Politics is nasty. No surprise there. It attracts the best and the worst in people—but mostly the worst when election season heats up like a June sidewalk in Texas. And while anonymous commentary has long been a staple of free speech (hey, Frisco Whistleblower isn’t exactly sending selfies), there’s a wide, dusty canyon between anonymity and outright impersonation.
Let’s make this clear: creating an anonymous account to voice your opinion is one thing. Creating a fake account using someone else’s real photo, name, and identity? That’s a whole other universe of dirty. And in that universe, you’re not just trolling your political enemies—you’re potentially slandering innocent people and opening them up to have their reputational ruined, legal jeopardy, or worse.
Case in point: a local keyboard warrior operating under the name Bryan Bridges III (sometimes known as Ezra Bridges) has been bouncing around social media like a pinball, slapping his name on some big accusations and slinging insults like confetti at a cheap parade. The problem? The smiling face on Bryan’s profile pic? That’s not Bryan. That’s James Bridges—a real man who lives near the Oklahoma border, works with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and whose wife of 36 years is a Texas schoolteacher. He is a father of two sons and a grandfather of four grandchildren. He leads Bible studies and hosts weekly FCA huddles.
We are guessing James Bridges is not the Frisco flamethrower or political hatchet man. We are guessing he is just a man, living his life, who probably has no idea his photo is being used to publicly drag elected officials, political candidates, and constituents through the digital mud.
We like to fact check, so we have reached out to James Bridges via email and will be reaching out to his wife as well. We will of course let you know how he responds. If he responds the way we think he might, it’s going to be a doozy. We’ve taken all the screenshots sent to us of Bryan Bridges III comments and archived them as evidence. And if Mr. Bridges didn’t give consent for his image to be used in this toxic identity-theft theater, then “Bryan Bridges III” might be facing more than a few angry replies. He might be facing a libel suit.
Let’s stop and think about this: what if James’s employer stumbles across these posts and assumes he’s the one spouting off? What if someone at his wife’s school district mistakes him for the venomous ghostwriter behind the name? This is the sort of stunt that doesn’t just smear political opponents—it scorches innocent bystanders, too.
There’s a word for people who do this kind of thing: cowards. Cowards with no moral compass, hiding behind stolen faces because they know that if they showed their own, they’d have to answer for the mess they’re making. Maybe if they showed their face then we would know if they were the spouse of a council member, or a town bully, or maybe the sister of a political candidate.
Frisco deserves better than this kind of clown show. Say what you want, stand for what you believe—but do it under your own name or be completely anonymous. But don’t put real people on the line who don’t even live in our town to carry out your devious acts. Frisco Whistleblower has never claimed to be anyone but a resident of Frisco. We are not portraying ourselves as anyone we are not, we are just not disclosing who we are. Very different!
Because when you steal someone else’s identity just to hurl insults in a local election? That’s not speech. That’s sabotage. And we’re not letting it slide.
Let us know what you think:
Should the Frisco Police investigate this?
Should our city council members demand an investigation into this, the same way they did into the so-called “illegal recordings per Laura Woodward and Bryan Bridges III?” If they would like James Bridges information, we are happy to supply it to them.
Well, Frisco…we didn’t have this one on the bingo card today. The soap opera that is Frisco politics just added another act, and this one had all the flair of a daytime drama mixed with a deleted tweet. Today, we were all witnesses to what could’ve been a turning point — or at the very least, a moment of reckoning. That is, until it vanished faster than ethics at a campaign fundraiser.
This morning, Marcia Locke, fiancée of Councilman John Keating, broke her silence on the now-infamous Toxic Tammy Tapes. You know the ones — the recordings that have been circulating through local inboxes and Facebook threads like wildfire through a dry prairie.
Not only did she break her silence, but boy did she come in swinging a bat that was on fire. In a now-deleted social media post, Locke took to her page and finally addressed what we’ve all been talking about in hushed tones and wide-eyed reactions:
“I can no longer accept the pressure to stay silent,” she began. “I am not okay with what has been thrown at myself or my family… Politics is one thing… Being a person of integrity is a requirement of an elected official… and I have to speak my truth.”
