Well, hello again!

Boy, has it been a LONG time since this girl published a blog post! What’s my excuse? Laziness: pure and simple. Although this post will be long, I promise future ones won’t be so wordy.  And because there is way too much to catch you up on, here are 5 Things on My Mind at this very moment:

• The Patriots are moving on to Denver!!! NEXT: Conference Championship and the perfect Tom Brady’s #17 meeting with Peyton Manning. I am not from New England, but my mom and her side of the family hail from western Massachusetts, and my husband (aka Mr. Wonderful) was born and raised on the North Shore of MA, so there you go. We have been together almost 10 years now, and not a day goes by where we don’t bitch, complain, get excited, scream, share social media stories, or something regarding one (or more) of our Boston sports teams. It’s simply a way of life; it’s who we “are”, not what we “do”. Don’t know how to explain it, but when you grow to love a team on your own without being born into it, it’s different. It’s a CHOICE, and one that I own with pride, 100%. Sometimes I think I take a lot more offense to people’s snide comments about being a Pats fan than if I DID have it in my blood. No, I can’t NOT take it personally. Yes, I wear my heart on my sleeve, so for all of you who give me a snarky look when you see me wearing my Pats shirt at Target – suck it! We love our teams and stick with them, win or lose, thick or thin. You could learn a thing or two about loyalty to your team, COWBOYS FANS! Oh, and how do I feel about Tom Brady and “Deflategate”, you ask? <<<looking straight into the eyes of the SOAB who dared go “there” — with a sweet, southern smile>>> Yes, those deflated footballs were OBVIOUSLY the only reason we kicked your team’s ass last year. And this year, too, when the weather didn’t mess with the PSI. Oh, I’m sorry…is your team in the playoffs? Yeah. Bless your little heart.”

• The Walking Dead returns February 14: How romantic! I am so friggin’ excited – what a perfect Valentine’s Day evening for Mr. Wonderful and me. Getting to see Rick and the gang and the twists and turns those incredible writers have in store for us…can’t wait! (No, unlike Mr. Wonderful, I don’t read the graphic novels so everything’s new to me!) And for those who think it’s just about zombies, it’s not. It’s about relationships and how people cope AFTER the zombies have imposed their will on society. So see, it’s so much more! 🙂 It’s also the same night as the debut of HBO’s new series Vinyl, produced by Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger. According to HBO’s website, “this new drama series is set in 1970s New York. A ride through the sex- and drug-addled music business at the dawn of punk, disco, and hip-hop, the show is seen through the eyes of a record label president, Richie Finestra, played by Bobby Cannavale, who is trying to save his company and his soul without destroying everyone in his path.”  I am always hip to shows that are about the music industry, given I was on the radio side for so many years, so can’t wait to see if it lives up to the hype. Plus, I will watch ANYTHING with Ray Romano in it! 🙂

• Fonzie is our favorite child. My 12 year-old is constantly asking me who my favorite child is (we have 6 human kids). None of the other munchkins ever cared about this, but for some reason, he is obsessed with getting a definitive answer out of me. The irony is that we probably spend more time with him than we did with his older siblings, so I’ve thrown out the reason being he feels like we don’t pay enough attention to him. I tell him every time, without batting an eye, that my favorite child is Fonzie. No, we didn’t go all Happy Days nostalgic and bestow the name of the King of Arnold’s Drive-In to one of our other 4 boys. THIS is Fonzie. Our four-legged furbaby. See, he IS perfect!

• 

  He is willing to test his wild side and push his boundaries.

  

  He cares about his health. He works out with Daddy.

  

  He gets good grades & understands the importance of a good education.

  
  

  

  He is a good boy in the car and doesn’t bark commands to change the radio station.

  

  He knows the importance of family snuggle time.

  

  Bonus: Our boy’s a cover model. He wants to save up to buy mommy and daddy a condo in Cabo to retire. He told us so.

  
  

  I am obsessed with the new Giada de Laurentiis cookbook my Mom got me for Christmas. Who wouldn’t want to know all her secrets, especially the ones that keep her looking like THAT! She says people ask her all the time how she can look like THAT when she is a chef and eats for a living. I love all the family secrets and tips she shares between all her great recipes for everything from skincare to why she won’t eat airplane food (other than the obvious fact that it’s AIRPLANE food.) I have tried a few of her breakfast recipes with success. She has turned me on to chia seeds – holy canolis, I feel like I am eating tapioca pudding in the morning – it is SO yummy and good for you. And last night, I made her California Turkey Chili, a big hit with the kids, and made enough leftovers to send home with them to their apartment and some for us here. Score! Loving Giada, we had to try her restaurant in Las Vegas and I posted a TripAdvisor Review here if you want to check it out.

• I curse the name of Ticketmaster because they won’t stop after market sellers from getting ALL the decent-to-great tickets for Bruce Springsteen’s tour. We love The Boss. There is simply NOBODY who can perform a live show like this man. I am not going to go into great detail now about why we have this strong connection to Mr. Springsteen, because the man deserves a separate entry on my blog to do it justice.
  

