The Preserve Lots

Our investigation into The Preserve at PGA Frisco has offered up a treasure trove of information over the last year. We first talked about this back in February 2023 in our blog Fields West Dynasty where we discussed the historic future Fields development and the woven professional relationship conflicts. We began to unravel our opinion regarding the conflict of interest at play for Mayor Jeff Cheney vs Real Estate Mogul Jeff Cheney and his relationship with the Fehmi Fields development. Just the Fields Frisco website was cause for pause – why is there a letter from Mayor Jeff Cheney on it?

Then in our Field of Dreams blog, we talked about how Texas Scorecard had questioned the same thing we did years earlier. We also shared an email by John Baumgarten to then-Mayor Jeff Cheney asking how he could get on the “unofficial lot list” for The Preserve and that he would like to make a “donation” to a charity involved in the development. We also pointed out there was no response to Mr. Baumgarten supplied in our PIR but there was a continuing conversation between Cheney and then Chief of Staff Lori Medina (MedinaUSA) on where the donation could be made.

We continued our questions regarding The Preserve and PGA Frisco in our blog, The Silicon Valley of Golf followed by our blog Dark Money where we pointed out some very questionable campaign donations from all these developers involved in future Fields / PGA / The Link. Then we laid out in detail the conflict of interest friendships Mayor Cheney vs Realtor Jeff Cheney built in our blog Anatomy of a Friendship.

Then we release our Breaking News: The Preserve Lots VIP Program blog where we have a recording of a builder rep telling local Real Estate Agents that Jeff Cheney has a lot in The Preserve along with other important people in the project, kind of like a millionaire or billionaire row so to speak of lots and future homes. Go listen to the recording you won’t be disappointed. Then we published the proof in Land Lies of the developer plot map which shows the names Cheney and Keating under a “Developer Hold.”

Why are we reminding you about this? You have to go back to the beginning to understand how what we uncovered today is concerning. For years now local Realtors have been questioning the potential conflict between Cheney’s role as Mayor and as Realtor/Broker of the Cheney Group. Questions also surround his convoluted relationship with Fehmi Karahan and the sale of the lots in The Preserve. Multiple times, Cheney has publicly stated he is not the Realtor of record for lots in The Preserve. He joked in front of a room of real estate professionals, please don’t call me as I am not the agent for these lots. Realtors questioned though how a majority of the lots were already sold before going public to real estate professionals.

With everything he has said publicly were surprised to see 3 lots worth over $2+ million for sale in The Preserve at PGA Frisco on his website. A few months ago it said it was listed by one of his agents but now according to the multiple listing service (MLS) the REALTOR OF RECORD IS JEFF CHENEY OF THE CHENEY GROUP!

In closing, we initially were doing research into some rumors about a possible shake-up or break-up within the Monument umbrella. That led us to these lots for sale which sparked us to look through public records, talk to some builder reps as we “house hunted,” and what we learned from our Realtor neighbor. The lots in question had been sold or contracted by other agents for client’s they had. So why are they for sale now? We can only assume the original buyers probably changed their minds or backed out for some reason which happens all the time according to my neighbor. If they were contracted by other agents, then why are those agents not selling the lots? Why are the lots now listed with the Cheney Group? Why is Jeff Cheney listed as the Realtor/Broker of Record? With so many questions, you can see we are still looking into this so stay tuned for more of what we uncover.

Fort Collins Adventure

Are you ready for another adventure, well let’s visit Fort Collins, Colorado.  Every few years the Frisco Chamber hosts a “Leadership Event” and according to the website it’s an opportunity to build new – and strengthen existing – connections among the Frisco business and community leaders that you otherwise may not have the opportunity or time to engage with.  In English they mean it is a chance for the “commoners” to spend three glorious days collaborating and partnership building with the “important people.” 