Let’s pause for applause. 👏👏👏
But then Marcia didn’t stop there. She went full-on mic drop mode, calling out Councilmember Tammy Meinershagen directly:
“Tammy, you were exposed!!!”
Then—like a twist in a Netflix docuseries—she receipts us. Locke posted a screenshot from our very own comment section, a post from a reader named Rick, thanking him for telling the truth.
“Accountability is not persecution,” Locke wrote. “Those were your actions, your words, your choice, and your consequences. I look forward to early voting tomorrow!”
🔥 Mic. Drop. Honestly? It felt bold. It felt brave. It felt truthful.
Ladies and gentlemen, for a few shining hours, we thought finally, someone with firsthand knowledge, courage, and ties to the inner circle was willing to stand up, take the heat, and say what needed to be said.
We were so floored we even commented on the post ourselves—respectfully, of course. We said we were glad she spoke out and told her truth, but also disappointed it took this long. After all, when the house is burning, it doesn’t help to show up with a water hose two years later. But then…
Poof!!! The Post Was Deleted.
Gone. Like it never existed. No follow-up. No explanation. Just silence.
And now, we’re left wondering: What happened?
Did a certain councilman, mayor or city manager make a phone call?
Did someone remind her of who’s pulling the marionette strings on the cabal puppets?
Was there pressure from a political ally?
Did the local Cabal whisper in her ear?
Or did someone with influence promise support… in exchange for silence?
Who knows? But what we do know is this:
For one minute, Marcia had the guts and glory to speak up—and then someone, somewhere, convinced her to un-speak. That’s not transparency. That’s political puppetry. And it reeks. It is the clearest sign yet of the power behind the scenes in Frisco politics.
If politics is theater, then this was the deleted scene they didn’t want you to see. Which only confirms what many in Frisco already suspect—truth is dangerous here, and the pressure to suppress it comes fast and hard. We can vouch for that as we were served papers ourselves today. More details to come about that!
We applaud Marcia for finding her voice, even if it was just for a few hours. We hope she finds it again. And next time, we hope she doesn’t give it up so easily. Because, like she said, “integrity is a requirement of elected officials.” That must mean that the silence in the face of corruption isn’t just disappointing, it’s complicity. We will be reminding you of John Keating’s silence when he jumps to run for Mayor in a year!
Ah yes, the newest myth making the rounds in Frisco’s political whisper network: “Tammy Meinershagen was tricked. Led astray. Lured into saying those things she obviously believes. It’s not her fault—it was a setup!”
Cue the dramatic violin. Please.
Let’s be clear:This isn’t a conspiracy—it’s a confession. Tammy wasn’t led anywhere. She wasn’t prompted. No one shoved a script in her hand and said, “go ruin your credibility.” What you heard in those tapes was not stumbles or slips. They were her unfiltered opinions—her beliefs, her attitude toward other fellow leaders, and her disdain for her constituents laid bare.
But Tammy supporters? They’ll believe anything—as long as it lets them avoid looking in the mirror at the cold hard truth. Anything except the truth.
The Silence of the Cabal
Now let’s talk about the rest of the Frisco elite—those quiet pillars of complicity who heard these same tapes and responded with… crickets.
Jeff Cheney: Silent.
John Keating: Silent.
Bill Woodard: Silent.
Former officials mentioned in the recordings: Dead silent.
Their SILENCE makes them complicit to the thoughts and actions displayed on the Toxic Tammy Tapes. Silence isn’t just a lack of words—it’s a choice. A political calculation. A fear-driven retreat into the shadows. And if you want to be mayor of Frisco but can’t speak out when a sitting council member exposes herself as part of a toxic, backroom clique that mocks constituents and violates confidence, then guess what:
You are not fit to be mayor.
You don’t deserve the trust of the public if your response is to remain silent, then wait and see which way the wind blows.