  The closest Mr Wonderful will probably ever get to a pic with The Boss

  Suffice it to say that at 66 years-old, he can outdo musicians 1/3 his age with being able to sound MORE incredible live than his studio recordings, and his on-stage antics keep him moving the majority of the 3+ hour show. It’s insane. Mr. Wonderful has been t0 probably 50 shows mostly pre-me, and I have been to 9. So when Bruce announced he was doing a mini-tour of 3 short months starting mid-January, we were STOKED! The day tickets went on sale, 10am, we had every app ready on all our devices ready to score some great seats.  Phoenix was our target. I kid you not when within 1 minute into the sale, it was sold out. Then we figured, Sunrise, FL. Nope. Denied again. So we thought, guess we’ll have to StubHub it. Not completely surprised, because we always have to get tickets that way. And we’re generally ok with splurging on $300-400 seats with a good view. Shoot — I WISH we could find seats in that price range now! We are looking at triple and more for the same type seats. We love you, Bossman, but we will probably have to pass this time. Please talk to the Powers The e to make it easier for your fans to not have to take out a second mortgage to see you live. To say I am sad is an understatement. During happier days, look how close we got to Bruce during “10th Avenue Freeze-Out!” September 3, 2012, Philadelphia. (Sorry – can’t figure out how to post the video here bu!) Surprise birthday present for Mr Wonderful. Not too shabby seats, eh?!   Under $300. Sigh…those were the days.

Until next time…peace out!

 

 

 

Casting Call for Las Vegas’ “Le Reve” here in Frisco Tomorrow

Thanks to Denise Stokes at the Frisco CVB for this info. My sister-in-law and I saw “Le Reve”  at the Wynn in Las Vegas a few months ago – I was completely spellbound! I’ve never seen anything like it – and all performed in and around a huge aqua stage.

I know there’s a ton of Frisco talent here, so if you’re up for it  and you meet any of the requirements below, GO for it! If you’re cast, let us know and we’ll do a story on you for our 10 year-old weekly electronic publication, The Frisco Community Newsletter! You can also email me at Erika.Lafata@FriscoCommunity.com

LE REVE OPEN CASTING CALL AT WOGA GYMNASTICS

(Frisco, Texas) May 4, 2011 ~ Gymnasts, acrobats, martial arts specialist, divers, cheerleaders, aerial artists or circus arts specialist, Las Vegas is calling!

WHO:	Le Rḙve is a breathtaking aquatic spectacle created by Franco Dragone and presented exclusively at Wynn Las Vegas.
WHAT:	Exceptional athletes and artists who have a passion for their craft and the desire to perform in a Las Vegas show.
WHEN:	Thursday, May 5  10:00 a.m. — Open Call for Men12:00 Noon — Open Call for Women
WHERE:	WOGA World Headquarters at 5936 Nancy Jane Lane,  Frisco, TX 75035
WHY:	Excellent opportunity for athletes and artists to discover a world where dreams swim in the air and dance on water!

Frisco Police Department Begins Using Twitter

Beginning today, April 25^th, the Frisco Police Department will begin utilizing Twitter as its primary social media tool for disseminating public safety information. To view tweets posted by the police department visit www.Twitter.com/FriscoPD and become a Frisco police Twitter follower today.

The department’s switch to Twitter from Nixle was made because of financial considerations. The Frisco Police Department began using Nixle in September of 2010 while the service was provided to public safety agencies at no cost. Unfortunately, Nixle is now requiring annual fees for its services despite original promises to remain a no-cost social media tool for public safety entities.

“In an effort to remain fiscally responsible, we believe that Twitter can provide the same level of service to the department and our constituents that Nixle did, and at no cost to the city,” said Chief Todd Renshaw.

The department will continue to post simultaneously on Twitter and Nixle until April 29 in an effort to ensure that information continues to reach registered Nixle users. The police department urges those Nixle followers to begin following on Twitter today.

Committee Passes Bill to Curb Excessive Tollway Fees

(from The Frisco Community Newsletter)

Since 2001 ** Your Key to Community

MARCH 31, 2011 – AUSTIN –– The Senate Transportation & Homeland Security Committee today passed SB 469, legislation authored by Texas State Senator Jane Nelson to protect drivers from excessive administrative fees collected on delinquent tolls by the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA). The bill now goes to the full Senate.

“I fully recognize that toll authorities need tools at their disposal to deal with toll violations and delinquent collections.  However, I have heard from more than 160 constituents who have seen relatively small unpaid toll bills balloon into invoices totaling hundreds — in some cases thousands — of dollars,” said Senator Nelson, R-Flower Mound.

At the March 23 committee hearing, a  Fort Worth woman testified she was charged $826 in fees for $23 worth of tolls.

Key provisions of Senate Bill 469 would:

•limit NTTA to one $25 invoice fee regardless of how many missed tolls for drivers who pay within 30 days of receiving notice;

•create a sliding scale of fees up to $225 on second notice for drivers who have multiple toll transactions;

•authorize NTTA to include an additional fee for collection agencies to pursue the most flagrant violators; and

•require one unpaid invoice and three unpaid notices of non-payment before the process would move through the court system.

