In the 1998 movie Primary Colors, John Travolta plays Governor Jack Stanton who is running for President, and he said, “I’m going to tell you something really outrageous. I’m going to tell you the truth.” It would be refreshing if more people would tell the truth. We laid out some cold hard facts about Frisco Registered Voters and Elections in Vote For Pedro that should scare the hell of those us who call Frisco home. Early voting starts in a week and out of a population of 218,314 people we can expect maybe 10-20,000 registered voters to turn out based on previous general elections.
We have some very important races that will directly impact our city and school district. It made me curious; how any registered voters can name all the candidates? Have you researched all the candidates? Have you checked out each candidate’s website to see what they are about? If you are one of those that say I am voting for Jim Bob because that is who I voted for last time, then please don’t vote. If you are one of those deciding based on a social media post that says “I am not voting for them because they are democrat, republican, left or right-wing extremist” then please don’t vote. If you are one of those who just blindly follow what everyone else is doing, then please don’t vote. If you are voting and you have not looked at all the candidates on an individual level to understand what they stand for then please don’t vote.
The world around us is changing every day and if we are going to vote we need to be responsible for our own decision. That means you need to research, watch the debates, go meet all the candidates even if you think I would never vote for them. Even if a candidate is unopposed learn who they are and what they are about. We must make educated decisions based on our own personal views, values, and philosophies after meeting all the candidates. You could surprise yourself and learn the one candidate you never thought you would vote for is the one you end up casting your vote for.
Below is information regarding the City of Frisco race and bond election as well as the Frisco ISD Board of Trustee race. Start with the simple question, who is running and for what office or position? We put these by place, then the order in which they drew for the ballot. All you must do is click on a person’s name and you can go their website.
City of Frisco
Mayor: Jonathan David Spencer (we could not find a website for him), Mark Piland, and Jeff Cheney
Proposition A: The issuance of $131,400,000 tax bonds for public safety facilities and equipment. taxes sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds will be imposed.
Proposition B: The issuance of $240,000,000 tax bonds for street and road improvements. taxes sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds will be imposed.
Proposition C: The issuance of $39,000,000 tax bonds for a parks operation center/building maintenance facility and a logistics equipment and storage building. taxes sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds will be imposed.
Proposition D: The issuance of $43,000,000 tax bonds for parks, trails, and recreational facilities. taxes sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds will be imposed.
Proposition E: The issuance of $20,000,000 tax bonds for a downtown parking garage. taxes sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on the bonds will be imposed.
We received an email today from a resident who said they are upset that their PIRs are being delayed. The resident asked for “All electronic communications via email for Project P117/ Universal from 1/1/22 – 2/27/23 amongst all city council members , Wes Pearson, Maria Row, Ben Brezina, Jason Ford.” We have laid out the timeline sent to us by the resident below and we are wondering why the city is trying to delay this information from being released until after “THE ELECTION” Feb 27, 2023: Resident files PIR request
March 14, 2023: Resident receives response that the documents will cost $72.36 (for labor)
Resident Makes Payment
March 20, 2023: Resident sends message asking when they can expect files?
March 23, 2023: Resident notices status change reads “sent to attorney” sends message asking when should they expect their documents? Then they ask why has it been sent to attorney?
March 29, 2023: Resident receives a response asking for them to clarify what information they are seeking from the city.
April 2, 2023: Resident replies asking them to confirm they are asking for clarification of the request after they charged the resident $72.36 for files. They state what they are asking for is very clear all files related to the Universal Project (code name P117 or US). They state all emails between council members, city management, and Frisco EDC, the developers Fehmi and Universal management. Travel Expenses for the 10 people who went to Universal Florida. The resident states how did you determine a price for labor if you did not know what I was asking for and why are you delaying the records release?
April 5, 2023: Resident writes to city again asking where are the files they have requested and paid for? They note they have been waiting patiently since Feb 27, 2023. The resident notes the games the city are playing by charging them, then asking for clarification, then sending to city attorney. The resident then asks how they can have a city council meeting, vote to releases records for a PIR request regarding a MAYORAL CANDIDATE and an article can be in the paper the next morning but they can’t seem to respond to others requests regarding Universal. The resident asks for a response in 24 hours.
