A dispute over a proposed mayoral endorsement in Frisco has escalated into a lawsuit inside the Collin County Republican Party.
The controversy centers on whether Collin County GOP Executive Committee members could vote to endorse Rod Vilhauer in the Frisco mayoral runoff against Mark Hill.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Vilhauer and Hill advanced to the runoff after neither candidate secured a majority in the May election.
Hill is a local business attorney who previously served as Frisco ISD board president and currently sits on the Frisco Economic Development Corporation board. His campaign has focused on a “Unite Frisco” message centered on education, economic development, and executive leadership.
Vilhauer, a retired construction business owner, has campaigned on a “Frisco First” platform focused on transparency, traffic, smart growth, fiscal responsibility, public safety, and city services.
The intraparty dispute has drawn attention in part because Collin County GOP Chairman Byron Henry is a co-founder of Henry Hill Attorneys & Counselors with Hill.
The firm’s website says Henry Hill was founded by Mark Hill and Byron Henry after the two attorneys spent decades practicing law and saw what business clients needed.
The endorsement dispute began during the May 4 Executive Committee meeting, when a precinct chair introduced a motion to endorse Vilhauer. According to a recording reviewed by The Dallas Express, Henry ruled the motion out of order and said endorsements must proceed through the Candidate Committee process established in party rules.
Henry later announced before adjournment that the party would likely move the regularly scheduled June 1 Executive Committee meeting to June 22, according to the recording.
Some precinct chairs have argued the Executive Committee never formally approved the change, while party leadership has maintained Henry properly announced the later meeting date.
A group of precinct chairs subsequently gathered signatures and issued notice for a June 1 meeting, citing provisions in the party bylaws that they argued allowed members to call a meeting under certain circumstances.
The Collin County Republican Party later filed suit against precinct chairs Rachel Elliott, Jim Herblin, and Lee Breckenridge-Moore.
The lawsuit asked a court to issue a temporary restraining order preventing organizers from presenting the June 1 gathering as an official party meeting or conducting official party business under the party’s name.
The dispute has drawn criticism from Republican activists and commentators.
“Instead of focusing on beating Democrats in November, Collin County GOP leadership is suing three of their OWN precinct chairs to STOP the endorsement of the non-establishment candidate in the Frisco mayor race. YES!” Kambree Nelson wrote on X.
Collin County Republican activist Collin Aguilar Epstein argued the controversy stems from concerns about Henry’s public support for Hill.
“Byron Henry did not have permission from the CCGOP Executive Committee to use his official title to endorse his law partner, Mark Hill,” Epstein told The Dallas Express.
“There is no disclaimer stating that titles are for identification purposes only. Most people are assuming that the CCGOP endorsed Mark. That is why tonight’s meeting to endorse Rod Vilhauer was necessary,” she added.
The Dallas Express reached out to Henry for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