CURRENT ISSUE OF THE FRISCO COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

 

HOMEPAGE OF THE FRISCO COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

The Frisco Community Newsletter Spotlight Interview with Owner of The Sunless Diva, Erin Smith

(this interview appeared in the 3/3/2011 issue of The Frisco Community Newsletter)

It’s hard to believe it’s almost swimsuit season again! If you’re like me and have summer family trips to the beach planned, I always feel so much better when I have some color. I have always preferred sunless tanning and like many, have had mixed results with spray tan booths (read: streaks and orange tinged – yuck!) So when I found out that Frisco resident Erin Smith has her own sunless tanning business, guarantees her spray will not turn you into an Oompah Loompah because it’s customized to the client’s natural coloring, AND will make house calls, I *had* to hear more about it. – Erika Lafata, Sales/Marketing Director of The Frisco Community Newsletter

Erin Smith, founder of The Sunless Diva

ERIKA LAFATA: Erin, please tell us how The Sunless Diva came to be.
ERIN SMITH, THE SUNLESS DIVA: Back in 2009 my mother was diagnosed with skin cancer.  Luckily, she is okay.  However, I saw a true picture of my future if I didn’t change my tanning ways since I inherited her skin type.  I wasn’t having any luck with the typical booth spray tans, and found okay results with a local salon.  A friend of mine came home from Austin and told me about a tanning party her sister hosted.  I loved the idea, and when we couldn’t find anyone locally to do it for us, the concept of The Sunless Diva was born.

EL: Erin, I have had my own share of disasters when coming back from a local spray tan salon and I know a lot of it’s because they only have a few colors to choose from – almost like a “one color fits all”.  What makes The Sunless Diva spray tan experience different from the competition?

ES: I’m different from the sunless Mystic and Versa spray products because when you get a tan from me, it is customized to your current coloring, how you typically tan, etc.  We avoid the orange and the streaks by the various products we use and the application process.   A certified technician applies the tan, so it comes out perfect.  Although we do tan out of a few local salons, most of our business is for us to come directly to clients’ homes, offices, hotel rooms, etc.  For individual tans, we’re literally in and out of your home in under 20 minutes, and you’re ready to get dressed and move on with your day.   Parties are great for mom get-togethers, couples, high school dances, and weddings.

Our goal is for you to look naturally tan, and the best compliment a client can ever receive is ‘you look like you just came back from vacation.’

EL: As a business in Frisco, there are so many opportunities to give back to the community.  What are your charity initiatives?

ES: I’m currently a foster with the Frisco Humane Society and am an active member of the Frisco Women’s League.

Through The Sunless Diva we also offer opportunities with local fundraising by giving back 50% of proceeds for parties that are scheduled through organizations.  I currently helped a high school dance team raise over $300 in just two hours.  It’s great for people fundraising for the 3-day walk, Race for the Cure, dance teams, etc.

We are also a sponsor for the Texas Legends Dance Team.

EL: Frisco has some amazing places to dine! What are a few of your favorites?

ES: Sake Toro, no question, is my favorite.  You’ll also find me at The Main Burger Bar and Trufire on a frequent basis.

EL: We love Sake Toro too! Since Matt works in Frisco Square he seems to get to enjoy it more than me – lucky him! My favorite is the Ex-Boyfriend Roll – yum! So Erin, are there any other interesting facts that our readers should know about The Sunless Diva?

ES: It’s important for people to know that we do guarantee all of our tans.  I never want anyone walking around unhappy with a tan.  We also use organic products. Additionally, if you go to our website you’ll see “before” and “after” pictures of a client.

EL: Wow, those are all great selling points! The picture on your website looks great – the tan looks very natural! Do you have a Special Offer for our readers to be able to try The Sunless Diva?

ES: New Clients will receive an individual tan for $35 and if you host a party of six or more, you tan free and everyone else is only $25 for the month of March!

EL: Fantastic! Looks like I need to book an appointment! Please tell our readers how they can find you to book theirs.

ES: Sure! You can find us on:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheSunlessDiva

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TheSunlessDiva

Our website: http://www.TheSunlessDiva.com

The Sunless Diva - Mobile Sunless Tanning Service

Frisco RoughRiders Players Give Advice to Aspiring Big Leaguers

‘Tis the season for baseball! With the weather finally starting  to cooperate, it really FEELS it. With our entire family being huge fans of the game, we were very excited to get a sneak peek of what’s in store this season for our locally-based Texas Rangers’ AA affiliate team. 

My husband Matt and I had the pleasure of attending the Frisco RoughRiders  Media Day representing The Frisco Community Newsletter. Media Day is an annual event for most major sports teams – it allows the local media to hear about staff changes and meet the team’s newest players and coaches. What’s cool about the RoughRiders is that any event one attends at Dr. Pepper Ballpark is always first-class and extraordinary.  No matter where you sit in the ballpark you’re always guaranteed a time whose value far exceeds the conservative ticket price.

Media Day was held in the JC Penney Founders’ Club overlooking the spectacular view of the park and true to our previous visits there, this was no exception – a first-class event put on by the RoughRiders staff brimming with excitement for the season, complete with a catered lunch. It doesn’t get better than that!

One of the changes announced by RoughRiders Senior Vice President Michael Byrnes, who has been with the team for almost 8 years, was that Aaron Goldsmith, the team’s Manager of Broadcasting and Media Development, is also going to be the new voice of the team – literally. No stranger to the sports mic, Aaron was a Broadcaster/Studio Host with the Portland Sea Dogs, the AA affiliate of the Boston Red Sox last year; he even hosted his own pre and post game shows. Aaron’s an affable guy and we enjoyed our conversation about how he got to Frisco via way of Boston. (Matt found that particularly interesting being from the Boston area and a lifelong Sox fan – although we LOVE our Rangers too!)