April 18, 2023: Resident “FINALLY” receives an email that that they have released a few documents but the rest has been sent to the Attorney General in Austin, Texas due to “confidentiality” issues. The resident said he received travel invoices, 6 redacted emails and a Choose Frisco presentation. Is the city trying to say there are no emails regarding this project?
April 21, 2023: Resident calls AGO and asks the turn around time on approval or denial to the city’s request and how they can file a objection. They are told by the state representative it can take “UP TO 45 DAYS” for a response and gave the resident the address to mail a letter of objection.
QUESTION: HOW CAN THE CITY RELEASE HR DOCUMENTS ON A RETIRED EMPLOYEE AND A DMN REPORTER CAN HAVE AN ARTICLE IN THE NEXT MORNING PAPER WITH A FULL ARTICLE BUT THEY CAN NOT RELEASE DOCUMENTS REGARDING UNIVERSAL?
WHAT IS CONFIDENTIAL? WHAT IS THE CITY WITHHOLDING?
TO SUM IT UP – IT IS CLEAR THE CITY IS PLAYING GAMES AND DELAYING THESE DOCUMENTS UNTIL AFTER THE ELECTION AND WE WANT TO KNOW WHY? WHAT ARE THEY HIDING?
If you have filed PIR’s are getting the run around from the city we want to hear from you! Email us via our contact us page.
In real estate you will always hear buzz words which are words or phrases often used to impress or persuade the person reading it to act now. Location, location, location is a common mantra used in real estate and the truth is location can be key to the value of some real estate. When I was a kid we lived on the outskirts of the countryside overlooking a scenic vista of hills and vineyards. One evening I saw my dad outside sitting on the deck smoking a cigar and I went outside and asked, “why do you always sit out here?” In his deep Sean Connery voice he said, “Son, one day this will be yours if you want it. You will grow grapes that make wine on this land and that will feed your family. At night after working, you will sit here like I do watching the sunset. As you gaze across this valley and those vineyards you will realize this view is spectacular and that will remind you how damn lucky you are.” My brother still runs those vineyards today and when we get to go visit I enjoy sitting on that deck like my dad did and enjoying the view.
So, what constitutes a view? Well, depending on who you ask that varies and can mean different things. One might like a view of a lake or ocean, mountains, or city skylines. There is no doubt that a view will cost you more to buy but it is for your enjoyment or future investment. If you asked Jerry Jones what he likes about his office at The Star I am pretty sure he will say it is the view of the new training facility and practice fields. If you asked Jerry what he likes about his view from his suite at AT&T stadium we are pretty sure you will get a different answer. What if you found out that your tax dollars were paying for a room with a view?
Before we answer that, let’s discuss The Development Corporation Act of 1979 which gives cities the ability to finance new and expand business enterprises in their local communities through Economic Development Corporations (EDCs). Based on the Texas Comptrollers website, “Type A EDCs are typically created to fund industrial development projects such as business infrastructure, manufacturing, and research and development. The Type B sales tax may be used for any project eligible under Type A rules and several other project types, including quality-of-life improvements like parks, museums, sports facilities, and affordable housing. Type B corporations may pay for land, buildings, equipment, facilities, targeted infrastructure, and improvements. One of the best things EDCs can do is increase tax revenues, add additional jobs to a community and supply opportunities for residents, and promote sustainable growth. The Frisco EDC website says, “Frisco is Innovation Focused” and it says Frisco’s public-private partnerships exemplify why the city excels on every level of economic development and is highly competitive with major markets across the country and around the globe. Its mission is the creation of jobs, increasing economic opportunities, and improving the quality of life for all Frisco residents and their families.