The event was held September 12 to 15, 2023 in Fort Collins, Colorado.  According to the Chambers website the destination “offers a blend of outdoor adventure, cultural attractions, and a thriving business community. In September, when we will be visiting, the city is particularly beautiful with its golden aspens and crisp autumn air. The downtown area is full of art galleries, independent shops, and restaurants. The city is also known for its commitment to sustainability and its collaborative spirit.”

What is the goal of these fun trips on taxpayer dollars?  To help shape the “Future of Frisco.”  You can be an INVESTOR at different levels.  The “Innovator Investor” costs $4000 and the description reads, “Lead community enrichment as the Innovator Investor. Your investment drives program growth, offers brand exposure, and shapes our community’s future. Benefit from positive community association, visibility, and impactful connections.  The “Visionary Investor” is $3000, and the description reads, “Propel community progress as a Visionary Investor. Your investment aids program growth, aligns your brand with community investment, and supports valuable experiences for community development. Enhance your brand’s image while contributing to community success.  Blah, Blah, Blah…

Lastly you can just be an “Attendee” which is $3250, and it includes airfare, hotel, transportation, and most meals.  A few city insiders told us in the past maybe one to 3 people from the city attended these trips.   However, in recent years Mayor Cheney turned it into the “Popular Club” trip on taxpayer dollars and felt that everyone in the city should go.   We were curious of course over the last few years, who went?

In 2019, Council Member Will Sowell and John Lettellier, Director of Development Services were the only 2 from the city to attend the trip.  Then in 2022, that number jumped to six which included four council members and two city officials.  Last year in 2023, it jumped to 12 people which included five city council members and eight city officials.   It is important to note that 1 to 2 months after the 2023 trip one attendee Paul Knipple, City of Frisco – Director of Engineering, left the city and took a position at the City of Westminster, Colorado.  Do the math: 12 people x $3250 = $39,000 of taxpayer dollars.   

Next we have Visit Frisco, the official destination marketing organization for the City of Frisco.  According to the website it is their mission to generate a positive awareness of Frisco as a premier destination for meetings, sporting events, conventions, trade shows, leisure travel, and to positively impact the economic base of the City of Frisco.  In 2019, zero reps from Visit Frisco attended the Leadership Trip.  In 2022, one Visit Frisco rep attended the trip.  Last year in 2023, Marla Roe the Executive Director attended the trip which cost taxpayers $3250.

What about the Frisco Economic Development Corporation?  Well in 2019, two EDC reps attended and in 2022, one EDC rep attended the trip.  Last year in 2023, two Frisco EDC reps attended the trip which is $6500 in taxpayer dollars.

Then we have the Frisco Independent School District, wait what?  In 2019, two trustees attended, and zero attend in 2022.  Last year in 2023, three Board of Trustee representatives attended which include Dynette Davis – Board President, Gopal Ponangi – Vice President, and Rene Archambault – Board Secretary.   First, why did any member from the ISD Board of Trustee’s need to attend these trips?  Secondly, when did Financial Hot Mess Express better known as Dynette Davis become the President?  That means 3 x $3250 = $9750 of taxpayer dollars – but whose counting…oh wait we are!

Now it is a Chamber Leadership event, so we would expect several representatives of the Chamber to attend.  In 2019 and 2022, the same four chamber representatives went.  Last year, five chamber representatives went.  Two representatives from the Frisco Economic Development Corporation include Stephanie Wagoner – Director of Business Retention & Expansion, Gloria Salinas – Vice President also attended. That means 7 x $3250 = $22,750 dollars.  

