two friends came down to join me. They wanted to hide out so they could smoke some dope aka marijuana.  The episode had  Shaggy and Scooby in the mystery machine with smoke pouring out the top.  Inside they were grilling some munchies and the two started to freak out when detectives start banging on the van door.  My brother and his friends were laughing hysterically at the television and I could not help but laugh hysterically at them because I thought they were idiots.  There is no point in me telling you this other than I just loved watching the cartoon gang solve a new mystery in every episode and it had me hooked.

Reading this you are probably wondering what does this have to do with Frisco?  Well on January 11th the City of Frisco and NBC Universal Parks and Resorts made a colossal announcement that a new park was coming to Frisco.  To be honest, since my kids are grown I have not paid much attention to it because I am not visiting a park of that nature anytime soon. But in the last week I have received several notes through the site asking our opinion about Universal, some dropped tidbits on Universal to us, and then today, my wife comes running into my office saying I must read what is on the tweets about Universal.  Tweets are her universal language for social media like Facebook.  I read several different posts talking about the crucial meeting tonight and it was paramount that people show up to have their voices heard. Curious to know more, I spent several hours this morning doing some research looking at old posts, visiting the city’s website, and reading the agenda and documents for tonight’s meeting.

The January 11, 2023 announcement came across as this was a “done deal” which means a plan or project that has been completed or arranged and that cannot be changed.  Truth is the project at that time had not been put before planning & zoning or the city council.  It was truly misleading to the residents and the public far and wide in Texas.  The result was a very mixed reaction, some being happy and some being downright angry.  The city is offering $12.7 million incentive package which is generally normal but based on the split of how residents feel regarding this project I don’t think we should be offering an incentive package.

Representatives of the city on social media sold Universal to the public one way but when reading the Development Agreement attached to tonight’s agenda, they have not been transparent, and the truth is far from what they have sold to the public. Let me give you some examples of what I read on social media from city council members versus what is in the actual agreement being laid out this evening.

  1. The city said the park was aimed at children 3 to 9 years old but the agreement says it was developed for young children 3 to 11 years old. 
  2. The city has said the park hours would be from 10 am to 6 pm and would not have late hours.  The agreement states the “developer’s intent” is to primarily operate the majority of the weekdays with the posted hours of operation for ticketed users between the hours of 10:00 am and 6:00 pm local time.   Residents read it again carefully as the highlighted words are key in this.
  3. However the “actual hours will vary” throughout the year based on demand, seasonality, holidays, peak periods, and weekdays/weekends, but in no event shall the theme park opening time be earlier than 9:00 am (except for hotel guests and annual passholders) which the opening time may be as early as 8:00 am local time.  The theme park closing time will not be later than 9:00 pm local time (except for up to twenty (20) days) during the calendar year when they are permitted to close no later than 10:00 pm local time.  What this means is they can say “summertime” is a peak period and now they can stay open until 9 pm.  They can use July 4, Thanksgiving, and Christmas as peak periods to stay open until 9 pm.  They can stay open late on a holiday (defined as a Frisco ISD school holiday).  Truthfully with the way it is written, they can be open all year until 9 pm if they just claim it to be based on demand, seasonality, holidays, and peak periods.
  4. The city has said no dark rides, no big buildings, and no tall roller coaster rides (40 – 50 feet maximum).  The agreement states all amusement rides, entertainment experiences and all portions of structures designed to be occupied by humans in Theme Park Area A shall not exceed a height of 80 feet.  Structures designed not to be occupied by humans shall not exceed 100 feet.   Just based on a simple google search I learned that 80 feet is equal to a 7-story building.  I am guessing that is not what neighbors were expecting.
  5. The agreement states all amusement rides, entertainment experiences and all portions of structures in Theme Park Area B shall not exceed a height of 100 feet.
  6. The city has said no parades, no fireworks, an inward environment (not outside), and that noise level to the outside would be almost non-existent because the sound would be isolated even within the park.  The city agreement states that permitted uses include parades, outdoor concerts, and shows, amusement rides, and permanent or temporary exhibits.  It also says about the noise they must comply with the City Noise Ordinance (who knows what that is).  I am old but I am pretty sure parades and outdoor concerts are not what nearby neighbors want near their homes.

After doing the research I told my wife I agree with most online users (which is rare) that this is a bait-and-switch to what most folks have been told.  I also saw some other areas of concern that some may overlook such as asphalt parking.  It says they must follow the zoning ordinance which requires parking to be concrete but temporary parking may be of an alternate material when approved by the Director of Engineering Services.  My other area of concern is the delivery hours as we learned the hard way living in Grayhawk near a Walmart. You can hear the delivery trucks all night long.  The agreement states the city cannot restrict public roadways or delivery hours and if residents have a problem with the noise they can call the police department.  It also states Universal will work to reduce the impact on nearby residents. 