Simply put you must spend tax dollars to make money which brings important things to a city. As a resident, I am okay with the concept to a point, but I was shocked when a reader sent us a link to a CBS 11 news article from 2015 that mentions city leaders were enjoying the lap of luxury in a season-long suite at AT&T stadium. The article asks if city officials are taking advantage of the Cowboy’s relationship for personal enjoyment and how it is a slap in the face to taxpayers. The article quotes Frisco resident Bret Sanders who said, “This is our money that they’re spending, and it doesn’t seem like they have any regard for how they are spending it.” Then Frisco EDC President, Jim Gandy said, “It is our job to promote Frisco,” and “It was used for business prospects and allies that we work with on a regular basis.” The article mentions it was sold as a recruiting tool but how was the suite a recruiting tool for businesses when AT&T Stadium is in Arlington?
What do you think the Frisco EDC would pay for a room with a view? The answer is 160,000.00! The suite benefits per the license agreement states the licensee shall receive 18 admission tickets for the seats in the suite. It also allows them to purchase 8 standing room tickets in the suite and it came with 5 parking passes for a preferred parking lot. The license agreement also states that the licensee will be provided with $1500 “hospitality allowance” towards food and beverage. Yes, “We The Taxpayers” paid $160,000 for a suite for 8 games which means we spent $20,000 a game to wine and dine, I mean recruit business. With the city contributing $130 Million to the construction of the new Dallas Cowboys headquarters in Frisco couldn’t Jerry have thrown in a suite.
So who enjoyed the “Lap of Luxury” on the tax payers dime? Well game 1 against the New York Giants included Dan Bollner and his wife (FEDC Board Member), County Commissioner Hugh Coleman and his wife, Steve Bahl (Gearbox CEO/CFO) and his wife, Jim Gandy (FEDC Staff) and his wife, Dave Quinn (FEDC Staff), Gary Carley (FEDC Staff) and his wife, Tim Nelligan (The Hartford) and his wife and two guests. It shows they enjoyed Texas Barbecue, peach blackberry cobbler, Deja Blue bottled water, soda and Unsweetened Iced Tea.
Game 2 against the Atlanta Falcons included Jim Gandy (FEDC staff) and his wife, John Bonnot (FEDC staff) and his wife, City Councilmen Bob Allen canceled but his guest Geneva attended and brought a plus one, Marla Roe (Visit Frisco) and her husband, Steve Ewing (Edge Realty) and his wife, George Galloway (Next Realty Mid Atlantic) and his wife, Amanda Kronk (SWA) and her husband, and Bennett Bark (Retail Connection) and his wife. There are some special notes that Kevin Case with Thomas Land Development was sent 8 tickets and 2 parking passes for him to share with his clients. While enjoying the game they dined on the Tex Mex Combo and the same drinks as in game 1.
Game 3 against New England Patriots included Bob Allen (City Council) and his wife, Victor Almeida (President Interceramic – Prospect) and a guest, Jesse Pruitt (Somervell Commercial Realty), Chris Grottenthaler (True Health Diag) and his wife, John Harkey (CEO of CRO – Prospect), James Snell (EVP of CRO – Prospect and two guests, Jim Gandy (FEDC staff) and his wife, and David Quinn (FEDC staff) and his wife. They dined on the Gridiron packaged.
Game 4 against the Seattle Seahawks included Jim Gandy & Dave Quinn (both FEDC staff) and their spouses, Bryan Dodson (FEDC staff) and his guest, Ed & Melina Cimler (Adaptive Biotechnologis), Zenobia Adi (WorldLink), Barjis Ghadially (WorldLink) and his wife, Bill and Brenda Sims (UNT), and J. Casey Wehr (CEO – PVP Live) and his wife. The enjoyed the fine Texas BBQ and peach blackberry cobbler and drinks like game 1.
Game 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles included Jim Gandy (FEDC staff) and his wife, Marla Roe (Visit Frisco) and her spouse, Project Turtle had 8 tickets, but no names listed, Rick Fletcher (FEDC staff) and his wife, Jason Young (Visit Frisco Board Member) and his wife, and Councilman Jeff Cheney and his wife. They duplicated the game 2 Tex-Mex package for eats and treats.
