Tom and Toni Fabry have become an effective political force in Texas politics, although their remarkable modesty would incline them to reject such an accolade. That’s due in large part to the Fabry’s willingness to roll up their sleeves for the benefit of fellow Texans—not for popularity’s sake, but because citizen-governance is what America’s celebrated heritage was uniquely founded upon.

Simply put, it’s the right thing to do.

Their overarching goal is to help stop and roll back the encroachment on individual freedom by government at all levels—local, state and federal. “Politicians aren’t going to do it for us,” they insisted. “We hope to inspire others to get more involved.”

The Fabrys both hail from humble, Midwest beginnings in Kincaid and Taylorville, Illinois.  In fact, Mr. and Mrs. Fabry were classmates at Kincaid High School. Since then, they’ve forged a symbiotic relationship worthy of recognition and one strongly rooted in teamwork and shared values.

Military life has taken them to Ft. Meade, Maryland, Springfield, Illinois, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, before finally “escaping to Texas,” settling first in Colleyville in 1997 before migrating to Frisco in 2003.

Like so many Americans, Toni proudly shared the story of her fraternal grandparent’s immigration to the U.S. from Lithuania via Ellis Island over 100 years ago. As newlyweds, they chose to leave their loved ones to escape Communist Russia’s takeover of their nation. They sought freedom and an opportunity to raise their nine children in a better place.

Today, Toni proudly displays their original citizenship papers as a reminder of their sacrifices and love for the U.S. and the hope it still offers to millions of disaffected dreamers around the globe.

The Fabrys have dedicated their retirement to various forms of community service, including political activism. But they shy away from the “activist” label, because to them, citizen-engagement is a duty, not a hobby.

“Tom has been engaged since the 1970s, when he and several neighbors led a fight against their city’s plan to build a concentrated low-income housing development,” Toni recalled, “…it was a fight that nearly unseated a sitting mayor and resulted in a distributed rental support program instead of a new Cabrini-Green development.”

Mr. Fabry added, “Toni engaged later when Hillary-Care was being discussed and then took a leadership role in grassroots politics when Obamacare was being cooked up in Washington.”

The most profound “trigger event” for the Fabrys was a local issue, one that hit extremely close to home—literally. “Frisco ISD decided to build an elementary school adjacent to our home, taking a site zoned residential that would have been neighboring homes, putting a school bus parking lot next to our kitchen window and routing seven-hundred cars through our neighborhood’s narrow streets twice a day,” Toni said. “We learned that government ISDs have effectively unlimited power for eminent domain and displayed a shocking arrogance by refusing to meet with people whose lives they are directly impacting.”

Mr. Fabry continued, “Rapid organization, petitions and public presentations to city council and the school board were the starting point that eventually forced the district to accept our locally developed plan to redesign the school, eliminate the additional traffic on our streets, and turn the bus parking lot into a playfield.”

The traumatic experience lit a fire that has yet to burn out. “Since then, Toni has become a force in local politics and helped lead a referendum petition drive and election campaign which actually revoked the city council’s authority to spend funds from a previously approved bond proposition for a taxpayer financed arts center,” Mr. Fabry added.

The Fabrys are a remarkable team. Her organizing skills and his analytical abilities have blended to initiate projects dealing with local bond issues, property taxes, city council and trustee races, waste and mismanagement at the Education Service Centers and most recently, legislative advocacy for education and election reform.

Mrs. Fabry is Chair of the Frisco Tea Party, while Mr. Fabry is Treasurer.  He is also President of a Special Purpose PAC.  Both are active in the local HOA and their parish of St. Francis of Assisi.  They also serve on two Grassroots Advisory Boards—one for the Lt. Governor, the other, the Texas State Comptroller.

The Fabrys have been married for forty-seven years.  Although they weren’t blessed with children of their own, they have over fifty nieces and nephews. They dedicate spare time to their families and to the network of friends they’ve developed from their many moves across the country.

But the Fabrys love Texas, and for the foreseeable future, they’re not moving. Texas is undoubtedly better served with them here.

Ross Kecseg

Ross Kecseg was the president of Texas Scorecard. He passed away in 2020. A native North Texan, he was raised in Denton County. Ross studied Economics at Arizona State University with an emphasis on Public Policy and U.S. Constitutional history. Ross was an avid golfer, automotive enthusiast, and movie/music junkie. He was a loving husband and father.

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