One thing is clear, we are still having transparency issues, and it appears the public has been misled about what this project entails.  There are many loopholes and all of them help the city and Universal. The city is hoping residents are too stupid to read the paperwork. Just one old man’s opinion, the residents are being bamboozled and should be extremely angry, especially those living nearby.  

UPDATE: We watched tonight’s Special Joint City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting on FTVN. I am not sure if I would call it a train wreck, shipwreck, or victory. The meeting lasted several hours. Two residents spoke in favor of passing it but the remaining were all opposed. It was quickly apparent that many residents had many of the same concerns that we did and there was a lot of hostility toward the Mayor. Planning and Zoning passed it 5-0 and then the City Council passed it 4-1-1 meaning 4 yes, 1 no, and 1 abstained.

We were surprised only one resident mentioned the city’s right to free use of the theme park for an employee event on an agreed-upon date. Section 36.02 of the Texas Penal Code makes it a crime of bribery for a person to offer, confer, or agree to confer, or for a public official or employee to accept, agree to accept, or solicit, any benefit as consideration for a decision, opinion, recommendation, vote or another exercise of discretion. Ruh-roh-RAGGY! Clearly, the agreement states the city’s right to free use which could be seen as an offer or benefit for consideration for a decision. Hopefully, a resident will file a complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission.

John Pavle, one of the opposed speakers spoke with passion, vigor and true concern. He pointed out how this was shoved down residents throats, and that the people of Frisco are being exploited for money. He went on to say the evening was a dog and pony show, and for Cheney and the council to stop telling residents what they want and instead listen to the residents who are telling them what they want. The best part was when he actually looked directly at the entire council and told them he would hold each of them accountable when election time came and he promised the Mayor if he voted yes that he would not be sitting in that seat much longer. Mr. Pavle thank you for speaking your truth and for those of us at Frisco Chronicles we agree with you. It is time for residents to make their voices heard at the ballot box.

Jon Kendall Chair of P&Z said this is a destination city and your right it is sir, but it is also our home and that is what you are forgetting. Jake Petras another commissioner spoke and said he spent quite a bit of time reviewing everything for this project and gave it proper due diligence to ensure he understands everything. Well, tonight FC was sent a Facebook post that clearly shows Mr. Petras had made up his mind about 5 days after the Jan 11 announcement which we find interesting since no one knew what the hell was being proposed yet. If that is due diligence we are screwed. Steve Cone another commissioner who is also a resident of one of the nearby neighborhoods spoke and had the most valid pros and cons of the evening. Hopefully, he has a friend named Wilson since he is about to be Cast Away by his neighbors.

The last portion was the council’s input and the one thing repeated over and over was how they all appreciated the neighbor’s professionalism and courtesy in which they approached the situation. It was a little condescending, to be honest, did you think they were going to behave like a group of wild monkeys in the Amazon forest? Cheney said if they had to do it all over again they probably would have rolled it out differently and would have asked for more liberty on what they could share. Really Sherlock? You don’t need to share more but what you do share needs to be accurate. Looking at your very detailed Facebook Post from Jan 20 we see 10 am to 6 pm & no late night hours (actually it is 8 am to 9 pm), 300 room hotel (which can now be up to 600 with a second phase), target audience 3 – 9 (actually 3 – 11), no tall roller coasters max will be 40 – 50 feet (actually 80 feet big difference) and several of these things you mention more than once in that post. Here is an idea, how about you stop grandstanding and trying to oversell a project and just get the accurate information to share? Now you want people to trust your traffic report, trust that the council is doing what is best for residents, and trust city leaders – why should they? It is very clear since Jan 11 that this has been a shit show of false information.

Pelham said we could have done this differently and did we give the impression this was a done deal when it was announced, “Perhaps, Lesson Learned.” She had no empathy in her voice or facial expression like it was not a big deal because they tried to course-correct the situation. With all due respect, not a good enough answer because that announcement traveled around the world far beyond the borders of Frisco. Then you have the audacity to speak to John from Universal about how he gave his word on some concessions to the residents that are not written in the SUP and you hope he keeps his word because you will remember if he doesn’t the next time he appears before the council. Residents remember too Ms. Pelham, they will remember being lied to and misled the next time you stand in front of them and ask for their vote. Telling him his integrity is on the line and that he should honor and respect our home, all the while you are not respecting or honoring the residents before you who are asking you to protect their home and qualify of life is very hypocritical.

