Well folks, it’s that magical time again in Frisco—election season—when the lawn signs bloom like spring wildflowers, the political mailers clog our mailboxes faster than credit card offers, and the campaign coffers overfloweth… with cold, hard cash.

But not just any cash. Oh no, we’re talking about that sweet, sweet nectar of the gods: Developer Donation Dollars—a.k.a. Tammy’s Triple D’s.

Yes, in a stunning twist no one saw coming (except literally anyone who has watched city politics for five minutes), Councilwoman Tammy Meinershagen reported a jaw-dropping $40,833.64 in campaign contributions in just the last three months. That’s a lot of yard signs and catered meet-and-greets. But here’s where it gets juicy: $31,041.44—roughly 76%—came from developers who have current or future projects in the pipeline and paving Frisco one luxury development at a time.

Coincidence? Just your average neighborhood bake sale gone wild? Or maybe developers just have an intense passion for local democracy… the kind of passion usually accompanied by architectural renderings and infrastructure impact studies.  Why are these developer titans so invested in our humble city council races? Are they just really, really into zoning meetings? Or could it be they know that in Frisco, if you want to shape the skyline, you’ve got to shape the council first?

Let’s put on our rubber gloves and dig through the money trail, one donation at a time—name, company, and what exactly they’re building in our backyard. Spoiler alert: it’s not a public park.  Grab your hard hats, folks. It’s time to follow the bulldozers—and the bucks.

$1000: Todd & Heather Lisle: Todd worked at Forvis Accounting until he retired.  According to the Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports each year on the city website, “FORVIS, Certified Public Accountants, has issued unmodified (“clean”) opinions on the City of Frisco’s financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2023. The report of the independent auditors is located at the beginning of the Financial Section.”

$1000: Colin & Jessica Fitzgibbons – Hunt Realty (Frisco Fields Development)

$1000: Jeff Brawner – Partner in Grogan & Brawner (Fields Attorneys)

$1000: RJ Grogan – Partner in Grogan & Brawner (Fields Attorneys)

$1000: William Vanderstraatan – Chief Partners LP (Frisco Fields Development)

$1000: Chris Kleinert – Hunt Investments Holdings (Frisco Fields Development)

$1041.44: Scott Boxer – Kaleidoscope Park Foundation

$2000: William “Trey” Sibley – RUDCO Land, LLC / Hillwood (Frisco Station)

$2000 Each: Theresa & Michael Sinacola, James Sinacola and Joseph Sinacola – works on projects every day in Frisco for private developers and the city projects.

$3000: Philip Rose – CrossTie Capital (Frisco Fields Development)

$3000: Fehmi and Elizabeth Karahan – Karahan Companies (Frisco Fields Development)

$5000: Robert Shaw – Columbus Realty Partners (Frisco Fields Development)

$5000: Richard Reupke – Partner and Chief Financial Officer at Columbus Realty Partners since the firms inception in 1999.  They own Twelve Cowboys Way Luxury Apartments and are involved in PGA/North Fields developing a Class A Multifamily development in Frisco.

In-Kind (Non-Monetary) Donation:

$9,892.34 Craig Hall – Founder of Hall Group       For Kickoff Venue/Food/Beverage

Other donors include:

$500: Jason Denton – Local Businessman and on the Frisco CDC Board

$1500: Answer Azam – Local CPA and Former Candidate For Council

Political Expenditures Made:

$5000: Cynergy-Ink ** We could find no company website for this company, no franchise tax id account in Texas and the address but the address comes back to a home registered to a woman whose social media says she does Graphic Design

$2900: Campaign Management Services for a mobile app and we can not find anything on this company but they appear on several candidate campaign finance reports for campaign services.

And there you have it, folks. Just another heartwarming tale of local democracy, where average citizens like you and me—armed with nothing but a mortgage, three kids, and a dog that eats Legos—are expected to go toe-to-toe with deep-pocketed developers who treat campaign donations like they’re dropping quarters into a casino slot machine that spits out zoning variances.

Some residents are tired of wondering why that five-story mixed-use “village” just popped up where the park used to be, or why our street floods every time someone flushes during a light drizzle—maybe, just maybe—we should follow the money (unless you don’t want to ruin the surprise).  I know, I know… who has time to read campaign finance reports when “The Bachelor of Frisco Lakes: Retirement Village” is on?   We’ve got real problems—like whether our HOA will fine us for leaving your garbage bin out 14 minutes too long. It leaves us no time to wonder why our city council candidate suddenly got $40,000 from developers who wants to turn a pasture into a “luxury lifestyle hub.” That’s just a coincidence! Pure civic enthusiasm!

But hey, democracy’s working just fine. As long as by “democracy,” you mean a handful of land speculators playing Monopoly with real houses, real traffic, and your real tax dollars.  We have shouted it from the rooftops of Frisco homes, trying to warn you that when that same candidate tells you they “can’t be bought,” they’re technically telling the truth—because let’s be honest, at this point they’re on layaway. Just waiting to be delivered after the election.