Game 6 against the Carolina Panthers included Jim Gandy (FEDC staff) and his wife, Mark Thompson (Foundry Club) and his wife, 10 people from the Japan-American Society, and Taylor McQuestion, Shawn McQuestion, Caden McQuestion, and Quinn McQuestion (all listed with Schneider Optical). They dined on assorted cheeses, veggie crudité, party mix, popcorn, artichoke ranch dip and seven-layer dip, sirloin beef sliders, apple pie, and beverages.
Game 7 included Harry Whalen (FEDC staff) and his guest, Paul Sheldon (FEDC Board) and his guest, Maureen Gutierrez (CVB Sales Manager) and her guest, Anne Keough, MPS and Andre Mathews with the Catholic Diocese, Terry Young (Dir of Mktg with Catalyst Corp Federal CU) and his wife Mike Williams (Pres & CEO Summit Conferences) and a guest, Jim Breitenfeld and Dan Spika (Brokers with Henry S Miller) and a guest, Carlo Morando (Mktg Mgr with Ace Hardware) and two guests. The Texas BBQ and peach blackberry cobbler were up for eats and treats this time.
Game 8 against the Washington Redskins included Jim Gandy (FEDC staff) and a guest, Harry Whalen (FEDC staff) and guest, Jim Riggert (NGKF – Prospect) plus 3 guests, and Moon Management (4 tickets) and Scott Lark (Prospect no company name)
Do you agree with the city spending $160,000 for a room with a view? How much is too much? Based on what Jim Gandy, President of Frisco EDC said in the article this was to recruit prospects or to retain important businesses that are considering leaving our city. It appears we courted a lot of commercial real estate folks and some non-profits. We also wined and dined Chris Grottenthaler the founder of True Health Diagnostics who was later one of the 21 charged in connection with multistate healthcare kickback fraud. I have no issue spending $160,000 a year ($20,000 a game) for a suite on America’s Team if we are recruiting the likes of Amazon, Costco, Cigna, XTO Energy, Home Depot, Target, or any other Fortune 500 company. That is not what happened here, I mean Jim Gandy, President of the Frisco EDC, and his wife enjoyed almost every game. When you’re spending tax dollars and you are “working” as you call it then why are you bringing your spouse? Why are we inviting county commissioners, do they pay sales tax in Frisco? Why are we inviting non-profits and churches when they are exempt from franchise and sales taxes? When it comes to citizens’ tax dollars I question a lot of what this city does when it comes to spending and incentives. These are glaring red flags that citizens should be up and arms about but residents have given in to they have no say in our city. I guess this is Frisco Innovation Focused at work.
Growing up if we saw a fire engine go by my dad would say there goes the fire brigade to save another soul. I remember watching a movie and they said to the new recruits “train as if your life depends on it, because it does.” I thought to myself could I be selfless, courageous, and risk everything? When the bell rings, could I walk through the valley of the shadow of death as Psalms 23:4 says without thinking twice? Truthfully, no I would be one of those to run away as they pass by me to run into what could be the last call of their life.
We ended our last blog with Cheney’s statement, “we have what we need.” If we have what we need then can the Mayor explain why Mr. Sapp who is the President of the Frisco Fighters Association had to speak at citizens input during a council meeting in January 2023 to bring attention of the staffing issue in the fire department.