Another notable new face on staff is Team Manager Steve Buechele. In 2009, Steve was with the High-A Bakersfield (California) Blaze where he led the team to the playoffs, which is impressive and worth noting that it was his debut as a Manager. Steve was drafted in 1982 by the Texas Rangers, so his addition to the RoughRiders feels very natural. In addition to the Rangers, his professional career included playing time with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs over the span of 11 MLB seasons. Steve retired with a .245 average and 137 home runs.  A very down-to-earth person, he told Matt and me that he was thrilled to not have to be so far from home now – he resides in Arlington and has five children and won’t have to make that west coast trip anymore. From the few minutes we spent with him we both got the feeling that great things are in store for the team this year! 

Those of you who read our e-publication, The Frisco Community Newsletter, know we aren’t a traditional news media in the sense that we don’t cover late-breaking news. Our Thursday night email blast started in 2001 as a way for my husband, then-Frisco City Council Member Matt Lafata, to keep citizens informed of what was going on in the city during his 6 year tenure on the Frisco City Council. Incidentally, his years included being a part of the building of the $300 million dollar Frisco Entertainment and Sports Complex which included Dr. Pepper Ballpark. People would email Matt with events taking place in the community, including civic organizations, schools, Homeowners’ Associations and places of worship who wanted to get the word out about their events/meetings to others in Frisco. Matt began compiling the information into a weekly email blast for those who wanted to be “in the know about all things Frisco.” Since 2001, our email list has grown to over 41,000 subscribers who get the newsletter every week!

I explained our type of “media” to the 3 ballplayers and said that my interview questions probably wouldn’t be as they expected. I didn’t want to talk about their stats or what they will do different this year or how they feel about their new Manager. I had no microphone or high dollar camera equipment with on-camera talent in tow – just a pen and paper and tiny digital camera.

The burning questions I had were about WHO they were, not necessarily about WHAT they do – although it’s tough to argue that at this level, it does go hand-in-hand. They opened up to me about their families, growing up, childhood dreams of baseball stardom and what they think of Frisco. The way these 3 young men handled themselves in an interview situation would have made you think they’d been doing this for a long time at this level. It dawned on me that the RoughRiders organization has the recruiting game nailed in terms of not only finding talent with exceptional on-field skills, but kids with good-old fashioned manners and a natural knack at playing the “media game” as well.

Because our Frisco youth population is just busting at the seams with kids who have the same dream of becoming a professional baseball player, I asked the 3 players to share what they did growing up to get to where they are now and also what advice they would give to aspiring ball players.

Marcus Devon Lemon of Lakeland, FL, said that growing up the son of former MLB player Chet Lemon wasn’t what one might expect. The 21 year-old, who originally signed a letter of intent with the University of Texas said that his parents provided a lot of balance for him – Mom made sure he was succeeding in his school work while Dad provided support and motivation with baseball. I asked him if (as some parents might do) Dad pressured him into his line of work. He didn’t miss a beat with his response. “My parents wanted me to be happy. The best advice my Dad ever gave me was to have fun playing the game. Once it isn’t, it would be time to move on. That’s also the best advice I could give younger players. Just have fun.” Approaching his 2^nd season with the team, Marcus said he was looking forward to being one of the team’s leaders.

When we met Tanner Scheppers, the 6’4” pitcher from Noblesville, IN, he’d only been in Frisco for 2 days. After giving him some great restaurant recommendations and noting how much he physically resembles my 17 year-old son Carl, also 6’4” and a pitcher, I asked him what his best advice would be for younger players. “You know, when you’re 17 or 18 years old, you feel great all the time. You go to practice, play your games, and don’t worry about your health. My best advice to those wanting to get to this level is to take care of your body now. Eat right and work out to stay strong and healthy.” This, coming from a 23 year-old was music to this Mama’s ears! 

Finally, I sat with 6’7” pitcher Blake Beavan, slated to take the mound opening night (tonight). The youngest of 3 boys, the 21 year-old said his was a very competitive family and that his brothers were huge influencers on the future star’s baseball career. After trying various sports growing up, it was clear that he excelled at football and baseball and eventually had to choose one to take to the next level. His love of the game of baseball won over and it became very clear to him that he wanted to be a professional player. “I remember giving my Dad a Father’s Day card one year telling him I was going to be a big league ball player someday,” he told me. Blake, who’s from right down the road in Irving, is a die-hard Texas sports fan. “The Cowboys, Mavs, Stars and of course my Texas Rangers- I love ‘em all! Blake was the Rangers’ #1 overall selection in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. “My advice to younger players to have a chance to get to this level is to get very clear in your mind what you want to do. Set goals, work hard. I always saw myself playing in the big leagues.”  I asked him if he thought select teams helped put him ahead of the pack. “I was fortunate that my parents had the means to be able to allow me to play select, and yes, there is definitely an advantage. But I don’t think you have to necessarily go that route. If you have talent and are playing at the high school level, you will be seen. The right people will notice if they think you have what it takes.”

Players Blake Beavan, Marcus Lemon and Tanner Scheppers at Frisco RoughRiders Media Day

So there you go – advice for young ballplayers in Frisco, right from the mouths of those who know and are “there” achieving their dreams now.

It’s very possible that these 3 young players will join notable Frisco RoughRiders alumni such Ian Kinsler, Chris Davis, Taylor Teagarden and Craig Gentry at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington in the very near future. What is certain is that there will be some great baseball at Dr. Pepper Ballpark and we hope to see you out there this season!