Livingston said he liked the project but he could not support the location near Cobb Hill and therefore he would be voting NO! Rummel wanted to table it although we are not sure what that would have done. Keating cried and said how emotionally impacted he was by Commission Cone’s words that evening, wait what? Where was his emotion for the residents who have stood before him pleading to save their neighborhood, and maintain their quality of life? Oh yeah, he went to the beach on vacation and never meet with the residents. Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya, Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama, Key Largo, Montego Baby, why don’t we go anywhere other than Cobb Hill?

The conclusion, everything came back to the economic value the project will bring our city. Yet our city is flush today and will continue to be off the many businesses here so saying no to one business, is not going to destroy our city economically. Money is the best motivator and that is some shady shit!

House of Cards

by | Mar 7, 2023 | Community Development Corp, Developements, Developers, Economic Development Corp, Politics, Wade Park

Growing up my dad and his buddies would always have poker night in the basement that included cards, cigars, and liquor concoctions.  I used to sneak down the stairs to spy on them and was always intrigued by the deck of playing cards.  One night my dad told his buddies that a deck of cards is based on a calendar.  Fifty-two (52) cards represent fifty-two (52) weeks in a year and the card colors red and black symbolize night and day.  The four (4) suits represent the four (4) seasons. There are thirteen (13) cards in a suit to match the number of lunar cycles and twelve (12) court cards that represent the 12 months of the year.  A standard deck of cards has four suits: hearts, clubs, spades, and diamonds and the original card suits were based on classes and can be traced back to France in the 1400s.  Suits include spades ♠ (royalty), clubs ♣ (peasants),  hearts ♥ (clergy), and diamonds ♦ (merchants). 

Once the night was over I would gather up all the cards and the next day I loved to try and build a house out of the cards. Then my brother would come by like a gust of wind and knock it over which always upset me, but I started over each time. House of cards is a metaphor for the instability of the inner workings of what appears to be the perfect partnership, structure, plan, institution, or organization.  In a house of cards, the inner workings are always weak, fragile and in constant danger of failure or collapse.  Watching Frisco grow, I have wondered are some of these developments too good to be true.  Underneath the pomp and circumstance are they just another house of cards?

In August 2014 a crowd gathered including Frisco leaders and officials from Thomas Land & Development for the groundbreaking of the $1.6 Billion, 175-acre Wade Park mixed-use development.  Excitement rumbled among residents when they learned the initial phase would be anchored by a Whole Foods store. Jim Newman, of Newman Real Estate, brokered the land deal for the project and he told the Frisco Enterprise that “having sold and developed land in this city for over 30 years, nothing in North Texas comes close to the future development.”  He went on to say it was difficult getting the Wade Family to sell the land but when they found a partner they could trust like Thomas Land Development they couldn’t be happier.  

In January 2015, the Frisco City Council, Frisco EDC, and Frisco CDC approved $122.75 million in incentives for infrastructure improvements which would be paid from revenue generated by the proposed development as the city collects taxes.  In return, Wade Park agreed to deliver a portion of the development by the end of December 2017. It wouldn’t be long before all that excitement started to dwindle when Frisco learned Thomas Land Development ran out of money and failed to secure additional financing.  Construction froze as contractors began placing liens against the development for unpaid bills and by early 2018 the future of Wade Park was up in the air and Frisco was left with a hole in the ground that locals nicknamed Lake Lebanon. 

Were any alarm bells that the city should have been concerned about so we could have possibly avoided the headache of Wade Park?  A simple google search into Stan Thomas, CEO of Atlanta-based Thomas Land Development is alarming.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported back in 2009 that Stan Thomas had three major projects in bankruptcy protection, and he narrowly averted foreclosure on The Forum Peachtree Parkway development in Atlanta.  He also had projects in London and Orlando that were virtually dead until he could find financing.  He had been sued by former partners and vendors for nonpayment and dozens of liens against him.  His company had gone from 750 employees down to just 50 employees.  Thomas had two other projects in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection which included The Rim in San Antonio, Texas, and Prospect Park in Alpharetta, Georgia. In 2019 a CBS news story pointed out that while Frisco city officials publicly expressed optimism for the project the I-Team had learned behind the scenes there were concerns early on.  They reported the developer Stan Thomas had a reputation for taking on massive debt to develop massive projects.   The report also talked about how Thomas had plans to turn a development in Sacramento into a multi-billion dollar development but it fell through when he could not pay his loans on the project. 

Again, we ask the question was the writing on the wall the whole time?  Could we have avoided the headache of Wade Park with a little more due diligence?  Was Lake Lebanon avoidable?  How do we avoid doing business with companies that are really House of Cards?  How many other projects are just another house of cards?  

