City Manager George Purefoy has overseen the once-rural Frisco rise in the form of thousands of square feet of development for sports teams, corporations and public attractions. LEAVING A LEGACY
2006
2003
The George A. Purefoy Municipal Center opens as the new home of Frisco City Hall and the Frisco Public Library.
Riders Field, formerly Dr Pepper Ballpark, opens as home of the Frisco RoughRiders.
2008 Maher Maso is elected as mayor.
Dr Pepper Ballpark groundbreaking COURTESY FRISCO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Maher Maso
Frisco City Manager George Purefoy looks out over Frisco from his o ce at the George A. Purefoy Municipal Center. (Matt Payne/Community Impact Newspaper)
2003
Deja Blue Arena, now Comerica Center, opens as the o cial practice facility and executive o ce for the Dallas Stars.
“Those are the biggest things, … cer- tainly to emulate the culture and char- acteristics that George had for integrity but then also be able to set a big vision and be able to do those big kinds of deals,” Cheney said. Former Mayor Maher Maso said Purefoy closely guarded the welfare of the city throughout the 17 years Maso served as a council member and mayor. “When we were in a meeting, [if] it was perceived somebody was trying to harm the city, thus the citizens, George became an attack dog,” Maso said. “He would protect the city like it was his own child.” Big-name projects such as The Star in Frisco and the PGA of America head- quarters are the most complimented by the public, according to Maso. However, he said those projects only became a reality due to less glamorous work by Purefoy. In his nine years as mayor, Maso praised Purefoy for behind-the-scenes work on building roads “long before” any kind of development in Frisco. The city manager’s work to devise funding mechanisms such as tax increment reinvestment zones to collect growth 2011 A master plan for Grand Park west of Dallas North Tollway and north of Stonebrook Parkway is shared by the city. The expansive project is currently under revision.
COMPILED BY MATT PAYNE DESIGNED BY CHELSEA PETERS
1987
1998
Frisco adopts a home rule charter to become a city, and George Purefoy is appointed city manager.
O ce complex Hall Park completes construction on its rst building.
2000
1990 Bob Warren is elected as mayor.
Stonebriar Centre mall holds its grand opening.
Comerica Center
COURTESY CITY OF FRISCO
2005
Toyota Stadium opens to host national team matches and World Cup qualifying matches.
Bob Warren
Stonebriar Centre COURTESY CITY OF FRISCO
1995
Collin College opens a campus in Frisco.
2002 Mike
1996 Kathy Seei is elected as mayor.
Simpson is elected as mayor.
Toyota Stadium
COURTESY CITY OF FRISCO
Mike Simpson
nods of approval from the soft-spo- ken leader of the city that indicate Cheney “got it right.” Cheney said “strong internal candi- dates” have been among the 65 appli- cants for Purefoy’s position, but City Council is giving “a fair opportunity” to outside candidates. City Council is seeking someone who can both support new develop- ment of the city through public-private partnerships and maintain aging areas of Frisco, he added.
Kathy Seei
according to the 2020 data from the U.S. Census Bureau. From a population of roughly 3,400 in 1980 to more than 215,000 today, Purefoy said that suc- cess can be attributed to his teamwork with a rotating list of council members and six mayors over the past 34 years. Mayor Je Cheney said since he joined City Council in 2007, he has regarded Purefoy as a mentor. Cheney said he looks for those gentle
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“We had to do a lot of budget cuts and sta reductions. … I think I actu- ally was called ‘the hatchet man,’” Purefoy said. “A lot of when I rst got here was just foundation building.” Frisco now boasts the highest municipal bond rating possible and a median household income of $128,761,
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