The Keating Episode
Now, about John Keating. When the tapes dropped, he said nothing publicly. But privately? Oh, we heard from him. Trust us, we debated long and hard whether to release what he told us, because we have rules. One of them is protecting real sources (aka whistleblowers). However, let’s be clear: Asking us to scrub information about your family out of the tapes doesn’t make you a whistleblower, it makes you someone who is asking for a favor. And we don’t owe you favors.
Keating was upset that his kids were mentioned in the recordings. And rightly so. He sent us an email on Friday, May 2nd at 6:46pm asking us to remove or edit out the portion about his sons, or references to them. That’s right, instead of confronting Tammy Meinershagen, who aired private conversations she had with his ex-wife, he came to Frisco Chronicles asking for a favor.
To be very clear, we understand why Keating is upset and we respect it. His kids (even though they are grown) don’t deserve to be in the discussion. They are private citizens who did not ask for their life to be on blast. However, let us be plainly clear – we are not the ones who put them on blast…. Tammy Meinershagen did! It does not matter if the meeting was recorded or not; she should never have brought it up to someone else outside of her conversation with John or Leslie. Tammy Meinershagen broke the confidence, broke the trust, and broke the friendship lines and barriers. NO ONE ELSE!
On May 3rd at 3:11 AM we wrote Mr. Keating back and said thank you for request. Removing it now is nearly impossible as it has already been uploaded and shared. We told him we understood his frustration, however we are not the ones who brought his kids into this – Tammy Meinershagen did. We did ask our tech guy if there was a way to take it out after being posted (to be kind) but he told us there was not.
That say day, May 3rd at 7:54 AM, John Keating replied and said he understood and agreed “Tammy is responsible for all of this.”
He then continued to tell us, “Despite playing a small role in the overall story, I must say, the written narratives were very clever, wickedly entertaining, and at times, hysterically funny.”
He closed his email with “I hope the community does hold Meinershagen accountable for what she said. She certainly offended all four corners of Frisco with insults, bigotry, jealousy, and hatred.” Yet publicly, Keating remained silent! Never once standing up for the four corners of Frisco he mentions. This is a man who already discussing with folks his bid for Mayor when Cheney’s term ends. He is already actively asking for endorsements for when that time comes.
HOW DO YOU ENDORSE A GUY, SUPPORT A GUY, WHO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THE RIGHT THING, AND STAYED SILENT?
We’ll say it as directly and plainly as possible: If you’re more upset about being exposed than about the bad behavior being exposed—you’re part of the problem. Keating has endorsed Gopal and been across the city with him the last month wooing the South Asian community to vote for Gopal. He will also be at the polls with Gopal, why? Keating expects Gopal to do the same in return when he runs for Mayor and he knows he can’t and won’t win with out the South Asian vote!
WAKE UP SOUTH ASIANS!!!! NEITHER GOPAL, NOR KEATING CARE ABOUT THE SOUTH ASIAN COMMUNITY. THEY STRICTLY WANT YOUR MONEY AND YOUR VOTE! IF THEY DID CARE, THEY WOULD HAVE STOOD UP FOR THE COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF REMAINING SILENT AND COMPLICIT!
A Final Word to the Voters
Next time Keating—or any silent leader—asks for your vote, remember what they said when the city needed courage. Nothing.
If you can’t speak up when your own political ally crosses the line, don’t pretend you’ll fight for the rest of us when the stakes are higher.
Truth doesn’t need a PR campaign. It just needs a spine. And Frisco’s voters deserve leaders who have one.
Welcome to Frisco, where city forums are held in churches and the post-debate fellowship feels more like WWE Raw match than Sunday service. If you came to the Frisco Chamber Candidate Forum expecting polite civic engagement and balanced moderation, you were about to get body slammed by reality. Because after the cameras stopped rolling and the applause faded, the real action kicked off in the lobby of Grace Church, where things took a turn for the bizarre—and borderline unhinged.
According to multiple witnesses, Frisco resident and self-appointed political pitbull Jake Petras decided the Frisco Chamber Forum evening wasn’t over. Before we continue, for context purposes, this is the same man who recently showed up at the political polls to support Tammy Meinershagen, holding a picture/poster that many found offensive and degrading to a female South Asian candidate. A local news channel did a story on the poster/photo after the incident. At the time, Petras told the news he was sorry, and issued an apology to anyone who may have been offended.