Funny Side Note: While it has nothing to do with our story we wanted to share that in 2015, Universal Orlando acquired 475 acres of land for $27.5 million for a future Universal theme park.  But the previous landowner Stan Thomas (mentioned above) sued Universal claiming he still owned rights to enforce private deed restrictions.  The parties settled in April 2018 but it just shows it is a small world after all since now Universal is looking at Frisco.

Back to the point of our blog, we decided to investigate some other local developments and what we found should have Frisco residents concerned. In 2012 Forest Park Medical Center at Frisco Square opened.  The developer was Neal Richards Group which at the time had developed half a billion dollars of healthcare real estate.  At some point, the company kicked off its first physician-owned project called Forest Park Medical brand. NRG became collateral damage in a fraud scandal involving two of its co-founders who were among 21 people indicted in a $40 million kickback scheme that ran from 2009 to approximately 2013 and generated an estimated $200 million in revenue for Forest Park.  It is complicated to understand but to put it in layman’s terms, the hospitals were set up as out-of-network facilities which allowed them to set their own prices then shell companies were opened to funnel millions in bribes and kickback payments in exchange for patient referrals.  Make sense?

In 2018, Philip Carter, the principal of Texas Cash Cow Investments and North Forty Development LLC who had developed Preston at Wade Crossing was arrested. In November 2018 Carter was facing state fraud charges in connection with defrauding nearly 100 Texas investors out of $17.5 million and in May 2022 he was sentenced to 45 years in state prison. 

Then in September 2022, Tim Barton of JMJ Developments was indicted by a federal grand jury on nine felony counts, including securities fraud and wire fraud.  He is accused of defrauding Chinese investors out of $26 million and if convicted could face up to 60 years in prison.  JMJ Developments purchased 4.5 acres of land in 2020 from Invest Group Overseas (IGO), the master developer of The Gate in Frisco’s North Platinum Corridor.  At the time JMJ officials boasted how it would be “the tallest building in Frisco” and was set to open in 2024.  Barton sold the property in The Gate to Petra Development LLC in December 2022 for an estimated $9 million.

We could make our own movie and instead of calling it The Wolf of Wall Street, we should name it The Wolves of the Frisco or The Wolves of the Dallas North Tollway.  Are we the only ones who are curious why so many of the developments in Frisco are somehow connected to shady businessmen or developers?  Maybe we need to hold our city management and the developers they choose to do business with to higher standards so shady shit stops happening.  

The Cost of Doing Business

by | Feb 27, 2023 | Campaign Donations, Campaign Finance Reports, City Council, Developements, Developers, Fehmi Karahan, Fields West, Jerry Jones, John Keating, Mayor Jeff Cheney, Politics, Robert Elliott, Robert Elliott - The Associates, Stillwater, The Link, The Preserve & Fields, The Star, Universal Kids

Since childhood, I have loved a movie night with the family.  My dad would take me to the corner store where he always got my mom a Bit-O-Honey and then he would look at me and say in his deep voice, kid you can pick a sweet treat too.  I am sure I smiled ear to ear the whole way home looking out the window of the old truck with my $100,000 candy bar in my hand.  Today the candy bar is called 100 Grand and I still pick one up every Friday with a quick pick lotto.  In the movie Other People’s Money (1991), Lawrence Garfield said, “I love money more than the things it can buy…but what I love more than money is other people’s money.”

Our lives center around other people’s money, and we don’t even realize it.  The bank owns the home until you make the last payment.  The car belongs to the lender until you make the last payment.  The new furniture you bought at Nebraska Furniture Mart that is financed over 24 months is not yours until the last payment.  By now you see the connection, until we make the last payment the thing we love is not really ours.  Politicians LOVE other people’s money because it helps pay for costly campaigns.  The more campaign contributions they bring in, the less they will have to take out of their own pockets or through a loan.  Political contributions are a time-honored tradition, and some would say “The Cost of Doing Business.”

In 2019, Sharon Grigsby with the Dallas Morning News did an article about Phillip Michael Carter, who was accused of taking advantage of elderly investors for million dollars, and the relationship he had with both Cheney and Keating’s campaign. Cheney received $15,000 and Keating received $5000 from Carter, both said they were returning the donations which was the right thing to do.  She interviewed Cheney for about 45 minutes and Cheney told her he met Carter sometime after he became Mayor in 2017 and Carter later visited his office at City Hall about a sign-ordinance provision that was causing him difficulties at his Preston Road commercial property. Cheney said it was not unusual and most developers reach out to the mayor and ask for help. Cheney confirmed he helped resolve the issue but was steadfast that the 2018 campaign contribution was not tied to that case and said, “there was never a this for that.” 