Sapp’s statement in full from the council meeting is as follows “Mayor and Council, I’m just going to read a statement on behalf of our members. I stand here before you tonight to ask one simple question, this is the third time I’ve asked this question since the public hearing for the FY23 budget in August. Will we as a city add firefighters to this budget year? I’ve asked this question to you, the city manager, and the interim Fire Chief and we have yet to get a clear answer from anyone. I know that the interim Fire Chief has stated he has no plans on asking for staffing they feel we are appropriately staffed. The city manager follows the recommendations of the Fire Chief and we understand that you as a council can’t approve positions that were never asked for. This is not a question of whether we need additional firefighters, simply look around as our skyline is ever changing. There are billions of dollars in property we are tasked to protect. Couple that with the fact that we applied for a safer grant for 15 firefighters this year, which we failed to get. No one can honestly say we don’t need more firefighters. For years now we have raised concerns for what is considered safe staffing standards by the NFPA 1710. I have a recent independent report stating as much. Some will try to devalue the standards set by the NFPA by claiming others around us do not meet that code or because of it being a nonprofit it doesn’t hold weight. Make no mistake this city follows countless NFPA’s for the fire service because they are the national standard by which the United States fire administration sets the bar. Not to mention, we are Frisco, and we provide the best in everything we do. As our City Council, you have created a unique and exceptional environment, we should not only meet the standards but exceed them. Therefore, it’s unfair to compare ourselves to the staffing models of surrounding cities. The FY22 budget states that we would be hiring 9 firefighters a year for the next three years. Although we have a need for increased staffing levels for the current station count, this was said to be in preparation for the future station 10. The majority of this council approved that budget, and this has now been pushed back to the infrastructure regions and therefore, the staffing plan is on hold. This year’s budget for FY23 which was unanimously approved contained 19 police officer positions and added zero firefighters. We understand this was done in anticipation of the safer grant that was applied for, but again, that was denied. Now there’s no plan for this fiscal year. We need action now because it takes over a year to hire firefighters longer for them to get in seats if they had to go to paramedic school. With the progressive growth of this growth of this city this is a huge safety concern. So, I ask again: are we going to add staffing for firefighters this year or are we going to forgo staffing which will negatively impact on our growth as a department and safety of our city for the next half decade. Thank you for your time and your consideration. (Mr. Sapp left the podium)
After the Star Patriot debate the Frisco Fire Fighters Association released a video responding to comments made at the debate by the candidates. The video starts with a message that states they encourage the release of the full Circa Fire report and noted the city has chosen to release selective information regarding the CIRCA Fire and Mayday event, as well as information on former fire chief Mark Piland. Sapp pointed out that it is their job to protect their membership (being the fire fighters) and the residents of Frisco. Sapp then went on to correct several statements made by the mayor:
Mayor Jeff Cheney said we operate with 75 on every shift. Sapp, President of FFA: While at times they may see 75 people employed on an individual shift rarely are they over the minimum staffing number of 62. Regarding staffing, Sapp said the National Fire Protection Association 1710 on staffing is and has been an issue that the FFA raised many times to city management and to the council directly.
Mayor Jeff Cheney said the National Fire Protection Associations Standards (1710) were union supported standards. Sapp said the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) along with the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) did a study on staffing for firefighting almost 12 years ago and the NFPA is a national benchmark for all things fire related. The City of Frisco follows many NFPA standards for things like the self-contained breathing apparatus or for the sprinklers that are inside the building.
Mayor Jeff Cheney alluded to the idea that sprinklers inside a building can take the place of personnel. Sapp said that is simply not true. Sprinklers are designed to allow people time to escape, not to put a fire out.
About workers compensation, Sapp said the city gave employees a worker’s comp plan several years ago and the FFA raised issue with it not being in writing. Together staff, city management and then Fire Chief and Police Chief put it together and made an ordinance. Sapp was very firm when he said, “make no mistake the mayor should not be sitting her touting that the Frisco’s effort to make sure WC protection is a valuable asset for all employees.” He also pointed out the mayor opposed House Bill 2242 in the 87 th legislative session they are also currently opposing House Bill 471 in this session.
Sapp then addressed the April 4, 2023, Council Meeting and the decision to release documents related to a complaint from the CIRCA fire. He noted this is the first time that they know of where the council voted on a PIR request. Sapp said he has asked for countless documents in the past which are either released to him or they go to the attorney general for a ruling. While he applauded their release of the documents, but he noted this was clearly done as a political tactic against Mark Piland. The reason he says this and believes this is because they did not release all the documents and he pointed out the report consists of over 500 pages. One of the issues in the report given by the Consultants is the staffing level. It states our staffing does not meet the national standard and we fall below cities of our same like and density.
The video ended with Sapp saying they will make sure that the misinformation and disinformation does not continue to lead to more normalization of deviance.
