Text Size
Print
Email
Top Stories
- Text Size
- Print
- Email
McKinney City Council candidate’s criminal record from 1990s exposed by rival
A candidate’s checkered past surfaced this week during early voting in the McKinney City Council runoff election.
Businessman Chuck Branch faces scrutiny over past arrests and money troubles as voters head to the polls for a second time. They will decide between Branch and engineer Pablo Ruiz for the District 4 council seat.
“Life’s not about whether you get knocked down but whether you get back up,” Branch said by email. “I’ve shared my past with my supporters and endorsers, and I am humbled by their continued overwhelming support and encouragement.”
Ruiz pointed out Branch’s criminal record on Facebook late Tuesday after learning about the Dallas County arrests from the 1990s, saying he believed voters should be aware of the information.
“It’s unfortunate that this part of his life has come out in this way,” Ruiz said Thursday. “If he had disclosed it himself, he could have explained a lot more.
“My bigger concern is that it was not shared up front.”
Independent of Ruiz’s online post, the political action committee McKinney Watchdog received several anonymous tips last weekend. It posted the public records it found on Facebook on Wednesday morning.
The Dallas County misdemeanor arrests are for failure to leave ID, public intoxication and driving while intoxicated, as well as two speeding charges. Records show Branch received probation on the 1990 charge of failure to leave ID and the 1997 DWI charge. He completed deferred adjudication probation in the other three arrests from 1993 and 1994.
“I am being attacked by my opponent for alcohol-related incidents that happened 18-plus years ago,” Branch wrote in his email. “Since this time I have developed a relationship with the Lord, and through his grace I have led a sober life for many years.”
McKinney Watchdog uncovered a 2007 lawsuit against Branch over unpaid HOA dues. It also found a state lien from the Texas Workforce Commission for unemployment taxes.
Collin County records show a 2011 eviction notice by a mortgage company over the same home where Branch had the overdue HOA fees.
“Unfortunately, like many entrepreneurs, my company took a downturn along with the economy [2010/2011], and we lost everything, including our home,” Branch wrote.
He explained that the lien came when his company incorporated and switched from contract labor to full-time employees. The amount owed was paid in full, he said. The HOA dues were also settled.
Both Branch and Ruiz are first-time political candidates seeking to replace council member Ray Ricchi, who reached term limits.
Branch, 47, runs Valiant Employment Services, which helps people with disabilities find jobs. His campaign website includes a long list of endorsements, including Collin County Sheriff Terry Box, the McKinney Police Association and Texans for Fiscal Responsibility. He also noted his service helping students through the Partners in Education program and the McKinney Police and Fire Scholarship Fund.
Ruiz, 46, is a West Point graduate and longtime licensed professional engineer for Texas Instruments. His campaign website emphasizes his lengthy list of community service. It includes volunteering on the McKinney Economic Development Corporation board, the city’s Building and Standards Commission, his HOA board, Boy Scouts and McKinney band boosters.
McKinney Watchdog chairwoman Laura Kayata said her group has published wrongdoing by city leaders in the past. She said she considers Branch a friend but treated him no differently.
“This is America. Everybody loves a comeback and second chances,” said Kayata, who does not live in District 4. The problem, she said, is “the omission of the offenses.”
She said her group believes transparency is key for any city leader.
“If you cannot handle your personal finances, how can you handle multiple millions of dollars for a city?” she asked.
Local political consultant Tracy Gamble, who is not involved in the McKinney race, said a history of arrests and money troubles aren’t necessarily harmful to a political campaign.
“Many elected officials today are getting caught in a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ scenario — and nothing makes voters as angry as hypocrisy,” Gamble said. “The public doesn’t need a candidate to be perfect, but they do want integrity and authenticity.”
Brian Mayes, a local political consultant not involved with the McKinney race, questioned the timing of the information, saying the last-minute release sounded fishy. Some voters, he said, might also be turned off by Ruiz calling attention to his opponent’s criminal past.
“You do need to hold your elected officials to a higher standard, but at the same time, everybody is human,” Mayes said. “Voters are very forgiving as long as you show that you made a mistake and show that you took steps to resolve those mistakes.”
2024 The Background Investigator. All Rights Reserved.