Cheney also told Grigsby that his “reputation is everything to me.”  He regrets not looking deeper into the allegations but he is “so busy every single day, from sunup to sundown to the weekends.”  The article goes on to say Cheney first learned of Carter’s state charges and arrest relating to fraud charges on November 14, 2018.  He immediately linked the $5000 donation from Carter but said he had completely forgotten about the entire case until he began reviewing his campaign finance reports in anticipation of his interview with Grigsby.  He admitted in the interview much of what Grigsby was laying out in regard to charges was news to him.  The article was riveting but it never discussed the timeline between his donations and when the “issue” got fixed so we did some research.    

May 24, 2018:  Cheney $10,000 by Carter Family Office LLC (Phillip Carter)

October 10, 2018:  Cheney $5,000 by North Forty Development (Phillip Carter)

October 15, 2018:  Keating $5000 by Texas Cash Cow (Phillip Carter)

October 23, 2018:  P&Z holds a public hearing for Sign Variance: Preston Wade Crossing by Frisco Wade Crossing Development Partners, LLC (Phillip Carter)

**Interesting fact the P&Z Commission in 2018 was led by Robert Cox who was appointed to the Commission in April 2016 with the first motion by John Keating and second by then councilman Jeff Cheney.

January 2019:  SEC Files Charges against Phillip Carter for a multi-million dollar fraud scheme that took place from May 2015 to Feb 2017 and totaled around $45 million dollars and was sentenced to 45 years in prison.

In 2019, Frisco’s population according to the US Census was about 200,907 people. It is hard to believe that someone who is the mayor of a booming and bustling town and also an extremely successful businessman could just “forget” about a fraud case that involved a real estate developer and millions of dollars. At the time it was plastered in local DFW papers and the top story on most local news stations.  To be fair, Cheney and Keating accepted a campaign donation and nothing illegal occurred. They were never named in allegations that involved Phillip Carter and both returned the donations.  Again, this is just another situation that “doesn’t look good” and could lead many to believe that something improper was happening, even if it wasn’t.  That old perception is reality for many folks is a stinker.

Another thing we learned from Grigsby’s March 2019 DMN article was Cheney’s personal policy of not accepting more than $10,000 from a single donor when it comes to campaign contributions. I am not sure when that became his policy because he accepted $20,000 in 2017 plus $6000 in 2020 from Ali Kahla who we believe was a representative for IGO-USA, The Gate developer. I guess he also must have been ridiculously busy and forgot his personal policy almost 9 months after his interview with Grigsby and the article because in 2020 he accepted $15,000 from Fehmi Karahan (Fields).  Again, we want to say there is nothing illegal about the donations (we don’t want to be sued) other than they seem to break his personal policy.  I guess it is good to have a flexible policy that benefits you when needed.

Philip Anthony Hopkins who played Odin in the movie Thor said, “Even with two eyes, you can only see half of the picture.” If that is true, then we should all go to the Ophthalmologist to get our eyes checked out. The problem is repetition, the action of repeating something that you have already done or the recurrence of an action or event.  The repetition of “it just looks bad” starts to become a theme and that can have a detrimental impact on the citizen’s perception of you and the city. The conversation becomes about the lack of trust and confidence in our city, the city council members, and our mayor.

DARK MONEY

by | Feb 22, 2023 | 12 Cowboys Way, Blue Star Land, Campaign Donations, Campaign Finance Reports, City Council, Dallas Cowboys, Developements, Developers, Fehmi Karahan, Fields West, Jerry Jones, PGA Frisco, Politics, Rex Glendenning - Rex Real Estate, Robert Elliott, Robert Elliott - The Associates, Stillwater, The Link, The Preserve & Fields, The Star, Wade Park

Dark Money is a powerful documentary by Kimberley Reed about a dangerously corrupt campaign finance system that has shifted the power in politics from the people to pay-to-play corporations at the state and federal politicians.  In Texas, Title 15 of the election code regulates political funds and campaigns. It was adopted by the Texas Ethics Commission and applies to candidates and officeholders in local municipalities across our state. In Texas, campaign finance reports are accessible to the public and show how much money is coming into a campaign and how much is being spent.  The Texas Tribune said it best, the disclosure of the reports makes it hard to hide some kind of corrupt bargain.  An individual can make a donation to a campaign, but a corporation is prohibited.  The City of Frisco has campaign finance reports available online at https://www.friscotexas.gov/634/Campaign-Finance-Reports for each candidate or office holder present or past. You can also see mayor and council reimbursement reports.  

I was interested to see if any individuals associated with the PGA, The Link, or Fields projects donated to any of our current sitting city council members. While doing the research it has hard to be sure a specific individual is connected to a specific project but my wife and I did our best to try and piece it together.  We listed it by date, candidate, amount, the person who donated & possible association up through the year-end of 2021.  The donation date, dollar amount, and donor name came directly from the council member’s campaign finance reports.  The “possible association” to the project is based on what we could find from news articles, websites, city council meetings, and online research. 