The phrase, “where there is smoke, there is fire,” refers to if people are saying or there are signs that something maybe wrong then there is usually a good reason for what they are saying. Many concerns have been raised about our current council and how things within the city are operating and there is probably a reason to be concerned. The city manager, city council and mayor should ask themselves these questions when they go to bed at night. Are we letting down those who serve us every day by not staffing according to the national standards? Are we letting down those who are willing to die for us every day by not supporting a worker’s compensation bill?
As residents, should we be embarrassed that our firefighters must ask for staff support at a city council meeting? Should we be mortified that our mayor at the same meeting responding to any citizen who questioned Universal but after Mr. Sapp spoke “crickets.” Not one member of our council said a word. The answer is YES to both! We are about to build a large hotel near the PGA, open a theme park, add another few thousand houses at the Fields development so should we be concerned that we don’t meet the national standards of NFPA 1710? According to the current council we should not be concerned. I interpret that as until someone dies we will just look the other way. How does the #1 city in America accidentally send a letter to the legislature? Someone should have been fired for that and we should release the report of why and how that happened. Wait, there probably was not an investigation done and that means there is no report. Cheney said word for word at the debate “we have 75 on for every shift.” As Maury would say, the lie detector’s test determined that was a lie! According to what the FFA published that is clearly false. Cheney said it is the city manager’s job to hire and make sure we are meeting expectations in our departments so who should we hold responsible, George Purefoy or Wes Peirson? Lastly, based on the FFA response why did the city not release the entire report and investigation? Why did 4 council members who openly endorsed the mayor for re-election vote on this item? That is clearly a conflict of interest due to the endorsement and relationship between some of these council members. Residents deserve answers to these questions, and they have the right to question those who choose to serve them.
“Let no man’s ghost return to say his training let him down.” – A Firefighter
Imagine it is your first day of work and you arrive at your new office excited to start the day. You have no idea in minutes life is going to change forever but then you hear it, it sounds like an explosion, like a bomb. You open your eyes to see a fireball just passing right beside you. You look around, realize you are trapped, and you stop and think, “I am going to die here today.” You remember praying, “God, I don’t believe you brought me here to die like this.” Then you hear it, the sound of a fire extinguisher and you realize first responders are making their way into the office building. You can’t breathe but know you have to get help, so you reach out through the smoke when you feel a hand on the other side of the smoke. It grabs you and pulls you through the smoke to safety. You quickly “that hand” rescued three people, but you were the only one to survive. This isn’t a story; it is the reality of Sheila Moody who lived through 9/11 at the Pentagon. She learned a plane traveling 530 mph carrying 7000 gallons of fuel crashed into her office and she was one of three to survive out of 46 people in her office.
Now imagine you are at work and just like the rest of America you are glued to the TV watching what is unfolding in New York and DC. The phone rings and you learn as the East Coast Task Force leader for the Federal Urban Search and Rescue System that you are being deployed to the Pentagon. You pack up and head north for a 3-hour drive to D.C. This is what happened to Former Frisco Fire Chief Mark Piland. Now ask yourself, where were you on September 11, 2001? Can you imagine what those first responders saw that day and the days to come? Would you have the guts and emotional stability to do that job? Truthfully I can’t for one moment put myself in the shoes of survivor Sheila Moody or first responders. Men and woman across the country answer the call every day, and in Frisco all they have asked for was more staff and a workers compensation plan with the maximum coverage to protect them. At the last debate, Piland asked a simple question, why would we not want them to have that?
The issue of staffing and workers’ compensation in Frisco goes back many years. At the Star Patriot debate, Piland said the city should support current Texas House Bill 471 which relates to the entitlement to and claims for benefits for certain first responders and other employees related to illness and injury. We thought it was an odd statement because why would the safest city in America, one of the #1 places to live, not have a full coverage workers compensation plan for first responders who answer the call in our city. Also discussed was the NFPA 1710 Safe Staffing Levels for a fire department. Piland said as a city we don’t meet the NFPA 1710 requirement which can potentially put our firefighters and residents in a dangerous position. We are not experts in this field so we had to do a little research to understand the history so we could try to explain it to you. We don’t have a horse in this race, we are not related to anyone who serves as a first responder in Frisco or anywhere else for that matter.
