Frisco voters reject $160 million bond, pick city council and school board members

Frisco voters appeared to roundly reject a $160 million bond for a performing arts center.

Propositions A and B would have gone toward a center with space for both large- and small-scale local and regional productions, performances, and visual arts exhibitions, and include a 2,800-seat performance hall to accommodate Broadway performances and a 300-400-seat community hall.

About 60% of voters voted against Prop A, while about 65% voted against Prop B.

Frisco voters also cast ballots for city council members and three Frisco ISD school board trustees. Here are the results, according to preliminary election results on Saturday night with nearly all vote centers reporting.

The Place 2 race appeared headed for a runoff with incumbent Tammy Meinershagen, Burt Thakur and Sai Krishnarajanagar all failing to garner more than 50% of the vote, according to preliminary election results.

The top two vote-getters were Meinershagen with about 39% and Thakur with 37%.

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 25th Congressional District in a 2022 primary.

None of the five candidates in this race reached more than 50% of the vote, and the race would likely head to a runoff between Jared Elad and Gopal Ponangi.

The incumbent for this seat, Bill Woodard, is termed out and can’t run again.

Elad is married to Frisco ISD school board trustee Stephanie Elad, who appeared likely to win her race. 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.

Ponangi, on his campaign website, told the nonpartisan voting initiative Collin County Votes that his policy priorities include public safety, jobs, low taxes and traffic.

The Place 1 race was likely headed to the runoff, as none of the three candidates garnered more than 50% of the vote.

Suresh Manduva (43%) and Muniraj Janagarajan (31%) were the top two vote-getters. The incumbent, Gopal Ponangi, ran for Frisco city council Place 4.

Manduva listed 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.

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

With 49.4% of the vote, Renee Sample was the lead candidate but had not reached the more-than 50% needed to avoid a runoff. The next-closest candidate in the three-person race was Melanie Barrios Jones.

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.

The Dallas Morning News’ editorial board endorsed Sample for the seat.

“Sample earned our recommendation because of the greater breadth of her experience,” the editorial board wrote.

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.

Barrios Jones spoke at a Frisco ISD board meeting in 2023 in support of Marvin Lowe, who currently holds the place 2 seat, 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.”

Stephanie Elad appeared headed for victory in her reelection bid against Stuart Shulman.

Elad was first elected in 2022. The Dallas Morning News’ editorial board endorsed her for another term, citing Elad’s work on addressing the district’s declining enrollment.

“Elad supports the Access Frisco initiative, a smart plan that allows a small number of students from nearby districts to attend Frisco schools,” the board wrote.

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.

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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