The race to lead one of North Texas’ fastest-growing cities is headed to a runoff after no candidate won a majority in Saturday’s Frisco mayoral election.
Race Heads To Runoff
Unofficial election-night results posted by the City of Frisco showed Mark Hill leading the four-candidate field with 8,705 votes, or 34.64%. Rod Vilhauer finished second with 7,895 votes, or 31.42%. Shona Sowell received 5,294 votes, or 21.07%, while John Keating received 3,234 votes, or 12.87%.
Hill and Vilhauer were both marked for a runoff in the city’s unofficial tabulation. The Frisco City Council is scheduled to canvass the election at a special called meeting on May 12.
The runoff will determine who succeeds Mayor Jeff Cheney, who was first elected in 2017 and whose current term expires in 2026.
Runoff Creates Clear Contrast
The June race now gives Frisco voters a direct choice between two candidates pitching sharply different styles of leadership.
Hill, a local business attorney who served as Frisco ISD board president and sits on the Frisco Economic Development Corporation board, has campaigned under the message “Unite Frisco.” His campaign says he brings experience across education, economic development, and executive leadership.
Vilhauer, a retired construction business owner, has campaigned on a “Frisco First” message centered on transparency, traffic, smart growth, fiscal responsibility, public safety, and city services. His campaign says he has spent 40 years in Frisco and that his company helped build roads and infrastructure in the city.
Growth And Development Remain Central Issues
Frisco’s next mayor will take office as the city continues to manage major growth, traffic pressure, infrastructure demands, and questions over how the city should handle its remaining land.
The City of Frisco’s 2026 “At A Glance” report listed the city’s estimated population at 245,470 as of January 1, 2026.
Vilhauer’s campaign says Frisco needs a stronger focus on finishing major thoroughfares, reviewing traffic impact studies before large developments, and making sure development deals serve residents rather than connected insiders.
Hill’s campaign says Frisco must manage buildout with discipline, protect established neighborhoods, invest in infrastructure, and keep attracting commercial development to offset the residential tax burden.
Vilhauer Pitches ‘Frisco First’
Vilhauer has framed his campaign as a reset for city government, arguing Frisco needs more transparency and stronger fiscal stewardship as it approaches buildout.
His campaign platform calls for town halls in every quadrant of the city, enforcement of the city ethics code, more scrutiny of city contracts, and an end to “backroom development deals.”
Vilhauer has also emphasized public safety, saying Frisco must fund police, fire, and EMS to keep pace with population growth. His campaign says the city should invest in training, equipment, competitive pay, and mental health resources for first responders.
Hill Campaigns On Unity And Experience
Hill has pitched himself as a consensus-building candidate with experience in schools, economic development, and business.
His campaign says he helped manage a Frisco ISD budget “nearly three times the size of the City’s,” strengthened campus safety as board president, and has a “front-row seat” to economic development through his role on the Frisco EDC board.
Hill’s platform lists public safety, smart growth, low taxes, community unity, infrastructure, transparency, and economic development among his top priorities.
Sharia Concerns Add New Dimension To Race
The runoff also comes after Vilhauer made concerns over Sharia law part of his campaign message.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Vilhauer said Frisco leaders should ensure city policies remain rooted in Texas law and American values.
“Sharia is not a religion. It is a comprehensive legal and governing system that, by its own doctrine, does not recognize the supremacy of the U.S. Constitution or Texas law,” Vilhauer told The Dallas Express.
He added that, if elected, he would ensure “no city contract, policy, or practice accommodates parallel legal systems.”
Vilhauer has framed the issue as a preventative governance question, not as a claim that Frisco has already adopted or enforced Sharia law through city government.
EPIC City Fight Adds Statewide Context
The broader debate has also been playing out elsewhere in North Texas, where state officials have scrutinized Islamic organizations and developments tied to Islamic groups.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Friday that he appealed to the Fifteenth Court of Appeals and stayed a temporary injunction that would have required the Texas Workforce Commission to approve certain fair housing documents tied to the EPIC City development, now known as The Meadow.
“EPIC city developers have sought out any possible way to evade the law and further their development scheme,” Paxton said in a statement. “I will be relentless in ensuring that any attempt by EPIC City to move its development forward in violation of the law is stopped.”
The EPIC City dispute is not part of the Frisco mayoral race, but it has kept questions about religious law, development, state oversight, and local governance in the North Texas political conversation.
Voters Face June Choice
The runoff now gives voters a clearer choice.
Hill is asking residents to back a unity-focused approach built around schools, economic development, public safety, and civic leadership.
Vilhauer is asking voters to choose a businessman’s approach focused on transparency, traffic, fiscal restraint, public safety, and protecting Frisco’s governing framework from outside pressures.
The winner will lead Frisco at a pivotal moment, as one of Texas’ most prominent suburban cities weighs how to manage growth, development, infrastructure, public safety, and a politically charged debate over local governance.