Before we can address the debate issues you need to understand some history. Let’s travel back in time like Marty McFly in our Delorean time machine. Frisco Firefighters have been fighting for years for a full coverage workers comp plan. It appears a written letter dated April 20, 2021, from the city to the state legislators opposed HB 2242 regarding workers compensation for first responders. Mayor Cheney claims the letter was sent by Ben Brezina IN ERROR on May 12 at 11:09 am (even though incorrectly dated earlier) opposing HB 2242 but then a retraction was sent the same day at 11:34 am. The letter had Mayor Jeff Cheney’s electronic signature, yet he claims he never actually saw the letter before it was sent.
That means a letter went to a state agency without first being seen and/or reviewed by several people including the mayor himself. Should we be concerned? Following the unbelievable, absolutely embarrassing so called error the response from the Frisco Fire Fighters Association (FFA) was a letter to Frisco Residents expressing their disappointment that Mayor Cheney, the city and council, attempted to kill house bill 2242 at the State Legislature which would protect first responders across the state. The letter states he did this with no regard for the thousands of police, firefighters and EMS personnel and the families it would protect. It went on to say the mayor has chosen to use his position to help elect a candidate (in reference to Angelia Pelham) that had voluntarily refused to submit a political questionnaire to the FFA. Based on who has endorsed her, and the view expressed toward the FFA they can only assume if elected she would have the same disregard not only for firefighter issues but all First Responders. We also found a letter to one of the fire fighters in the city that had exhausted all their protected leave due to a work-related medical issue. It notified the employees that if their request for accommodation was denied they would have 30-day days to apply for another position in the city or their employment would be terminated.
Question, why would the city ever oppose or stay neutral on a bill for first responders regarding workers compensation? How is a letter sent in error regarding a legislative bill with the mayor’s signature and he does not review that beforehand? Why would we terminate a firefighter for medical leave related to an on-the-job injury/illness, but Ben Brezina can send a letter by ACCIDENT to the State of Texas Legislature and not be fired? Lastly, why was a letter even written in opposition if they never had any intention of taking a position on the bill? The whole think stinks of some Shady Shit and we can understand why Piland took a stance and said the city should endorse the current bill before the State of Texas Legislature it at the debate.
Piland also pointed out that the Frisco Fire Department does not meet the national staffing requirements. He gave an example of mid/high rise building which would national high rise staffing requirement is 43 firefighters, yet Frisco’s response is 25 fire fighters. He also pointed based on a 2000 sq ft home the response should be 17 firefighters and he then asked how many homes in Frisco do you think are under that square footage? Lastly he said most cities have 4-person truck staffing and Frisco only has 3 per truck and typical response times should be 8 min and in some areas of the city we are at 9 minutes.
Cheney said it is the council’s job to hire the city manager and it is the city manager’s job to hire and make sure we are meeting expectations for our departments. Is he saying the reason we are not at full staff is the fault of George Purefoy and Wes Pierson then? He went on to say the city council is aware of what’s going on and that the current interim Chief Glover has done an amazing job. They are in the process of hiring a new fire department chief, but Glover has already raised morale, regained trust and started changing operations. He said it was evident that Glover, Purefoy and Pierson have different philosophies than that of Piland which was evident during his tenure as Fire Chief. Lastly Cheney said the national standards are not specific to any one community. We have had 6 high rise structure fires and the standard calls for 62 firefighters, and we have 75 on for every shift. Lastly Cheney firmly stated “We have what we need.”
In part two we will see, if we have what we need so stay tuned….
We saw John Keating today with Mr Nadeem Crook Zaman holding signs supporting Gopal. Gopal has actively funded church burning…
Classic cabal. They so badly want to be modern day mafia. Shame of Jeff Cheney and his cheerleaders.
Ahhhh NO
Doge most all of Denton & Collin county mayors quickly! Help Elon!!!
Not a chance voting for this! The current council, save Brian, are SO OUT OF TOUCH with the normal citizen…