Petras made his way across the lobby of Grace Church to verbally harass Place 4 Candidate, Jared Elad. Petras began engaging in an aggressive and unsolicited confrontation with Elad. It was a moment so far removed from civic discourse; it may as well have come with entrance music and a steel chair. A Frisco Police Officer who heard the confrontation made his way over and stood next to Elad. Fortunately, one brave resident—a quiet observer turned unlikely hero—stepped in to defuse the situation, pulling a classic wrestling move of their own: the well-timed interference.
Petras then began telling the resident, he wanted to talk to Elad because he was upset that Elad blocked him from his candidate Facebook page. He also talked about “that day at the polls” and told the resident he did not have a sense of humor because “it was funny.” Petras apologized for the optics when that incident happened, but apparently, he had a change of heart and thinks the sign at the polls was funny again. He continued to say if he has something to say to Petras, say it to his face, own it, own it.
At the same time, another supporter of Elad and Thakur went over to Mr. Thakur and informed him of the escalating confrontation. They recommended he get his signs and get out of there because it was clear Petras wanted a confrontation, and they were worried that if he did not get it with Elad, he might turn his attention to Burt Thakur. We are told Thakur gathered his signs and quickly went out the front door.
But he didn’t stop there. As Elad left to go to his car, accompanied by a local supporter, seeking an end to the evening’s chaos — Petras followed him into the parking lot, heckling him the whole way. What was the point? Why would Petras do that? Surely it was over once they got to the car, right? Wrong!
After Elad loaded his signs into his vehicle, he and his local supporter headed back to the church and like a subplot from a reality TV drama no one asked for, Petras followed Elad back to the church, continuing the pursuit until Elad asked a Frisco Police Officer who had been watching the whole event for help. At that point the officer stepped in and asked Jake for his name and ended the confrontation.
Elad went into the Church while his supporters remained outside. One of the folks at the church sent us this video. When we asked her why she recorded it she responded, “Jake wanted a reaction and with the current climate, I was worried about what narrative would be portrayed to the public if something went sideways.” She recorded from the Church lobby as they walked to the car in a group, the second time. She continued, “Elad avoided the confrontation the best he could by ignoring Mr. Petras, who was hoping for a reaction.”
Lastly, she mentioned the Frisco Police Officer who was there for security purposes should have had the entire event on his body cam footage. He was standing next to Elad in the church during the confrontation and watched Petras follow Elad to his car through the front doors of Grace Church. We have requested this through a PIR. Will the city be “TRANSPARENT” and turn it over to us?
As Elad left the church for the last time, surrounded by multiple supporters, the video clearly shows Jake Petras, Lori Medina, and Steve Cone standing together, talking. We have many questions!
Jake Petras is mad that he is blocked from someone’s Facebook page. I wish we lived in Las Vegas, because I would bet a million bucks on the odds that Petras is blocked by numerous people! Yet, he couldn’t care less that his friends like Mayor Jeff Cheney and Councilman John Keating block residents from their page every day! We are blocked and we are not confronting people at forums, raising a ruckus!
Was this a setup? Was it motivated or intentional?
Was Lori Medina involved? She made it quickly to Petras side after the confrontation ended.
Who knows! What unfolded that night wasn’t just embarrassing for the Chamber — it was a chilling look at how toxic and personal Frisco politics has become. No one stepped up to help the candidate except for one man – and to that person we thank you for doing the right thing. Instead of being a time to “inform and educate” the election cycle has been replaced with “intimidate and escalate.” This wasn’t a forum. This was a verbal cage match with a Tammy supporter.
Next, stat tuned for the door-to-door delivery drama!
Have you ever wondered what the relationship is between The City of Frisco and the Frisco Chamber of Commerce. Despite the cozy public image, they often present together at ribbon cuttings and business luncheons, they are legally and structurally separate entities. The Chamber is its own entity and has a foundation which is a private, nonprofit organization. What does all that mean? Simply put, they are not a department or arm of the city government.
