Here's who's running for office in Frisco's local elections in May

Correction: A previous version of this story stated that Tammy Meinershagen was elected in 2022.

Frisco voters have two city council seats, a $160 million bond election for a performing arts center and several city charter amendments on their ballots in May. Three Frisco ISD school board seats also are on the ballot.

Here’s who’s running to represent the city of Frisco and Frisco ISD. Early voting is scheduled for April 22 through April 29. Election day is May 3.

The incumbent, Tammy Meinershagen, will face Burt Thakur and Sai Krishnarajanagar in her reelection bid.

Meinershagen has been a council member since 2022 and serves as the Frisco city council’s deputy Mayor Pro Tem. Her bio on the Frisco city council website lists her experience as the chair of the council’s governance committee and vice chair of the city’s legislative committee. She was also named a Texas Municipal League Fellow and serves the city as primary member on the Regional Transportation Council with the North Texas Council of Governments.

Her campaign website touts Meinershagen’s efforts to lower Frisco’s property tax rate for three consecutive years and support for Frisco’s Rail District, which aims to make the city’s downtown “a walkable destination for the community.”

Meinershagen lists affordability, developing Frisco’s arts and culture scene and sustainability as priorities for a second term.

“Frisco is on a successful trajectory right now, but we can't allow our city to become a flash in the pan or a ‘has-been,’” she said. “We must build a city that stands the test of time.”

Thakur, an engineer and Navy veteran, was the Jeopardy! champion during Alex Trebek’s final season as host according to The Denton Record Chronicle. He ran in the Texas Congressional District 26 GOP primary and lost the nomination to Brandon Gill, who later won the seat. He also ran for Congress in California’s 25^th Congressional District in a 2022 primary.

Krishnarajanagar lists his occupation as a nurse and insurance producer on his application for a place on the ballot. He previously ran for Frisco city council Place 6 in 2020 according to a voter guide from The Dallas Morning News. He listed increased government outreach to the community and creating a pedestrian footbridge for students who walk to school as priorities in The News voter guide.

Krishnarajanagar told The News he would advocate for balanced growth management if elected.

“We need to augment retail growth by recruiting companies which will employ hundreds of well-paid workers,” he said. “People want to live here; we want them to work here too.”

The incumbent for this seat, Bill Woodard, is termed out and can’t run again. Four candidates have filed to run for the Place 4 seat: Jared Elad, Jerry Spencer, Gopal Ponangi, Sangita Datta and Josh Meek.

Elad is married to Frisco ISD school board trustee Stephanie Elad, who is running for reelection. He is the founder and wealth advisor at Diamond Capital Wealth. He lists fiscal responsibility and transparency as one of the issues he would prioritize if elected on his campaign website.

“With more than 16 years of experience as a financial advisor, I have a strong track record of managing budgets, ensuring financial accountability, and helping individuals and businesses reach their financial goals,” Elad said on his website.

Other priorities he lists on his website include community friendly development, public safety and responsible growth.

Datta lists her occupation as financial specialist on her application for a place on the ballot. She announced her intent to run for city council on Facebook in January. She is an alumna of Leadership Frisco, an ambassador for the Frisco Chamber of Commerce and has served as the director and joint treasurer of the India Association of North Texas according to her Facebook post.

“I want to ensure that we continue to thrive, stay united, and build a future that’s brighter and stronger for everyone,” Datta said in her post.

Meek serves on the Frisco Community Development Corporation Board and has attended 131 Frisco City Council meetings according to his website. He has also been a board member of the Frisco Chamber of Commerce and Visit Frisco and is an alumni of Leadership Frisco.

“I believe that my consistency and experience is what qualifies me as the best choice to be Frisco’s next leader,” Meek said on his website.

He lists maintaining partnerships, innovation and leveraging sales tax revenue to keep property tax rates low as priorities on his campaign website.

Ponangi serves on the Frisco ISD school board. The Dallas Morning News Editorial Board endorsed Ponangi twice. In its 2022 endorsement, the board praised his problem solving skills and relationship with his constituents.

“He has a good grasp on how the school district operates, he has balanced views on the hot issues of the day, and his calm demeanor is welcome in an environment that can quickly become inflamed,” The News wrote.

Ponangi posted photos on Facebook of him and several supporters who joined him when he filed for a place on the ballot, including current councilmember Bill Woodard.

Jerry Spencer lists his occupation as investor on his application for a place on the ballot.

