Goodbye Rock Hill

by | Apr 7, 2023 | Current City Council, Developements, Developers, Fehmi Karahan, Mayor Jeff Cheney, Politics, Rock Hill

Ah! Spring! Spring is the most popular of the four seasons for obvious reasons.  It means warmer weather, more hours in the day, and more sunshine.  The buds are starting to show, early flowers are beginning to bloom, and the birds are singing a new tune.  Spring is a sign of new beginnings, it symbolizes life and how good always triumphs over evil, light over darkness, and life over death.  Hibernation has ended! It seems that many people in Frisco are starting to open their eyes, and many are expressing their concerns for the first time over what appears to be some questionable negotiations, developments, and deals throughout the years. The spring awakening always seems to be heightened when an election is on the horizon.

One of the most important aspects of Spring is baseball otherwise referred to as America’s National Pastime.  Dr.  Gerald Early, a Washington University Professor once said, “There are three things that America will be known for 2000 years from now:  the Constitution, jazz music, and baseball.  They’re the three most beautifully designed things this culture ever produced.”  From an immigrant’s perspective, he is right on point.   I remember the first game I went to after moving to America.  The sound from the crack of the bat, watching a player slide into home, eating a famous hotdog and relish, and trying to catch the foul balls that came our way.   Back in the day if you caught one of those balls you could turn them in for a ten-cent snow cone.   

In 1958, Damn Yankees hit the widescreen and it is one of the best musical sport romantic comedy films of its time.  It was about a frustrated fan of the hopeless Washington Senators who made a pack with the Devil to help the baseball team win the league pennant.   One of the most famous quotes from the movie was “One long ball hitter, that’s what we need!  Honest to God, I’d sell my soul for one long ball hitter!”  Mmh? Something about this story is hitting close to home.  Has someone in Frisco soul their soul to the devil?

Frisco has gone through many changes over the years and with each one a little bit of Frisco’s history seems to be erased.  The most obvious was in 2020 when the council considered renaming Rockhill Parkway.  Established in 1854, Rock Hill was one of the oldest communities in Collin County and earned its name from the white rock escarpment on which it was built.  By 1898, it had a thriving community featuring two schools, four churches a grist mill, a cotton gin, a blacksmith, a drugstore and a grocery store.  In 1902, St. Louis and San Francisco railroad bypassed the town and within months most of the businesses, townspeople and churches had relocated.  By the mid-1930s, only one African American Baptist church remained.  In the 1960s the black school closed and in 1973 the general store was razed leaving Rock Hill and its rich history a distant memory to many.  One of the last connections to its history was the street named Rockhill Parkway. 

On June 23, 2020, a letter was sent to residents informing them of the road name change and they could respond with any input by July 14, 2020.  Renaming  Rockhill Parkway to PGA Parkway hit a nerve with many locals who felt like the council was erasing what little history was left of the old town.  While doing research we came across an article in the Frisco Enterprise that reported in July 2020 that Assistant City Manager Ben Brezina acknowledged the name change had been a topic of conversation for at least 8 to 10 months.  John Lettellier of Development Services for Frisco said moving forward with the proposal happened in just the last 6 to 8 weeks.  The article also noted The Heritage Association of Frisco learned about the proposed change by way of a community member who received the notice and, they had never been approached by the city for its historical background.   Lastly the most interesting thing in the article was a statement posted on the Facebook page by then councilman Tim Nelson that the item was proposed by a member of the council and consensus was to move forward.  Hmmm… I wonder who proposed the name change?

Here is where it gets interesting, in our research we found that many who supported the name change were big businesses with big money and investments in Frisco:

  • Kyle Wilks – President of Wilks Development (who is behind Firefly Park in Frisco)
  • Edmund Garahan – CEO of Carbon Companies (building Luxury hotel near PGA)
  • Triad Frisco Partners (developer of 1310 urban living units, 8 retail buildings, 1 convenience store with gas pumps, 5 parking garages on the southwest corner of Dallas Parkway and Rockhill Parkway)
  • Fehmi Karahan – Fields Development (June 29, 2020 letter of support)
  • David Fogel – Manager of Rockhill Legacy (Development at Rockhill & Legacy)
  • Blake Nelson – Managing Partner (7-Eleven located Rockhill Parkway & Preston)
  • Darrell Crall – COO of PGA (letter specifically notes they feel strongly there is a long-term value to the PGA branded and the roadway would showcase to millions the PGA Frisco partnership and evolution of Frisco)
  • Michael Smith – TRT Holdings, Inc. (Part of Omni Stillwater Woods Golf Resort)
  • Fehmi Karahan – Fields Development (July 17, 2020 letter writes that the city has made an extraordinary financial commitment to the new PGA  project and should use all available means to support the success of that project.  We strongly urge you and the city council to support the full renaming of Rockhill from Teel to Coit)
  • Clay Roby – PGA Frisco / Stillwater Capital / The Link (the renaming will further establish Frisco as Sports City USA and appropriately showcase the HQ of the PGA of America)