Then we had a few people attend that held a place on local boards or committees.  For example, Donna Schmittler of the Heritage Association and Danny Mehta with the Downtown Advisory Board.  We also know Jake Petras attended who at the time was on the Planning & Zoning Board, but according to the registration it shows him under a business name.  We don’t know if the city paid for Schmittler or Petras, but we did receive a registration confirmation for Danny Mehta. Add another $3250 dollars

It really was a “Who’s Who of Frisco” aka “Developer Friends” of the mayor and council that attended from the business community.   A few stood out on the list like Lori Medina, owner of MedinaUSA, also the Mayors Chief of Staff for several years, and his campaign manager.  She is also currently helping Angelia Pelahm in her re-election bid this year.  The other person to stand out is Jake Petras who went under his real estate business name but was a current member of the Planning and Zoning Board.  Correction, shortly after the trip was over he was quietly removed from the P&Z board for an ”incident” that happened in Fort Collins.  You probably recognize other big names like Hillwood, PGA, Hall Group, Wilks Development FireFly Park, Rollertown Beerworks, Tumbleweed TexStyles and Dallas Cowboys.

It makes sense of course because obviously there was a heavy focus on the downtown area of Fort Collins as the City of Frisco is in the middle of a multi-pronged project to redesign and improve the infrastructure of Frisco’s downtown.   The trip was well documented by another attendee Audrey Henvey for Star Local Media and Frisco Enterprise.  “On Sept. 13, Frisco’s city leaders, city staff, school district representatives and business community members soaked up the kaleidoscope of components that make up downtown Fort Collins, Colorado. They took in the color explosion of flower beds nestled throughout the area — a product of the city’s downtown flower project. They took note of the outdoor painted piano, the murals on transformer cabinets and the activated alleyways featuring strung lights.“   Cheney is quoted in the article as saying, ““So we need to make some very strategic decisions, truly, over the next couple of months, adding that work will also continue with Velocity Group, a consultant hired by the city to help forge a vision for the Rail District.”  Wonder how much that is costing taxpayers?  Lastly, Cheney is quoted as saying, “Just seeing the horticulture they do and all the flowers is just so beautiful, and it helps them create that civic pride,”   

The only question we have is, why didn’t the council and city officials who have been very vocal to the Frisco Animal Advocate community, that they would only consider a public/private partnership for an animal shelter stop by NOCO Humane?  Who are they?  Well, they are the PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNER TO THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS to provide animal protection and control services. If they were out there on taxpayer dollars they probably should have stopped by NOCO since that has been a hot topic lately. We would love to hear from an animal advocate on how the city has progressed since they took the Animal Shelter off the CITIZENS BOND last year because they wanted to “ look into public/private partnerships” possibilities. Simple answer, they don’t give two shxts about what the very vocal animal advocates have been asking for, it simply does not fit their agenda of FRISCO.  Goes to show the “citizens” at the top of the org chart are not as important as Cheney’s idea of downtown and the flowers he wants that create civic pride.

It sounds like an amazing VACATION taking in all the sights, just look at the trip agenda.  Did we mention it cost TAXPAYERS OVER $65,000 and that is for one trip, and it could be more if they paid for others to go.  If the goal was how to help “Shape Frisco” did we really need that many people to go look at streets, painted pianos, murals, flower projects, alleyway strung lights?  Could 2 or 3 people go and bring back video and pictures to share at a work session? 

Before our leaders can shape Frisco they need to figure out what Frisco is famous for.  For example, Fort Collins is referred to as the Craft Beer Capital of Colorado as it has 21 breweries, and it is near one of the most beautiful reservoirs in Colorado.   Colorado is naturally an outdoor enthusiast dream, from food exchange outposts, gardens and parks.  That makes sense as it generally does not go over 90 in the summer.  What is Frisco?  What are we already known for that we can build our downtown around?  Build, create and design Frisco around the history of our city instead of trying to create a history.  Instead, we are creating “Cheney’s Frisco” and believe me, he could care less with what residents want as he has already proven that over and over again.

