A week after Frisco’s mayoral election, the biggest question still hanging over the race is how two municipal outsiders knocked off two former City Council members and claimed the runoff spots. 

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Former Frisco ISD trustee Mark Hill and retired construction business owner Rod Vilhauer advanced to the June 13 runoff after tapping into frustration with Frisco’s city establishment in sharply different ways. 

Hill pitched a message of unity while Vilhauer raised inflammatory concerns about immigration, Islam and Frisco’s changing identity. 

The outcome turned what ordinarily might have been a local debate over growth and development into a bitter fight over diversity in one of North Texas’ fastest-growing suburbs. 

The runoff also comes just months after activists drew national attention at Frisco City Hall by warning about an alleged “Indian takeover” of the city and claiming widespread H-1B visa fraud. 

Neither candidate gained a majority of the vote to avoid a runoff. Hill, who finished first, ran under the slogan “Unite Frisco” and has called the city’s Indian residents an “integral part of the community.” 

Vilhauer gained notoriety and praise from supporters for comparing South Asian immigrants to rats and portraying Shariah as a growing threat in Frisco.

Interviews with campaign staffers and volunteers, along with a review of finance reports and social media activity, show both campaigns capitalized on anti-establishment frustration, though they used different approaches to reach voters. 

At his election night watch party, Hill, who drew about 34% of the vote, urged supporters and elected officials present, including outgoing Mayor Jeff Cheney, to push even harder over the next six weeks. 

“We need an army,” Hill said.  

On social media, Vilhauer, who got 31%, said the runoff would be tougher than the first round. He has tried to link Hill to Cheney, saying residents are tired of that leadership.  

Cheney endorsed Hill after Vilhauer’s comments.  

Social media strategy 

About two months ago, Vilhauer called Frisco resident Ryan Stewman, a friend from Elevate Life Church, after their pastor encouraged the two men to connect. 

“I’m in dead last place,” Vilhauer told Stewman. “I don’t think door knocking and signs are going to work.” 

Stewman, who has worked in social media marketing, helped Vilhauer launch a campaign Facebook page. The candidate posted short, unscripted videos nearly every day from behind a wooden desk. Stewman said the page has about 2,600 followers and roughly 900,000 views. 

Stewman said the strategy worked because Vilhauer’s short-form videos reached voters who otherwise might never have encountered his campaign. Vilhauer leaned heavily into casual clips designed to spread through Facebook’s algorithm. 

“If you’re scrolling reels, you run across random reels all the time,” Stewman said. “So … we really focused on that to reach people who don’t know him.” 

Vilhauer still relied on traditional tactics, such as private events at supporters’ homes, mailers and yard signs. But Stewman believes social media played a major role in helping the first-time candidate secure second place. 

Alisa Maso Hess, campaign manager for Hill, acknowledged the power of social media. But she said it also has its limits because online engagement may not translate to support at the polls in a suburb with 140,000 registered voters.  

Hill posted less frequently than Vilhauer but mixed polished campaign videos with informal clips filmed outside polling locations during early voting. One featured former Frisco Mayor Mike Simpson, who endorsed Hill.

Political experience

Vilhauer has lived in Frisco since 1986 but has not held a city role since serving on the planning and zoning commission in the 1990s. He previously owned Rodman, a construction company with projects across Frisco. 

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Dan Stricklin, a former Frisco City Council member who was paid about $24,000 to block walk for Vilhauer, said the candidate ran a strong campaign despite starting as the “unknown guy” in the race. The two men know each other through Elevate Life Church. 

Christopher Zook Jr., president of CAZ Consulting, the firm Vilhauer hired, said the results showed many Frisco voters were looking for new leadership. 

Hill and Vilhauer finished ahead of former veteran council members John Keating and Shona Sowell. As of Friday, they hadn’t endorsed either candidate.  

“Two well-known city council members couldn’t hold off a first-time candidate,” Zook wrote in an email. 

Hill is also relatively new to politics. He was elected to the Frisco ISD board in 2023 and co-owns a law firm at Hall Park with Byron Henry, chair of the Collin County GOP. 

 Maso Hess, daughter of former Frisco Mayor Maher Maso, said the results reflected anti-establishment sentiment but cautioned against drawing sweeping conclusions because turnout remained low. About 17.9% of registered voters cast ballots in the mayoral election. 

 “A really small percentage of the community is deciding who our next mayor is,” Maso Hess said. 

 Terri Green, an attorney who volunteered for Hill’s campaign as a poll greeter, said Hill struck a balance between challenging the political status quo and avoiding divisive rhetoric during a tense period in the city. 

 “We’ve been in the news for the wrong reasons,” Green said. “Mark’s message of unity resonated with voters.” 

Consultants and money 

Campaign finance reports filed at the end of April showed Vilhauer spent about $276,000 in the race, and Hill roughly $208,000, making them the top spenders in the field. Each campaign paid more than $100,000 to campaign consultants with ties to Republican candidates. 

Vilhauer embraced anti-Islam messaging that has gained traction in some corners of Texas Republican politics this cycle.  

One campaign text featured black-and-white images of women in hijabs beside the message: “Sharia Law has no place in Frisco … the wrong mayor won’t stop it.” Zook declined to say whether CAZ Consulting produced the text. 

Vilhauer has kept up his anti-Islam rhetoric, calling Islam a terrorist group while picking up endorsements from the Denton County GOP and two Republican state representatives. 

Hill has largely avoided directly attacking Vilhauer, instead urging supporters to keep focusing on a positive message. Some of Hill’s notable donors and volunteers are Muslim.  

Facing the June 13 runoff, both campaigns are already focused on a new challenge: turnout. 

“The runoff is an entirely new race,” Stricklin said. 

Green said she plans to host another neighborhood meet-and-greet to encourage voters traveling during the summer to vote early. 

“It’s going to be tough for both candidates, I fear, to get voters to come back out,” Green said.

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