On Aug 4, 2020, citizens made their way to the podium for Citizens Input to against the change.  If you watch the meeting, the mayor remarked that the city of Frisco has always made it a commitment to preserving our history and they even invested 3 to 5 million into the Heritage Museum.  He was on city council in 2009 when the road was changed to Rockhill Parkway but he doesn’t remember it and until a few months ago he does not believe many people even knew the story of why it was named Rockhill.  He believes Prosper ISD naming the their new high school in Frisco city limits Rock Hill Highschool is a great way to remember the community of Rock Hill.  Sadly, he seems to criticize the volunteers at the Heritage Museum for not being accurate on the history and calling the exhibits dated and we need to do better there telling our story.  He noted that the PGA and Fields wants to write their own story and they have been good partners to the community.   Councilman Woodard suggests renaming Northeast Park to Rock Hill Park he is willing to help get that done.

Today the only reminder that Rock Hill once existed is a historical marker located on the northeast corner of PGA Parkway and Preston Street.  The name change passed to PGA Parkway but the question is did it ever have a chance to be kept Rock Hill Parkway?  Almost every developer who wrote in support of the name change donated to the campaigns of several sitting on our council.  When Fehmi Karahan the King of Fields writes that the city should use all available means to support the success of that project and that he urges the city council to support the full renaming of Rockhill from Teel to Coit the city is going to do just that.  Cheney accepted over $30k in January 2020 from the big names on these letterheads and he needs that money to pay back his $99,000 personal loan that he took out for campaigning because as he said at the recent debate he is not an independently wealthy man.  Has Bill Woodard followed through on working on the renaming of Northeast Park?  Not from what we can see.  When Universal was recently in front of the council we heard each of them say that they listen to the residents and this is just another example where big money, big investments, and big companies take priority over residents.  Words can come from one’s mouth but actions are what matter.  That night a man said the citizens of Frisco are being exploited for money and by its actions that is the way it looks.   It’s time to bring change to Frisco in this upcoming election and the others in the future.  Maybe those sitting on the lofty hill have become too comfortable.  I ask you, has someone perhaps sold his soul?  I am reminded of the song  “Whatever Lola Wants.”  I would have to change the words up a bit and sing,

Verse 1

Whatever  Fehmi wants, Fehmi get

Whatever the PGA Frisco wants, the PGA Frisco gets

(Bridge)

I always get what I aim for

And your heart and soul is what I came for

Verse 2

Whatever Cheney wants, Cheney gets

Whatever the developers who come here want, the developers gets

(Bridge)

Don’t you know you can’t win

Your no exception to the rule

I’m irresistible, you fool

Give in (Give in, you’ll never win)

Follow Up: Seal of Approval

by | Apr 2, 2023 | Elections, Politics

When you run for any office at the local, state or federal level you have to know that you can and will be questioned by the public you serve. It comes with the job that you choose to do! As the election is getting closer we choose to look at the candidates supporting people for Mayor. Jonathan David Spencer had no endorsements for us to review. Mark Pilands endorsements to this point have been from PAC’s who interviewed all the candidates who came in for the process. Mr. Cheney is the only one who has individual citizen endorsements for us to look at. We did not target one candidate and only one candidate!

An endorsement is a public declaration or the act of giving one’s public approval or support to a candidate running for elected office. When you choose to put your name out there, then you choose to open yourself up to being discussed. Let me be very clear, we did not attack or threaten any person or business, we do not condone anyone attacking or threatening any person or business and we don’t condone phone calls to candidates or their families making attacks or threating anyone.

We sent an email to each person asking the following:

Did you talk to all the candidates regarding their views or beliefs before choosing to endorse one?

If yes, can you tell us the top 3 reasons for your endorsement of Mayor Cheney?

If no, do you think your endorsement was transparent or should be transparent that you did not met with all the candidates?