Mayor & City Council Officials: 5 x $16,250

City Officials: 8 x $3250 = $26,000

Visit Frisco: 1 x $3250 = $3250

Frisco EDC: 2 x $3250 = $6500

Frisco Downtown Advisory Board: 1 x $3250

Frisco ISD Board of Trustee’s:  3 x $3250 = $9750

GRAND TOTAL CONFIRMED TAXPAYER DOLLARS: $65,000

Chamber: 5 x $3250 = $16,250

Below just a few of the expense reports

Make It Look Pretty

On October 30, 2023, we published our blog Another One Bites The Dust which was about Fire Chief Lee Glover killing the Squad Unit and Blood Program.  Generally, Squad which is a 2-person group, responds to all high acuity EMS calls and critical care calls, as well as all structure fires in a city.  It is like no other unit in the department and when in trouble if you have a need for the most advanced or technical medical procedures in the field, they are the team you want at your front door.  It must have ruffled a few feathers at city hall because Bobblehead Bill was quick to act as the mouthpiece for the city and troll social media to tell us we were wrong. 

We took his statements and submitted a PIR the next day for the proof to back up his comments which he spewed all over the North Texas Politics Facebook page. On November 15th we received a letter back from the city with a PIR Invoice for $90 dollars.  It is the breakdown that we found interesting of those charges:

Labor: Identify Search Terms / Set Up Search / Download / Export Emails:  $3.75

Labor: Compile / Review /Conversion / and Redactions of Emails:  $41.25

Labor: Fire / HR Department Records Collections: $30.00

20% Overhead: $15.00 for a GRAND TOTAL OF $90.00

We paid and then waited for our files.  Now in a new year, still waiting, we emailed the city on January 1 2024, asking when we should expect our files.  The next day we got an email back from the city that read, The City of Frisco has reviewed its files and has located documents responsive to your request. HOWEVER, DUE TO CONFIDENTIALITY, the City has chosen to seek a ruling from the Office of the Attorney General regarding the release of a portion of the responsive documents. The remaining responsive documents are available.  They also mentioned some figures we asked for were released in a different PIR that we chose not to pay another $100 dollars for.

What did $90 buy us?  There was a PDF which contained 15 or so emails, two additional outlook message attachments, copy of the blood contract, two excel spreadsheets that contained the hiring/history breakdown and the call count.  That’s it … because the rest (which we don’t know what that is) has been sent to the AG. 

Question 1: Did the city charge us for a copy of the blood contract that Bobblehead Bill offered to send out to anyone who emailed him for free without a PIR?  Question 2: WHAT IN THE HELL COST $90.00?  We have paid $30 for way more information than this in the past.

Woodard’s Statement: The blood transfusion program isn’t going away; in fact it’s expanding.  We use data to analyze the best use of resources.  Right now, Squad sits almost all the time. 

Fact or Fiction:  We asked for the study or data they used to make their decision and the response we received was, “There are no records responsive to a “Study.”  Then they said it was the number break-down for blood products administered and the number of squad responses that the department reviews for decision-making.   

The breakdown for the Blood Administration” since 2018 is as follows:  1 in 2018, 5 in 2019, 12 in 2020, 5 in 2021, 10 in 2022 and 13 in 2023 (through 11/1/23).   Initially looking at the blood administration program the numbers are going up each year.  While it is not tons of patients it is showing a trend that is going up, not down.

As for the Squad response breakdown the numbers provided to us by the city are 1502 in 2021, then 1103 in 2022, and 538 in 2023 through 11/1/23.   Initially looking at the numbers it would appear Squad calls are going down just like Woodard stated, but we were curious what happened that resulted in 565 fewer calls on one of the busiest apparatuses in a growing city.  

We of course went digging for the answer and we learned there are several call types for example, unresponsive, unconscious patient, medical emergency 1 and 2 calls.  The call type determines which apparatus responds.   Several whistleblowers sent us information on an email by Fire Chief, Lee Glover’s where he gives direction shortly after being named Fire Chief to start taking Squad off certain types of calls to reduce the numbers which makes them look EXPENDABLE.  If you look at the call history SQUAD was removed from all ME 1 and ME 2 calls in district 4 and then they were removed from all unconscious and unresponsive calls for the entire city.  WELL, WELL, WELL now that explains how calls for SQUAD dropped over 565 calls in less than a year.   Maybe that is what Glover’s email meant when he said “Make It Look Pretty”

Woodards Statement: In 2024 we expect to add this program to every ambulance we have, further expanding the program. 