The Chamber has a board of directors and its own funding, which is primarily from membership dues and sponsorships. While the Chamber claims to be independent they often collaborate on economic development, public policy and community events. City officials and Chamber leadership often sit on the same committees and advisory boards.
Every election cycle, the Frisco Chamber Government Affairs division takes a strong and proactive stance on governmental issues. Locally they focus on business-friendly initiatives and educating and informing local voters. Per there website, “The Frisco Chamber does not endorse candidates but plays a strong role in encouraging voters to know the candidates and issues and make informed decisions. The Frisco Chamber does this through candidate forums and communication efforts.”
We would argue that they do “endorse” without “endorsing” candidates. We would also argue they do limit what they want to inform voters about. When it comes to candidates they are not as “fair-and-balanced” as they claim to be. Want the proof?
Compare those three situations and tell me what is the difference between them?
At the Chamber Forum in 2023, where Mark Piland ran against Mayor Jeff Cheney, the Chamber team specifically asked Mark Piland about a false story that was planted in the DMN by the city to destroy his character just before early voting again. They went as far as asking Piland about a direct quote in the article. The point of this question was to push votes towards Mayor, Jeff Cheney!
In 2024, we wrote about the Frisco Chambers “Election Fix” in our blog. There were two propositions on the ballet for Civil Service and Collective Bargaining. They never wanted to go this route, but they felt the city had given them no choice after years of denying staffing issues that put their lives at risk each time they report to a fire. The Frisco Chamber invited Safety First Frisco PAC run by Councilman Bill Woodard to the Forum and gave him 10 minutes to speak about why citizens should Vote Against the Propositions. What about the Firefighters, were they given the same time? No, they Frisco Chamber did not invite them. The night of the event two of the Frisco Firefighters Association board sat in front row and the Chamber could have seen the oversight or mistakes they made and allowed them to speak the same courtesy, BUT THEY DIDN’T!
The Frisco Chamber also sent out two email blasts, one in March, and one April before the election to local business and members advocating on the issue to Vote No! Local resident, James Nunn took to Facebook and wrote, “The Frisco Chamber of Commerce just sent an e-blast to their membership advocating a “no” vote on a local issue relating to the workforce of the City of Frisco. This is another example of the Chamber pandering to elected (and formerly elected) officials in Frisco. This action alienates part of the membership and effectively removes the Chamber as an independent voice on local issues.”
Fast forward to 2025, Tammy “Toxic Tapes” Meinershagen, whose story was posted on Frisco Chronicles You Tube Page and then was picked up by the DMN, CBS11, WFAA, Fox4, and NBCDFW. Everyone should have been on pins and needles waiting for the Chamber team to ask the big question, that never was! In fact, not ONE question related to her “direct quotes or comments” on the tapes released were brought into question. They completely avoided asking her about the tapes, her divisive and hateful statements; instead, they focused on the increasingly divisive political climate created by individuals referring to supporters of other candidates.
Remember earlier, we asked you to compare these 3 situations and tell us the difference between them. What is it? The difference is the RULES!
They don’t play by their own rules on the Chamber website which is to “INFORM & EDUCATE” local voters on the issues. WHY? Why would they do that? The answer is $414,306.80! That is how much the Chamber has received from the City of Frisco for items such as seminars/schools/training, dues and subscriptions, travel/meal/lodging, food and provisions, and lastly promotional marketing from 2020 to present. They got over $95k of that in November of 2024! The Chamber “CAN’T BITE THE HANDS THAT FEED THEM!”
Want to know the biased board members and employees: click here!
The Frisco Chamber of Commerce is 1000% a biased organization to protect the city, and what the city wants! For them to claim anything other than that is an absolute fallacy of epic proportions. Now it is time for some fireworks, stay tuned!
Maybe
Tammy’s supporters have a real pattern of poor ethics. Is it a common thread that Tammy supporters have questionable morals…
i speculate one of them three horse sisters of Cheney. they fight like roller derby girls. i bet they can…
Illegal activity from Tammy’s campaign: 3 All other campaigns: 0
Frisco police should absolutely investigate. It may even be an FBI matter.