If they owned a business who has done business with the city we asked if they think that business could affect their decision on who to endorse?

In our blog, we only listed the businesses since they were on the individual’s original endorsement posted on Mayor Cheney’s Facebook page. We pointed out how one of his supporters has some of the best BBQ in town and we have visited downtown Frisco many times enjoying several of the business mentioned and have nothing bad to say about any of them. We simply asked if they are doing business with the city or the Mayor personally that could affect their endorsement because the public has the right to know that. Noting a check for $1.5 Million is not a bad thing, it is a payment for an economic incentive agreement that was written up between the city, developer, and Frisco EDC and that is public record we believe people have the right to know for the purposes of transparency. Also we made no negative mention of Adams or her businesses, we simply asked a question of her role as a precinct chair (which she brought up in her video) and did her endorsement conflict with the platform she took an oath to uphold. Noting that several are on boards and commissions within the city is public record and people have the right to know.

As for Mr. Young, he specifically asked us to mention the following: “Please make sure to include the list of the elected officials I have hosted (list of all the names) at Verona Villa. So we did! If those mentioned did not like their name in our blog then they can talk to Mr. Young who asked us to mention them by name. If anyone has any doubts that he asked us to post certain names then please email us and we will send you Jason’s email so you can see where he asked us to make mention. We did not attack his business in the blog in any way we just noted that one time they had previously done business with the city. I don’t see that as a big deal and I would guess most reading out blog don’t see that as an alarmingly big deal so why is Mr. Young taking to his Facebook page making it a big deal?

Lastly, lets clear up any confusion! We are not associated with any campaign! We have no association to the Cheney, Piland, or Spencer campaign. We also emailed the school board candidates and we are not associated with any of those campaigns either or any sitting ISD board members. As for the businesses mentioned they have done nothing wrong nor have the business owners. Myself and my wife, nor anyone we know, has made any threating calls or sent any threatening emails to anyone, ever at anytime. I take that accusation very seriously! Libel and slander are very tough works to be thrown around loosely and I can say with confidence we have not posted anything that is not factual and we can back up everything we have posted with documentation.

Sincerely,

Frisco Whistle Blower

Seal of Approval

by | Apr 1, 2023 | Elections, Politics

A couple of times a year my wife and I make the drive down the tollway to attend church at The Potters House led by bishop TD Jakes and when you leave there you have a feeling of a tingle from your fingers to your toes and you know Jesus is in your soul. One of his sermons was about the three C’s. The three C’s is how you can categorize your friendships: Confidants, Constituents, and Comrades.

The confidant is a special relationship. They love you unconditionally, they are intimately intertwined in your life and stick around for better or worse. They are lifetime relationships, and they are they to make sure you reach your destiny. They can call you out when you are wrong and praise you when you are right and everything they say has merit and value that ultimately you take into consideration when making lifetime momentous decisions. TD Jakes said if you have 3 to 5 of these confidants in a lifetime you are a blessed person because the truth is you will have very few of these in your lifetime. The constituent is not into you they are into what you are for. As long as you are for what they are for they will walk with you and work with you and labor with you. Be careful, don’t fall into the trap where you think that they are there for you, because if they meet someone else who can further their agenda they will leave you and hook up with them because they were never for you! Often we mistake a constituent for a confident and they end up breaking our hearts or hurting us deeply. The comrade is not there for you nor are they for what you are for (like the constituent). The comrade is against what you are against, and they will come alongside you to fight a mutual enemy but that doesn’t mean you are for the same things. They are in your life to fulfill a purpose or until victory is accomplished and once completed you both move on. Jakes compared it to scaffolding which you use to paint a building, then when you are done painting the scaffolding is removed and goes away. When you share your dream and your comrade does not react the way you expected remember they were never really with you in the first place.