Fact or Fiction: We asked about the costs and how they planned to fund the personnel training and the cost for every ambulance to be outfitted to carry the blood products.  The response from the city was, “Paramedics will be trained in blood administration in an on-duty rotation at no added cost to the city and that blood will be carried on two vehicles with trained personnel every day.”  We were not provided with any details on the cost to retrofit any apparatuses to carry blood. 

Woodards Statement:  We have been working with our medical director (as well as any other required parties) to ensure the program is run appropriately and has all the proper staffing.  He also posted a picture of section 2.2 of a blood contract acting as if that was the guarantee they had.

Fact or Fiction:  We asked for any communications between the city, blood bank, and medical director discussing the EXPANSION of the blood program.  We were provided no communications between the city and their Medical Director where they discuss expanding the program and discussions to ensure the “program runs appropriately” as Bobblehead Bill stated.

We also asked for a copy of the approval letter from the blood bank and/or hospital where they guarantee to give more blood to more vehicles.  The city provided us a signed 2018 Blood Contract and the signed 2023 Amendment.  The 2018 Contact clearly states in the “SCOPE OF THE AGREEMENT” the city is to store a certain amount of blood and plasma in AN AMBULANCE UNIT in a continuously monitored refrigerator.  In the section he posted “SUPPLY OF BLOOD PRODUCTS” it states it will provide what the city needs, however due to the unpredictable nature of the demands for blood products, the hospital can NOT GUARANTEE the city availability for ALL OR ANY PORTION of the blood products to be supplied.    Hey Bill, it says an ambo unit meaning singular (aka 1) and did you read “No Guarantee.”

As for the 2023 Amendment, it is simply an updated FEE SCHEDULE meaning the cost the city has to pay for the blood and plasma product.  Then it states the remaining terms and conditions of the contract from 2018 will continue in full force and effect, unchanged.  Well, Well, Well Bobblehead Bill… there is NO GUARANTEE THEY WILL SUPPLY BLOOD FOR EVERY AMBO.   Did we read that right?  Prices for blood and plasma have gone up considerably and now we are talking about carrying it on every ambo instead of 1 or 2 specialized Squad Teams.  In a nutshell it means more taxpayer money, more taxpayer money, and more taxpayer money.  Besides the cost increasing for carrying the product that has a shelf life which means it has to be switched out, we also now have to retrofit ambos/vehicles and train more personnel.  It sounds like we are wasting money when what we have currently is working.

In closing, it looks like Bobblehead Bill needs to do more research!  There is no guarantee in writing that the hospital will agree to expansion or that they will guarantee you any product.  Why would we retrofit any apparatus or vehicle on a “WHAT IF THEY GIVE US BLOOD MENTALITY.” The DRASTIC DROP in the Squad response numbers can be related to Glover removing them from certain calls.  Why would he do that?  According to insiders he has hated this program since its inception back in 2018.  The city wants to sell you on that this is a good decision, however if you ask a firefighter, what might they say?   Let’s just say it is your life on the line, are you willing to give up a dedicated team to critical care that literally could mean life or death?

Other Links and Resources: Squad and Blood

Burnt Bodies & Double Dipping

Back in November you may have read our blog, Frisco – The City That Burns Bodies where we told you about local residents taking to Citizens Input at the November 21st city council meeting to discuss their concerns about the new Ridgeview West Memorial Park Crematory owned by Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow, Inc. 

Even though the Texas Open Meeting Act states “the governmental body (AKA City of Frisco) MAY NOT DELIBERATE on any item from public comment that is not on the agenda the city continues to break the rule, meeting after meeting.   The Act clearly states what they can do which is (1) make a statement of fact regarding the item; (2) make a statement concerning the policy regarding the item; or (3) propose that the item be placed on a future agenda.   