Highlights of My Week in Frisco, Texas

For the Week of  March 1, 2010

Working Hard, Getting Fit: This week has just FLOWN. I worked out 3 times with Ken of Old School Fitness in Frisco and my personal “high point” was doing about 80 walking squats with a weight bar. Then today I had a great upper body workout and really rocked the triceps-rope-thingy (how’s that for a technical term?) I know the whole “no pain, no gain” thing. But let me tell you – I’ve been walking like Shamus from Family Guy – both arms and legs! (For those of you who don’t know, he’s a tough fisherman with wood for arms and legs.)

Today, I tried some awesome naturally caffeinated herbal peach tea that I bought from Ken and I felt great!  Here is his Herbalife Site. I blogged about getting started working with Ken last week – check it out.

Patriarch’s Opens in Frisco Square: Matt and I were invited to the sneak peak of the new Patriarch’s Sanctuary Bar in Frisco Square,  just north of the Courthouse and liked it so much that we went back this week. Matt’s office is literally right above it which makes for convenient 4pm work meetings with his colleagues! The ambiance is great – the lighting reflects relaxation in an intimate, mellow setting. Their tagline really describes the mood -“Fine Unwinding.” There’s Cigar Humidor adjacent to Patriarch’s as well, and I hear they will be selling annual memberships to store patrons’ cigars and spirits. Make sure you go by and say hi to manager Paul at Sanctuary Bar (who used to be, in my and Matt’s opinion, THE very best server at the IHOP off the Tollway/Main.) We’re glad to see Paul serving our favorite wine instead of pancakes!  He makes a great cranberry martini, too.   

Catching up with Friends: Had a fun “just the two of us” happy hour over at my dear friend Jennifer Hayden’s house this week. Her kiddos are so adorable and getting SO big!

Jennifer & I at the Mrs. US 2009 finals in Vegas supporting our Texas winner!

I got to hear about all the cool things going on in her life, including her work with imageLIFT Consulting. Jennifer is a former Mrs. Texas US who, after she gave up her title, became the official Image Consultant for the pageant which I produced for 5 years. imageLIFT Consulting has worked with not just pageant contestants, but celebrities, recent college graduates, television personalities, models and prospective job applicants to to help their client achieve great success in all areas of their lives. It’s a pretty cool concept! If this sounds like something you want to know more about, you can call her at 972-523-5366 and she’ll take good care of you!

Arts of Collin County Project – “To Be or Not To Be…That is the Question”: Another item that was buzzing around town this week was talk on whether to continue Frisco’s support of the Arts of Collin County project – see my blog  right under this one. The fact that the project was to be 4 cities (Plano, Allen, Frisco and McKinney) and became 3 since McKinney dropped out changes things considerably. I don’t know about you, but I am not interested in my taxes going up again.

Matt and I LOVE the arts – don’t get us wrong – but we don’t feel like it’s not necessary to drive to Allen to enjoy it. We can drive to Dallas to their new performing arts center if we desired. Frisco has a growing art following right here in our own backyard. The bonds were approved by voters in 2002 when most of us (including me – I moved here a few weeks after the vote!) weren’t even Frisco citizens yet. Had the terms not changed so dramatically then it might be different. Besides – and more importantly – what Frisco voters approved was only Phase 1 of the project and did not include operating expenses – which would come from from the City’s operating budget based on our population. In my opinion, there were a lot of future items not disclosed to the voting public when being a part of the ACC project was put on the ballot in 2002.

So, many of us encouraged our Council Members to give the thumbs up to let the VOTERS decide on whether to keep Frisco “in” the project – they were supposed to vote on it this past Tuesday at the regular council meeting but have since delayed that until this coming Monday at 2pm. Hopefully Council will agree to allow those of us who voted them into office decide the fate of Frisco’s involvement – not 6 Council Members (and potentially the very pro-ACC project Mayor who gets to vote if there’s a 3-3 tie.)  He never did respond to my email’s question on Monday wanting to know why continuing this project is good for us as Frisco taxpayers. He was more interested in questioning my husband’s stance during the process and when Matt decided that the project was no longer good for Frisco taxpayers – this was more than 2 1/2 years ago and was a major issue during the Mayoral campaign which he seems to have forgotten. Matt was very much in favor of not continuing Frisco’s participation for a myriad of reasons that were not apparent until later.

Primary Election: I am a “vote-day-of” kind of girl and Matt and I exercised that right on Tuesday. Did you? There were record turnouts this year. If you aren’t registered to vote, get it done so you don’t miss out on the next election.  No excuses!

 Texas Tornado Host Family Gathering and Pink in the Rink: We were a host family for the Texas Tornado Junior Hockey team (young men ages 16-20) up until last month when our player was released from the team. We got to be so close to our player Johnny from New York. We’ve also gotten to know a lot of the other players and host families since August when the players arrived from all over the country to play for well-respected Coach Tony Curtale’s NAHL team. So we were excited to attend a host family potluck this past weekend and catch up with everyone. Thanks to the Costello family for holding it at their beautiful home! We had a great time. Don’t forget – the Tornado are home this weekend for a 3 game series that started tonight and goes through Sunday. It’s great family entertainment and one heck of a value! Plus the they’ve teamed with the American Cancer Society Relay for Life Frisco for what will be an amazing event, “Pink in the Rink” this weekend.