The May 2023 General Election is just around the corner, and many were under the assumption our current Mayor was so popular that no one would run against him, and he would walk into this election unopposed just like he did in 2020. Truthfully most of us were shocked to learn on Friday, February 17 a worthy opponent walked into city hall, took the elevator to the fifth floor, and dropped of his packet to officially be a candidate for the Mayoral race. Word spread like wildfire across the busy intersections of Frisco and Cheney quickly realized he was going to have to work and campaign. Soon after the mayor began asking for endorsements both on his website and Facebook page and it was not hard to notice video after video of those “endorsements” full of praise popping up for the mayor.
As always curiosity kicked in and we wanted to know more about those giving the endorsements. Albert Einstein once said “the important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has a reason for existing.” We decided to start by creating an email asking the following questions: did they meet with all three candidates personally, and did they understand their positions, views, and issues before making an endorsement? Then we emailed individuals and shockingly very few responded to us (please note our sarcasm). We also did some of our own research to see if they had any business connections with the candidates that could influence their decision. We highlighted a few below:
Cheney’s first video was from Earnest B. Morgan, and we can tell you the man serves up some amazing BBQ. Mr. Morgan is a small business owner and local pastor, and active in the local area. Mr. Morgan did respond, and we want to say THANK YOU for doing so sir! Morgan said he never reached out to any other candidate before endorsing Cheney because he and his family have supported Cheney for many years, and they believe in what he has accomplished so far. At shady shit we do believe friendship and loyalty matter, so we completely understand and respect the Morgan’s point of view. Our only question is does Morgan have business with the city or Cheney? We found a check from The City of Frisco on 2/4/21 to Earnest B. Morgan for food and provisions for a total of $216.00. We also know he has catered events for many different candidates in the past. Nothing glaring or alarming was uncovered.

The next one to respond was Jason Young. He offered to meet us in person to discuss our questions and of course we declined his invitation and said we would put him down as a no comment to which he replied that is not what he said, he would discuss it in person. A Frisco Enterprise article, quotes Jason as saying he has a host of businesses focused on providing excellent service experiences including Verona Villa, operates Eventi Venue at The Patios at the Rail and runs programming at Nack Theater in the Rail District, owns an Allstate agency. He also has served on the board of Visit Frisco since 2011 and is the newly elected board chair of Frisco Arts Foundation. In his response to our email, he wanted us to note that Verona Villa (where Cheney had his Kick-off party) has also hosted Governor Abbott, Jared Patterson, Matt Shaheen, Frederick Frazier, Van Taylor, Susan Fletcher, Brian Livingston, John Keating, Collin County Republicans and Friends of the NRA. We wanted to know has he done business directly with the city or Cheney? Yes, we found a check The City of Frisco cut on 1/30/18 to Verona Villa for food and provisions for $4235.00. He also hosted Cheney’s recent kick-off event, but we don’t know if Cheney paid for that or if he donated the space and food.

Another interesting endorsement was Donny Churchman a developer whose primary focus is redeveloping downtown. I would argue he is biased by on the fact that he does business with the city and receives economic incentives from the city. For example, on 10/29/20 the city cut Nack Patios LLC an economic incentive check for 1.5 million and another one for 101,250.00 which is labeled accrued accounts payable.

The other two we found interesting were the conservative / GOP endorsements. The first was from Judy Adams who is the owner of American Coffee & Tea , owner of Posh Peepers, and a realtor with Century 21 Judge Fite. She did not respond to our email, but from what we can tell she has not done any business directly with the city and we didn’t find business linking her to the mayor. Adams stated in her video she was Denton County GOP Precinct Chair which caught our attention because the Collin County GOP did not endorse Cheney and we don’t believe the Denton County GOP announced any official endorsements. This left us curious why one individual PC would step out of rank and do an individual endorsement. What does the GOP party think about one of their own endorsing a candidate that has openly supported and endorsed democratic candidates? From what we read on the GOP website that would go against her oath to promote the republican platform as a PC. In the past, the municipal levels of government have mostly been bipartisan but as America has splintered in half the calls for unity in parties even at the local level are in high gear. Then we saw the endorsement from Ted and Bobbie Hart. Ted is the founder and president of Frisco Lakes Conservative Coalition. The endorsement says they support him but it does not say the coalition itself endorses him. It’s a little confusing, to say the least, because we found some members of the coalition who say they don’t support the endorsement for Cheney. Again, is it a personal endorsement or did the coalition actually endorse him?

Endorsements can matter but only under the right circumstances. Do they really have power of persuasion on voters? There is no concrete research showing standard endorsements can change a voter’s mind unless it comes from a big-time celebrity. Overall, what we found interesting in our research was that many of his endorsements previously or currently hold positions on Frisco Boards and Committees, some have done business with the Cheney or the city and others are just basic endorsements by good people like Earnest Morgans. What does matter in this world is relationships and where those relationships/friendships can take you as TD Jakes said. Ask you self when looking at any endorsement do you think they are there for the candidate or for what the candidate can do for them.