At the city council meeting that night Cheney opens Citizens Input by acknowledging the large number of citizens who are there to speak.  Then he continues, “so the speakers have the benefit of understanding all the facts the staff has a prepared a presentation,” followed by Jonathan Hubbard, Assistant Director of Development Services who took to the podium.  Then RICHARD ABERNATHY, THE CITY ATTORNEY speaks about the regulation and omissions from a crematorium, and this is where the problem begins, but we will get back to that.

Next Cheney asks Jonathan to confirm that this crematory was approved before the neighborhood was ever contemplated and that all this information has been available to the public on the city’s website since it had been approved.  STOP, JEFF CHENEY!  REGULAR PEOPLE who are considering buying a home don’t go research the city’s planning and development that has been approved nearby over the last 10 years.  As far as the city website, it is NOT USER FRIENDLY for the REGULAR PEOPLE to find information and most are not going to pay $90 for a PIR.  Hell Sir, most people don’t even know what key words to look for in the search tools to find such information. 

All in all, after opening citizens input at 40:09, the city held the floor over 10 minutes to “school residents’ which ended at 51:13. FYI, that is not a statement that is called a full presentation to pre-empt citizens at public input. Then NOT SHOCKINGLY, Bobblehead Bill Woodard mentions they have over 10 cards for public input and in response to the city’s policies and to be respectful of everyone’s time, he proposed citizens input should be cut from 5 min per person to 3 min per person. 

THAT’S RIGHT FOLKS, they don’t want to hear from you the CITIZEN who Cheney says is at the top of the CITY’S ORGANIZATIONAL CHARTThey can use up 10+ minutes of Citizens Input, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE BREAKING THE OPEN MEETING ACT BY HAVING A DISCUSSION ABOUT AN ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA, but you SIR/MADAM need to hurry up and get it done in 3 minutes or less.

At Frisco Chronicles we have told you over and over about how the city likes to school or educate us stupid citizens, we have told you about how they are breaking the open meeting act, we have told you how they are withholding PIR requests and delaying PIR requests.  Just last week we told you how the city HR Department forged documents and spent $88,000 to do a needless investigation. 

Well now, let’s get back to earlier where we mentioned a problem with the City Attorney, Richard Abernathy speaking.  Why is it a problem?  The City  Attorney is DOUBLE DIPPING and has a major conflict-of-interest.  What could that CONFLICT-OF-INTEREST BE?  Well, did you know his firm represents THE CREMATORY!  Yep, HOLD YOUR TOUPEE’S FOLKS, the city attorney’s law firm Abernathy, Roeder, Boyd & Hullett located on Redbud Blvd in McKinney represented Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow, Inc., A Texas Corporation in a lawsuit against The State of Texas in 2021.  While the case is closed today, the fact that they represented the corporation in which the citizens are there to speak against probably means HE SHOULD HAVE RECUSED HIMSELF!  Whose interest is he looking out for?  Not the citizens!  His job is to protect his clients, which in this case are the City of Frisco and Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow, Inc. 

Frisco Residents should be beyond angry at this point, they should be done right pissed off! The city continues to waste tax dollars, put developers before residents, break rules and treat citizens as if they are stupid.  When will it stop? 

Other References

NBCDFW: Controversy over new crematorium in Frisco

Dallas Morning News: Frisco Residents upset about crematory near homes

CBS NEWS: Hundreds of Frisco residents push back against Crematory

City of Frisco & the Secret PAC

The holidays are over and 2024 is here and we have continued our deep dive into the misdealings of the City of Frisco.  We keep finding these little or maybe not so little nuggets of information that are cause for question and concern. Perhaps this will tie you over as we continue to investigate and verify our new leads.