3/29/17 Cheney $2000 from John Wagner (Republic Property Group) – Fields

3/29/17 Cheney $1000 from John Wagner (Republic Property Group) – Fields

3/29/17 Cheney $2000 from Anthony Ruggeri (Republic Property Group) – Fields

December 4, 2018 – City Council Approves PGA

1/14/19 Woodard $750 from Chris Kleinert (Hunt Corp)

1/14/19 Woodard $750 from Michael Sinacola (Mario Sinacola & Sons – Excavating)

1/14/19 Woodard $500 from Jeff Brawner (Grogan & Brawner PC) Fields Karahan Atty

1/14/19 Woodard $500 from RJ Grogan (Grogan & Brawner PC) Fields Karahan Atty

1/14/19 Woodard $500 from William Vanderstraaten (Chief Partners) Fields Investor

1/14/19 Woodard $800 from Fehmi Karahan (Karahan Co) Fields

1/24/19 Woodard $750 from James Sinacola (Mario Sinacola & Sons) Fields Excavating

** NOTE: Woodard was up for re-election in the May 2019 election

4/3/19 Cheney $5000 from William Shaddock (Shaddock Homes) Fields Home Builder

9/20/19  Livingston $750 from Bill Vanderstraaten (Chief Partners) Fields Investor

9/21/19  Livingston $750 from Chris Klienert (Hunt Corp) Landowner

9/23/19  Livingston $1000 from Philip Rose (CrossTie Capital) Fields Investor

9/25/19  Livingston $750 from both Chris & Constance Kleinert (Hunt Corp) Landowner

9/25/19  Livingston $1000 from Fehmi Karahan (Karahan Co.) Fields

12/1/19 Cheney $5000 from Robert Elliott (Stillwater Capital) – PGA & Link

1/7/20 Cheney $1000 from Robert Rowling (TRT Holdings) Omni Resort

1/7/20 Cheney $2000 from Charles Adams (Stratford Group) Fields Capital Investor

1/13/20 Cheney $1000 from Kerry Britton (Britton Homes) Fields Home Builder

1/28/20 Cheney $1000 from Chris Klienert (Hunt Corp) Fields

1/29/20 Cheney $2000 from John Wagner (Stillwater Capital) – Fields

1/29/20  Cheney $1000 from James Sinacola (Mario Sinacola & Sons) Fields Excavating

1/29/20  Cheney $750 from Michael Sinacola (Mario Sinacola & Sons – Excavating)

1/29/20 Cheney $2500 from John Landon (Landon Homes) Fields Builder

1/29/20 Cheney $2500 from Steven Van Amburgh (KDC) Fields Development Team

1/29/20 Cheney $15,000 from Fehmi Karahan (Karahan Co) – Fields

1/29/20 Cheney $1000 from Chris Klienert (Hunt Corp) – Landowner

1/29/20 Cheney $5000 from Daniel Hunt (Hunt Corp)  – Land Owner

1/29/20 Cheney $1000 from Jeff Brawner (Grogan & Brawner PC) Atty for Karahan

1/29/20 Cheney $1000 from Ryan Griffin (FCS Trucking & Construction)

1/30/20 Cheney $1030 from William Shaddock (Shaddock Homes) Fields Home Builder

1/31/20 Cheney $2500 from Tobin Grove (KDC) Fields Development Team

**Note: November 2020 – Mayor Cheney 2nd Term, ran unopposed for re-election.

Feb 25, 2020, P&Z Approves Fields

March 17, 2020,  City Council Approves Fields

March 12, 2021,  P&Z Approves The Link

3/31/21  Keating $1000 from Chris Klienert (Hunt) Landowner

4/2/21  Keating $3000 from Philip Rose (CrossTie Capital) Fields Investor

April 6, 2021,  City Council Vote On The Link (heldover to 5/4/21)

4/10/21  Keating $1000 from Bill Vanderstraaten (Chief Partners) Fields Investor

4/12/21  Keating $500 from RJ Grogan (Grogan & Brawner PC) Karahan Attorney

4/12/21  Keating $1000 from Collin Fitzgibbons (Hunt Corp) Landowner

4/13/21  Keating $250 from Jeff Brawner (Grogan & Brawner PC) Karahan Attorney

4/15/21  Keating $1500 from Fehmi Karahan (Karahan Co.) Fields

**NOTE: Keating was running for re-election in the May 2021 General Election.

4/22/21  Pelham $1500 from Philip Rose (CrossTie Capital) Fields Investor

4/22/21  Pelahm $500 from Chris Klienert (Hunt Realty) Landowner

4/22/21  Pelham $500 from Bill Vanderstraaten (Chief Partners) Fields Investor

4/22/21  Pelham $500 from Colin Fitzgibbons (Hunt Corp) Landowner

4/22/21  Pelham $250 ea. from Jeff Brawner and RJ Grogan (Grogan & Brawner PC) – Fields Attorneys