The incumbent, Gopal Ponangi, is running for Frisco city council Place 4. Muniraj Janagarajan, Amit Kalra and Suresh Manduva have filed for places on the ballot to run for this seat.

Janagarajan ran for Frisco ISD Place 4 in 2020, losing to Dynette Davis, who is still in office. His campaign website, which hasn’t been updated since he ran previously, lists financial stewardship, transparency and accountability, campus safety and support for teachers as things he’d prioritize if elected.

Janagarajan said on his campaign website that he would host regular town halls with the community to discuss the budget and other community concerns.

“I will bring public trust and transparency in all levels of the decision-making process,” he said on his website.”

He also said he would support a salary increase for teachers and “support a pro-teacher agenda.”

Kalra also ran for Frisco ISD Place 4 in 2020, losing to Davis. He lists his occupation as physical therapist on his application for a place on the ballot.

Kalra answered the Dallas Morning News voter guide questionnaire in 2020 when he first ran for the Frisco ISD school board. He told The News that he was elected to his community’s HOA board, where he served as the communications director. He also listed his experience creating a Delhi Group to “create a strong local social and emotional support system.”

Kalra said the school board should be a reflection of the community.

“With the changes in the population demographics, it is necessary for the school board member to interpret the communities' needs and to demonstrate the importance of continuation or modification of existing methods to impart the highest quality of education to its students, managing the budget, and improve areas of concerns,” he said.

If elected, Kalra told The News in 2020 that he would focus on empowering teachers and expanding early childhood intervention. He also said he supports smaller class sizes and increasing technical education.

Manduva lists his occupation as software engineer on his application for a place on the ballot. He announced his intent to run for the school board on Facebook, where he thanked several supporters, including Ponangi and Frisco city council member John Keating.

Melanie Barrios Jones, Renee Sample and Ange Yao are running to replace Marvin Lowe.

Barrios Jones ran for Frisco ISD Place 7 last year. She lost to Keith Maddox, who currently holds the seat. She told Community Impact she ran for the seat because the board didn’t have any special needs parents. Her campaign website says she supports fiscal responsibility, school safety, transparency, listening and fostering relationships.

The Dallas Morning News Editorial Board endorsed Barrios Jones when she ran against Maddox. The board said she “demonstrated a deeper understanding of the key issues facing the district” and cited her experience on the district’s committees as reasons for its endorsement.

In The News’ voter guide for that election, she said retaining quality teachers and addressing student behavioral issues were two of the largest issues Frisco ISD faced. She also said the district needs to increase transparency with parents.

“If elected, I will encourage parents to email me their concerns and hopefully they will share their wins with me too,” Barrios Jones said. “We need to equally remind parents they are an important part of the team when it comes to their child's educational career, and we need to listen to them.”

She also spoke at a Frisco ISD board meeting in 2023 in support of Lowe when a transgender student accused Lowe of harassment.

“Real strength is characterized by the ability to stand firm in your beliefs and to show love and compassion to people who are on the opposite side of your belief system,” Barrios Jones said. “And that is who Marvin Lowe is. He is a man of faith.”

Renee Sample serves on the city of Frisco’s Multicultural Committee board. She was also the past president of the Frisco Education Foundation, which provides Frisco ISD students financial resources through educational programs, scholarships and grants for educators. She lists her occupation as quality assurance analyst on her application for a place on the ballot.

Ange Yao lists her occupation as a Realtor on her application for a place on the ballot.

Stephanie Elad, the incumbent, is running for reelection. She’ll face Stuart Shulman.

Elad was elected in 2022. She told The Dallas Morning News in its voter guide questionnaire when she first ran that the district should focus be more transparent with taxpayers about federal funding. Elad also said the district should be transparent with parents about curriculum and books in school libraries.

“Parents who express concern about sexually charged dialogue and photos in books should be respected and have their concerns addressed,” she said.

Elad’s website lists several endorsements from local representatives, including State Senator Angela Paxton, Texas House members Matt Shaheen and Jared Patterson and Texas state board of education member Pam Little. She also has endorsements from the Collin County GOP, Collin County Conservative Republicans and the Denton County Conservative Coalition.

Shulman has a degree in music education and is the director of product management for Ultimate Drill Book, a music education software company, according to his campaign website. He also serves as the arts in education chair for the Frisco ISD PTA. He lists student achievement, cooperation, accountability, and innovation as things he’d prioritize if elected.

“By welcoming diverse ideas and listening to all voices, we can tackle challenges creatively and build solutions that work for everyone,” Shulman said on his website.

Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.

Caroline Love is a Report For America corps member for KERA News.

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