In 2023 we saw several posts about the Frisco Firefighters Association regarding staffing, Assistant Chief Kraemer being fired after 27 years with the city, and the filing for Collective Bargaining and Civil Service.  To say our interest was piqued is an understatement, we knew we had to investigate.

We decided to go back and read some of those old posts by the city and the FFA but we were surprised to see…many of them disappeared.  We don’t know if anyone else noticed, but the Frisco Communications Dept. took down the city’s posts and propaganda videos that were paid for by taxpayers’ dollars, and the council’s open letter to residents damning the Frisco Fire Association for daring to gather signatures to place Civil Service and Collective Bargaining on the May ballot.  They even deleted citizens’ comments in the posts from the late summer and fall.  

Now, the naysayers will say the city didn’t delete anything, but they did.  The proof is in the city’s posts where the links no longer work.  For example, John Keating posted, “This isn’t a political battle or one for financial gain. It’s a powerplay by those who serve themselves, and do not have the best interests of Frisco at heart. They have misrepresented our city staff and leadership and our beloved Frisco Fire Department!”  Then you have George Purefoy’s statement with a link that reads “unavailable.”  Even Bobblehead Bill Woodard had to get in his two cents.  

According to insiders the FFA never wanted to go in this direction, but they feel the city management and the city council didn’t follow through on the promises they made to silence them.  In the past, the FFA threatened similar action when they felt that their concerns for safety were being ignored.  Fast forward to today, what has changed since then?  Insiders tell us they don’t trust Fire Department leadership, the city, or the council.  On top of breaking promises, ignoring the results of climate studies done over the years, many feel the city used the FFA to oust the Fire Chief and an Assistant Chief who were threatening to file complaints on the city.  The cherry on top is when the city ignored the Mayor’s Study asking the FFA if they would like Interim Chief Glover as their permanent chief. Despite the over 200 firefighters that said NO, they still hired him. This is the same chief that the city sent down to Austin to speak AGAINST Texas House Bill 471, protecting our first responders.

Now we know, you are wondering, why are we going over this again?  Well, we learned the city HAD TO TAKE DOWN the propaganda they posted because it was a No-No (illegal) so they scrubbed their social media. What would they do?  How would they fight against civil service and collective bargaining?

Well, we found a new nugget which is quite disheartening. On November 8th, papers were filed for what they call a Specific-Purpose Committee or PAC—Political Action Committee. It appears the city recruited former Mayor Mike Simpson (who endorsed Mayor Cheney) to appoint Richard Peasley as treasurer of a PAC called Safety First Frisco. The description reads, “Citizens opposing Civil Service and Collective Bargaining in Frisco, TX.”

This smells like shit and is clearly a move by the City of Frisco to get a highly respected Frisco resident to spin their story. I’ve met Mayor Simpson a couple of times. He wouldn’t remember me and my wife, but I certainly admired his leadership back then. I can’t help but think he might change his tune if he really knew the whole story. Can someone send him a link to our page?

Before deciding either way at the ballot box, talk to the Frisco Fire Association.  I am generally not for unions and civil service, but learning most of the cities around us are Civil Service and that collective bargaining is the only thing that will protect them from a corrupt city making decisions that can literally kill them. My wife and I will be voting YES for them.  Either way you can bet we will be following the campaign contributions for this NEW PAC! I have a feeling that is going to offer up a lot more nuggets.

Other Links and Info For Reference:

Frisco Fire Association Staffing Video

According to Star Local Media, here are what those terms mean, according to state law:

  • Civil service: A system with a three-citizen commission to assess the hiring, firing and promotion of firefighters. Under Frisco’s current system, city officials have that power.

“What civil service does is eliminate favoritism,” FFFA Secretary Treasurer Dustin Allen said.

  • Collective bargaining: A system allowing both the fire department and the police department to become their own bargaining agents when it comes to agreements on wages, staff numbers and recruitment.

“That allows the [departments’] association to, as a collective, sit down and meet and discuss working conditions with the city or city management,” Allen said.