** NOTE: Pelham was running for the May 2021 General Election.  She was not a seated member at the time.

May 4, 2021, City Council Approves The Link

7/1/21  Pelham $500 from Bill Vanderstraaten (Chief Partners) Fields Investor

7/1/21  Pelham $1000 from Colin Fitzgibbons (Hunt Corp) Landowner

7/1/21  Pelham $500 from Chris Klienert (Hunt Realty) Landowner

7/12/21 Keating $1500 from Fehmi Karahan (Karahan Co) Fields

7/25/21  Woodard $1000 from Bill Vanderstraaten (Chief Partners) Fields Investor

7/27/21  Woodard $1000 from Chris Klienert (Hunt Realty) Landowner

7/27/21  Woodard $500 from Whitney Grogan (Grogan & Brawner) Fields Attorneys

7/28/21  Woodard $500 from Jeff Brawner (Grogan & Brawner) Fields Attorneys

7/30/21  Woodard $2000 from Philip Rose (CrossTie Capital) Fields Investor

8/1/21  Woodard $1500 from Fehmi Karahan (Karahan Co) Fields

8/6/21  Woodard $1000 from Colin Fitzgibbons (Hunt Corp) Landowner

What did we learn as we followed the yellow brick road?  First, we looked for donations that occurred within a few months of a vote.  For example, Woodard received almost $4500 dollars in campaign contributions from individuals with connections to these projects in January 2019.  That was just one month after the city council approved the PGA. While it doesn’t look good to get donations so close to a vote it could be justified as he was running for re-election in the May 2019 general election. 

The same could be said for Mayor Cheney who in December 2020 received $5000 from Robert Elliott of Stillwater Capital and then in January 2020 received $30,000 + in campaign contributions from individuals associated with these projects. Most of the donations occurred between 1/27/20 to 1/31/20. The largest donor was Fehmi Karahan with $15,000.  Then the city council approved the Fields project in March 2020.  Cheney did run for re-election in 2020 unopposed so the public could justify the contributions.  In general, it is not a good look but that will be up to the public to decide.

Another important “hot” race in 2020 was between Robert Cox, Dan Stricklin, and Laura Rummel.  With them being all new candidates, why was this important?  Robert Cox was Chairman of the Planning & Zoning Commission for the City of Frisco in 2020.  While he did not vote on the decision he did oversee the committee which approved the Fields project on February 25, 2020.  After the vote, he received about $45,000 in campaign contributions before the November 2020 election. The general public has to determine if it looks bad or is justifiable since he was running for council.

Keating & Livingston also has the same dilemma. From the end of March 2021 to July 2021 John Keating received around $14000 from individuals associated with these developments. The vote for the Link was expected to be in April 2021 but it was held over until May 2021. One would say the timing does not look good for Keating, but he was running in the May 2021 General Election. Livingston received around $6000 in September 2019 which was six months after a vote and 6 months before the next vote.  No votes occurred in the immediate proximity to the timing of his donations which bodes well for him.

In a previous blog, I wrote “Pretend for a moment, everything is above board, and there is no shady shit happening but there is an appearance of wrongdoing, that appearance is just as important as reality in the minds of the public, citizens, and voters.” Frisco residents are calling for transparency and that is not an unreasonable request of those “WE” elect to office. Council members push their own personal agenda, and it is time they listen to what “WE” the citizens want. I learned that looking at campaign donations can show who is invested in certain candidates. Donations are not a sign of any wrongdoing or illegal activity, but they can create doubt or a perceived conflict of interest. It is a fine line between a simple campaign donation and a pay-to-play scheme or dark money. Matlock would say to look at it from another angle. Pretend a project is not popular with residents so they speak out against it and the council votes to pass the project. Several months later we find out that the candidate had accepted thousands of dollars from individuals involved in said project, would you believe the candidate voted for it because that is what was best for the city and residents or because they got paid? Residents should call for an end to the shady shit and ask the City of Frisco to adopt a similar policy to the City of Plano which states a campaign contribution of more than $1,000 to any city council member(s) shall create a conflict of interest based on an appearance of impropriety. Problem Solved and peace of mind for everyone!

