Wes Pierson begins his role as Frisco's second-ever City Manager

Wes Pierson was given two pieces of advice when he walked out the door of his home Tuesday morning. 

“Make friends,” his 6-year-old son told him. 

“Do your best,” his 12-year-old daughter said. 

And with that, Pierson set out for his first official day on the job as Frisco’s new City Manager. 

Tuesday marked the beginning of a new era for Frisco as Pierson, Frisco’s second-ever city manager, began his role. While he was in the office by about 8 a.m. that day, he’ll tell you his day started a bit earlier than that. 

The week has been a busy one as both Pierson and the city of Frisco move into a new phase. 

“There are a lot of important things that are going on that need to keep moving forward,” Pierson said, “so we’ve got a great team that I get to rely on, so while I’m learning, they get to keep the momentum going in the right direction, and I get to ask questions and get up to speed and then help contribute to making things successful.” 

Pierson was named Frisco’s newest City Manager in late May. The announcement followed a nation-wide search to fill the position and came almost one year after it was announced that George Purefoy, Frisco’s first City Manager, would be retiring following 34 years of service to the city. Purefoy’s last day on the job was June 30. 

In a previous interview with the Frisco Enterprise discussing the City Manager selection process, Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney characterized Pierson as a developer of talent, someone who has a well-balanced approach to leadership, both internal and external, as well as being personable and a visionary thinker. 

"So you pull all those elements together, and he checked every box that we had," Cheney said at the time. "We could not find a weakness in his resume and in his approach, and he fit everything that we were looking for as a council." 

For Pierson, both his short- and long-term goals involve building trust. 

“That’s my personal mission, to build and maintain trust, because I believe strongly that with trust, you can do a lot of things — almost anything — and without it you can do nothing,” he said. 

He’s also looking to learn all things Frisco as quickly as possible as he moves into the role. 

It’s no small task — during a Tuesday night City Council meeting, Cheney likened the experience to drinking through a firehose.  

But in the face of that firehose, Pierson is mindful of his approach.   

“If you try to look at everything in its totality all at once, it can be overwhelming, but where I find success, in this kind of an environment is to understand what I can control and what I can’t, and just focusing on one thing at a time,” he said.

He likens it to a 20-mile march. 

“How do you finish a 20-mile march?” he asks, “It’s one step at a time, and you just keep going, and you’re disciplined in what you do, and you’ll get there.” 

Pierson comes to Frisco after having served as city manager in Addison since 2015. He had worked in other locations beforehand: he was named assistant to the city manager with the city of Allen in 2009, according to the Texas Municipal League. He became an assistant city manager in Allen in 2011, and he then began working as assistant city manager in Corpus Christi in 2012. 

He describes his reason for coming to Frisco in two quick words: 

“It’s special,” he said. “It’s special because of the people, and I left a place that was special as well, and so because I knew what special looked like, I could see that here.”  

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On Tuesday night, Pierson got home at around 9:45 p.m. His first day had ended with a City Council meeting complete with discussions about what is happening in Frisco, including budget updates, public works rundowns and zoning at the Fields development. 

When returned home to his wife and five children, he received a round of applause as he walked through the door.

“It was a lot of fun,” Pierson  said. “We’re a tight group.” 

Soon after, they asked if he had indeed made friends and tried his best. 

The answer was yes and yes.