Texas Tornado's Pink in the Rink is This Weekend

Special Pink in the Rink T-Shirts, wristbands, necklaces, hats, and keychains will be sold with 20% of all proceeds benefitting the American Cancer Society!

 

The one-of-a-kind pink jerseys worn by the players throughout the weekend will feature the Texas Tornado logo in pink and a silent auction for the jerseys will begin on Friday, March 5 and conclude at Sunday’s game on March 7, 2010. Last season the pink game-worn jerseys alone raised almost $10,000. Tickets are available here. 

            

 

The Frisco Community Newsletter latest edition: Make sure you check out our 9 year-old grass-roots e-publication that goes out to 41,000 in Frisco each week, The Frisco Community Newsletter for more going on in and around Frisco, Texas! It’s the oldest and only one of its kind in our city keeping you “in the know about all things Frisco”. It’s definitely your key to community! After the newsletter goes out to our readers we post it online in our Archives. You can also easily Subscribe or Unsubscribe via our website.

Have a good weekend everyone!

 

Frisco Taxpayers Should Decide to Continue Support for Arts of Collin County Project – Not the Council

Erika and Matt Lafata's email on 3/1/10 to the Frisco City Council asking them to allow Frisco voters to decide the Arts of Collin County fate

(Below is an email we received from Frisco City Council Member Pat Fallon. If you live in Frisco (Collin AND Denton Counties) and pay taxes – this effects you directly. After you read this, please email the city council members listed below to ask them to okay putting it back on the ballot in May. Time is of the essence – tomorrow each council member casts his vote on whether to let Frisco voters decide to continue the Arts of Collin County project.)

To my dear and much appreciated friends and neighbors,

I ran for Frisco city council last year with one overriding theme to the campaign… to be a fierce advocate for the taxpayer. I have a serious dislike for government officials on all levels that are all too often very generous with YOUR money. And thanks to active, concerned citizens like you I was humbled to be elected by a wide margin. I am, to this day, deeply honored by those results from last May and rest assured that I have, and will always, follow through on my pledge to be a vigilent steward of your tax dollars. In fact, better stated, our task is to invest your tax money so that we could have a flourishing city, with great amenities and keep taxes very low. We unfortunately had a tax rate hike in September of last year and I was one of the three council members that voted in the minority to not follow that path. And now here today we have yet another matter that, if passed, would raise your taxes yet again. The matter that the city council will discuss this coming Tuesday the 2nd of March at 7:00pm relates to a project called The Arts of Collin County. I want to point out that our friends in Frisco Denton County (all 40,000 of them) will still have to pay for this if the bonds are sold, so please don’t be fooled by the name. I’d like to provide you with a bit of background information on the project and what has happened recently and why I’m emailing you about this.

Back in 2002 Frisco put a bond package that totalled around $200 million dollars. A part of that, $19 million, was for what they referred to at the time as an Arts District. It’s now known as the Arts of Collin County and, if it’s ever built, will be located in Allen, Texas. Back in 2002 this project was described and sold to the citizens of Frisco in the following way: All four cities (McKinney, Allen, Plano & Frisco) would have to pass their respective bond packages or this project would be dead in the water and would not go forward. As it happened, McKinney voters rejected the bond in a close vote. In Allen 45% were opposed and in Frisco 34% were against. Those are rather high totals against when considering that nearly all of the other bonds were passed with upwards of 90% support. But be that as it may a clear promise was made to the citizens of Frisco. That promise being that the city would NOT sell these bonds for the Arts of Collin County unless all four cities participated. This is very important because there are really two sets of costs to this project. The first is the capital expense to build it. $19M from each city. When McKinney backed out, we were suddenly $19M short on the capital funding. The propents off this projects then decided they could make that portion up from private fundraising. They rejected calls from many quarters to revote on this as a three city project, which it became once McKinney backed out. The Arts of Colin County (ACC) now claims over $10M has been raised in donations & pledges…..remember that word, ‘pledges’. They do not have anywhere near $10M!!!! They only have, at present, a mere $2.4M on hand. The rest is pledged! There is no telling how much of that pledged money will actual come in. If there is a shortfall, the taxpayers of this city will have to make up the difference; that is assuming of course that our city council voted to sell bonds and commit the city.

The second expense to the project is the ‘ongoing operating expenses’. This is a euphemism for BUSINESS LOSS. The ACC freely and openly admits that this project is not economically viable and can not pay for itself. It will lose money every year. THEIR estimate is about $1.5M annually. Now this is important for two reasons. First, this was promised to Frisco voters as a four city project. That means that these annual losses would be divided up between the four municipalities based on their overall population. Well, when McKinney backed out, along with their 125,000 residents, their share was thrust upon the remaining cities. FRISCO VOTERS NEVER VOTED FOR THAT! This would mean that if this is built, after the doors open, Frisco voters were told in 2002 that we would be responsible to pay the ACC roughly $96,000 a year in taxpayer funds for their business loss. Now, according to documents that the ACC has provided the council recently, this number has mushroomed to between $350,000-$500,000 anuually!!!! And without the benefit of a crystal ball to tell us what the future holds, I fear that this $500,000 number could be even higher!

