Unite Frisco rally draws crowd before mayoral runoff vote

A packed crowd filled Frisco Hall on Wednesday night as Mark Hill’s campaign turned its “Unite Frisco” message into a final stretch appeal before Saturday’s mayoral runoff. The event at The Event Center, 5353 Independence Pkwy, was built around Hill supporters, local community leaders and civic advocates, all gathered to project momentum in a race that has become one of the most closely watched contests in Frisco.

The rally was organized by the Mark Hill for Frisco Mayor campaign and framed as a celebration of unity, diversity and civic engagement. That message lands in a city where voters are being asked to choose Frisco’s next mayor after Jeff Cheney reached his term limit following his elections in 2017 and 2023. Cheney’s exit has opened the seat at a time when the city is grappling with rapid growth and sharper debate over what kind of city Frisco should become.

Hill entered the runoff ahead after the May 2 general election, when he drew 8,705 votes, or 34.64%, in the four-candidate field. Rod Vilhauer finished second with 7,895 votes, or 31.42%, forcing a runoff after no candidate crossed the 50% threshold. The Frisco City Council canvassed those results on May 12 and officially called the runoff for Saturday, June 13.

Turnout will decide the outcome. Early voting ran from June 1 through June 9, and election day voting on June 13 will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The final electorate will be drawn from a city that has grown from 200,509 residents in the 2020 census to an estimated 236,955 by July 1, 2025, with the U.S. Census Bureau listing Frisco as 28.1% Asian and 12.7% Hispanic.

That demographic reality has made the runoff more than a simple contest over management style. Hill has run on a “Unite Frisco” message, while Vilhauer has campaigned under “Frisco First,” emphasizing transparency, traffic, smart growth, fiscal responsibility, public safety and city services. The race has also unfolded amid controversy over anti-Muslim comments and rhetoric directed at Frisco’s South Asian community, giving the runoff a cultural and civic edge that could shape both turnout and how voters judge the city’s next mayor.