Fields West Dynasty

by | Feb 17, 2023 | Cheney Group, Developements, Developers, Fehmi Karahan, Fields - Brookside North, Fields - Brookside South, Fields West, Mayor Jeff Cheney, Omni PGA Resort, PGA Frisco, Politics, Stillwater, The Link, The Preserve & Fields

I remember as a teenager sitting around the living room with my family once a week to tune in to our favorite family show Murder She Wrote. Jessica Fletcher played by Dame Angela Lansbury was not cocky, but she did know her own skills.  She knew to ask questions when she didn’t understand something and how to rely on others who may have the expertise in an area she didn’t.   My favorite thing she used to say episode after episode was “Now, I may be wrong, but frankly, I doubt it.” She taught me to be curious and to ask questions which is why once my interest was peaked I could not stop diving into what I believe is the Shady Shit happening in Frisco.

As I said in my last blog I had all these questions about how Mayor Jeff Cheney could represent Fehmi’s Fields lots and advocate for Universal at the same time.  In my humble opinion, there is a clear conflict of interest and that made me want to deep dive into Fields.  To start, you must understand that the PGA, The Link, and Fields are 3 separate world-class developments, but one would not have happened without the other.  Hunt is who identified and purchased the 2544 acres of land on the DNT.  Hunt has partnered with Stillwater Capital to do the PGA and The Link.  Hunt then announced its partnership with Fehmi Karahan (Legacy West Developer) to do the Fields West development.  Fields website states it will be home to restaurants, businesses, ten thousand homes, schools, parks, and open spaces.  It will also be home to the PGA headquarters and the University of North Texas.

Now we have identified two players in the Fields project: Hunt Realty Investments and Fehmi Karahan.  The investors are Chief Partners and CrossTie Capital, and the development team is led by KDC Architects.  Home builders will include Darling / Taylor Morrison, Britton / Perry, Highland Homes, Olivia Clarke, Shaddock Homes, Toll Brothers, and several more custom home builders.  Mario Sinecola & Sons will probably be doing the excavating and FCS Trucking will also be involved.  In a nutshell, there are a lot of players in the overall project.  So how does Jeff Cheney fit into this?

Let’s follow the social media trail. On October 13, 2022, the Cheney Group announced The Preserve at PGA was teeing off.  It went on to read the Cheney Group would be the Fields Experts. Just days later October 16th the Cheney Group released a video with Jeff Cheney presenting all things PGA. You can check it out on the Cheney Group YouTube Channel.  On October 17th Jeff Cheney led Monument Realty’s Roadmap 2023 event where they shared tips and tricks with top agents.  The same day on social media the Cheney Group released a video of the Championship Holes 14 & 15 the Preserve lots overlooking them.  On October 19th they announced they just got their hands on the first set of floor plans for Brookside South at PGA and they had several more upcoming builder meetings planned and could not wait to fill us in!  Fast forward to Nov 2nd Capital Title hosted a knowledge session for Realtors in North Texas at Stonebriar Country Club led by Jeff Cheney.  On Nov 8th they meet with architects involved at The Preserve to learn about the level of standards they would be bringing to the Preserve.  We could keep going but I think you get the idea!

Just following the social media trail, we are left with several questions. Does the Cheney Group have an exclusive to the lots?  If so, is that because they are a top-producing team or because Cheney is mayor, and when was the deal made?  The Monument Realty Roadmap Show was that for Monument agents only or were other agents outside the brokerage invited?  How did other brokerages in DFW learn about the PGA’s future homesites? Did other brokerages get to have exclusive sit-downs with the architects?  Can any agent go out to the 14th and 15th holes and take photos of The Preserve homesites overlooking the course?  Did other brokers and agents get their hands on the floor plans the same day as the Cheney Group or after? The Capital Title knowledge session that was held for local realtors, was the Fields representatives, home builders, and developers there, or was this led by Mayor Jeff Cheney or Jeff Cheney of the Cheney Group?  It makes me curious, why are other agents and brokerages not outraged by the exclusive access Cheney seems to have?

Just the other day I visited my favorite coffee shop and two agents sitting next to me were talking in low whispers about how they felt it was a massive conflict of interest that the Cheney Group has an exclusive.  I wanted to jump up and say, me too but I didn’t.  I just sat quietly with my head tilted back reading the paper and listening to them vent their frustrations.  I don’t fully understand if Cheney has an exclusive right to these lots but it is clear that the Cheney Group has a leg up on any other brokerage or realtor when it comes to the PGA which is one of the most notable developments to hit North Texas. If the Cheney Group does have an exclusive and he is profiting from his position and connections as Mayor then an argument could be made there is a serious conflict of interest and Mr. Cheney should recuse himself from all talks, votes, well anything that has to do with Fields West.  

Someone told me once “It would be better for us to have some doubts in an honest pursuit of truth than it would be for us to be certain about something that was not true.” So in my search for transparency, and the need to know the truth, I decided to file a PIR to obtain more information.  That is where I found some shady shit!