So what does this all mean to you, the faithful taxpaying citizen of our great city? Well, there has been a great deal of pressure put on this council over the past few days to vote to sell the $16.5 million dollars in bonds right now. There is some rush to do it now for some reason. We’ve waited eight years and we’re told by a very small special interest that it’s time to sell these now because ‘construction costs will never be this low again’. They cite the fact that they thought the project would cost $85 million to build and now it’s down to just under $70 million. Of course our city’s revenues have taken a serious turn for the worse but that inconvenient truth is ignored by some. An analogy would be, ‘Hey I’ve always wanted a 10,000 square foot home! I better buy it now because it’ll never be cheaper than it is today!” First of all, if most of us did that we’d wind up broke! Secondly, how does anyone know what the future holds. Construction costs could easily fall further. If could be much cheaper to build this project in the future.

Getting back on point, when you boil it all down what we have here is a classic example of government not keeping its word. Frisco voters were told that they could have an Arts Hall for $19M and there would be three other cities that would chip in. If all three don’t chip in, then don’t worry, we won’t do it. It wouldn’t make sense to. And now they still want to build it! We are breaking our word.

I ask you this, please support my efforts to get this very important matter back on the ballot! We can do this. It only requires four votes of the city council and we can vote on this project for what it is now, a very expensive three city deal. The taxpayers of Frisco deserve nothing less. You can do this by emailing the council and the mayor and ask them to vote to put this back before the voters for the May 8th, 2010 municipal elections. Please email the council and also encourage others to do so. Please ask for fiscal restraint and responsibility. What is happening in Washington can and does happen at the local level all too often. It’s now time to stand up and be heard and say ‘Not here, not on my watch!’.

jcheney@friscotexas.gov
sjohnson@friscotexas.gov
dprince@friscotexas.gov
bcrowder@friscotexas.gov
ballen@friscotexas.gov
mmaso@friscotexas.gov
pfallon@friscotexas.gov

The other side has been encouraged to send us emails and we’ve received them for the past few days now. We need to hear from you as well.

I have included a myriad of factual talking points and please feel free to use some, all or none of them. If you’re pressed for time please just include a one or two sentence email letting the council and mayor know your thoughts on this matter and on a potential tax hike. If at all possible please attend the city council meeting this Tuesday night at 7:00pm and fill out a blue card to register your feelings (and you can also use it to speak…up to 5 minutes…if you’d like).

Here are some interesting talking points on the project:

–Priorities. We have bond authorizations for Police, Fire, Roads, Library Annex (most likely to be built in DENTON county), Parks & Recreation and of course the Arts. All of these aforementioned priorities are more important that the Arts and yet we will skip all of those, not selling those bonds and sell $16.5 million for the arts now in a recession. This is irresponsible, horrible timing and shows no fiscal discipline.

–This was sold to the voters as a four city deal. It was promised that we would never sell these bonds if all four cities didn’t approve their respective bonds. All four did not pass their bonds. So why are we moving forward any way?! Arrogance? Personal interest or agendas? Why!?!? PUT THIS BACK TO THE VOTERS!

–With McKinney out, the operational expenses for Frisco’s share has mushroomed. We were told in 2002 that we would be responsible for roughly $96K annually in operating expenses once the doors opened. Now were told (and these are figures from the ACC) that it’s more like $500K. Not even close.

–We are obviously in a different economy than we were 8 years ago. This is the height of loose spending to do this project now. We need to focus on necessities not niceties.

–FACT….If we vote to sell these bonds you’re taxes will go up!!!!!!!! We will be forced to raise your taxes to fund this project. And the overwhelming majority of Frisco Lakes residents I’m guessing are on fixed incomes. Enough!!! (by the way this project alone will account for an increase of 2.0 per $100. Last year’s tax increase for everything was less at 1.65 per $100

–Who legally owns the land that the ACC will be built on? They claim they do and it’s worth $22M. Only problem with that is that they couldn’t even secure a line of credit for $5M. The city of Allen did that for them. What banks wouldn’t loan $5M when you could secure that with $22 in land? There are serious issues with even who owns the property.

–2/3 of current Frisco residents, the ones that will have to pay for this project, never got the chance to vote this project up or down. It was eight years ago and our population has doubled in size, while a good portion of the folks that lived here then have moved. Let us have a say for a project that could cost $35 million over twenty years.

–We do have many beautiful Sports facilities. Why not have one for the Arts? Well, because all of the Sports facilities were funded completely different from this. We had major developers put in a large chunk and in some cases a majority of the capital/risk/future obligation. There is no such private partner here.

–They claim this is a public/private partnership. Really!? Thus far we have $62 million in Public money and $2.4 million in private funds. Let’s do the math, that’s 98.5% public and 1.5% private. A partnership? Only folks in government would make such claims!

–Frisco fully supports the Arts. We provide the Frisco Association of the Arts with a majority of their funding each year, we’ve just built a Sci-Tech and Black Box Theater ($2M project), we just loaned $39M to refurbish the Stars Center (which has shows, concerts, and other various entertainment etc…) and we have $4M authorized for a community theater to be built in Frisco. You can support the arts and be opposed to this specific project.

–Stop making absurd claims like this project will pay for itself in 4 years!! (There is a slide on a presentation on the Arts of Collin County website that make this claim). It most certainly will not. If it would it wouldn’t require over $60M in taxpayer money and it wouldn’t need AT LEAST an additional $1.5 million dollars annually forever! We’re not stupid, although some make think us so.

–If only the park and the Performance Hall are funded why is there a graphic on a slide on the ACC website that shows a host of other buildings as well? I’m guessing (and by the way they are not) they’re not funded and will require even more taxpayer money in the future to fund them. No thanks!

Folks, anyhow, lots to talk about. I’ll be preparing for my comments for Tuesday night and I also have a couple of surprises that I’m sure will make for very interesting viewing.

PLEASE EMAIL COUNCIL AND MAYOR AS SOON AS YOU CAN WITH A FEW LINES OR A LONG LETTER. Here are their email addresses again:

jcheney@friscotexas.gov
sjohnson@friscotexas.gov
dprince@friscotexas.gov
bcrowder@friscotexas.gov
ballen@friscotexas.gov
mmaso@friscotexas.gov
pfallon@friscotexas.gov

Thanks so much for your help on this and for standing up for taxpayers’ rights. Tell the council & mayor that the citizens need to vote on this May 8th, 2010. PUT IT ON THE BALLOT!!!!!!

Please feel free to call or email anytime.

Cheers,

Patrick Fallon
(214) 507-4861

State Approves Collin County Regional Airport

News from the Texas Department of Transportation Office

March 1, 2010

State approves funding Collin County Regional Airport

Who, What, When, Where

● Approximately $1.4 million for Collin County Regional Airport was approved by the Texas Transportation Commission at its February meeting.

● The funds will be used for planned airport improvements, which includes air traffic control tower construction

● A contract for the project is expected to be awarded this spring.

● Project costs will be funded through TxDOT’s Aviation Facilities Grant Program, which preserves and improves the state’s general aviation system, and the city of McKinney.

Background

● This year, TxDOT expects to provide approximately $60 million in funding for planning, constructing and maintaining community airports.

● Approximately 275 community airports in Texas are eligible for funding.

● Arrivals and departures from community airports account for more than three million flight hours per year and provide aircraft facilities for agricultural, medical, business and commuter use.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs…

Collin County Election Signs on Preston Road in Plano

What I am about to say is probably something many of you have thought one time or another when election time comes around. You’re driving down a major road and it’s almost impossible to ignore the multitude of local, county and state political signs. The land that houses them has probably never seen so many variations of red, white and blue as springtime during an election year. This year, especially, with many having a renewed sense of pride, passion and concern for our freedoms and rights as Americans, there are more citizens running for office – a very necessary and positive movement. For the record, I am very much against eliminating term limits, or increasing the length of time that elected officials can stay in office. They risk becoming complacent and forget about what the people who put them in office want. I like knowing they have to “reapply” for their “job”. I read recently that politicians in Washington are constantly in campaign mode – that makes it really difficult to “jump right in” and accomplish what they said they would during the last campaign. Yep, that’s a whole different blog!

I’m just going to say it: we need to put the kibosh on political yard signs – all of them in their colorful-corrugated-plastic-and- wire-stakes-glory.

We are in a new era. Social media is rapidly changing the way businesses market themselves, and the same can be said of politicians. Does it cost money to market online? In many cases, yes. But you don’t have to kill a tree (or a small forest in some cases) to do it.

In the interest of full disclosure, I will say that I’ve got a unique perspective on this topic because my husband was a former Frisco City Council member having served 6 years before being termed out in May 2008. We have friends and acquaintances running for office now and certainly don’t pass judgment because they have signs up. That’s not what this is about.

I have 3 very valid reasons to nix political signs.

Here goes:

1) Safety. Besides obvious curb appeal in neighborhoods and high traffic roads, it will keep people from being distracted while driving. I don’t know about you, but because many more people are starting to wake up and be active on the political front, there are a lot more candidates for their respective offices. This means motorists slowing down to fixate on “who’s-running-for-what” is more evident and increases odds for accidents.

2) Environment. It’s good for our planet. Most signs are wooden, cardboard or even worse, plastic. One candidate who put his hat in the ring for Frisco ISD School Board a few years ago ran a green campaign. He didn’t use any signs but opted to reach out to voters in alternate ways, such as a stronger online presence and more face-to-face meetings with voters.

3) Frugality. For candidates, the pressure to feel like they have to raise ridiculous amounts of money will be lessened. Signs can be expensive – believe me, I know first hand. It has been said “he/she who spends the most money wins.” Getting rid of signs keeps candidates on a level playing field. Many times, the majority of a campaign’s funds go towards printing signs. Knowing your opponent won’t be outspending you on yard signs is very positive. Now, I realize this effects those who make the signs, but I really feel the “pros” for not allowing them far outweigh that argument. For most campaigns, there will always be direct mail pieces and flyers in the media mix to educate the voting public, so hopefully additional revenue can be generated that way.

Look, I get top of mind awareness and candidate branding opportunities when people drive past the signs. I’ve spent 20 years in media with most of that in advertising sales. I do believe you have a better chance of getting people to remember to vote when they see the campaign yard signs, so I’d be open to the idea of allowing the same number and size of signs for all candidates only at major intersections during the timeframe of early voting until Election Day. There – that’s my compromise.

This is 2010. Our natural resources are waning. Let’s get rid of the “old school” way of thinking when it comes to campaigning and make candidates step up their efforts online and in other grass-roots initiatives to talk about the issues. It’s a sign of the times. Pun intended.