The curious case of Ron Reynolds, poised for re-election despite 'bad acts'

The moment when deputies led state Rep. Ron Reynolds from a courtroom to the Montgomery County jail on Nov. 23, 2015, might reasonably have been seen as the end of his political career. Incarceration does not inspire confidence in voters or donors.

Yet now, almost a year after the lawyer's conviction on five misdemeanor charges of illegally soliciting clients, Reynolds appears poised to win a fourth term representing District 27 in eastern Fort Bend County. Because of Reynolds' high name recognition and the district's penchant for straight-ticket Democratic voting, among other factors, analysts see little chance of an upset by his Republican challenger, Ken Bryant, a former Fort Bend Independent School District trustee.

A victory by Reynolds would be a remarkable turnaround after a cascade of legal setbacks and revelations involving his law practice. Among the more recent highlights:

His law license was suspended in May. This month, he filed for bankruptcy in the face of $1.3 million in debt. At least two former clients have won civil judgments against him this year, including $504,000 awarded last April to a woman who says Reynolds cheated her out of half of her share of a settlement after her daughter was killed in a traffic accident. He denies the allegation.

There's more. In the criminal case, Montgomery County prosecutors filed a notice of "extraneous offenses and other bad acts" involving Reynolds. This document lists 47 items, including two previous suspensions of Reynolds' law license for violating professional conduct rules; 10 instances of failing to file campaign finance reports or personal financial disclosures on time; three court orders to collect fines levied by the Texas Ethics Commission; 18 instances of using toll roads without paying the toll; a court order to repossess his 1995 BMW; 10 lawsuits, at least five of which ended in settlements or judgments against Reynolds; and 17 instances of improperly soliciting clients.

The real test of the effect of these embarrassments on Reynolds' political prospects came in the Democratic primary last spring.

Reynolds placed first among four candidates on March 1, then defeated first-time candidate Angelique Bartholomew in the May runoff by about 200 votes out of some 4,000 cast. Reynolds touted endorsements from a number of prominent elected officials, including Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.

Touts job performance

Speaking by phone on Thursday, Reynolds took pains to distinguish between the shambles of his personal and legal affairs and his performance in office.

"With very few exceptions, my constituents have expressed a strong satisfaction with me as a representative," said Reynolds, who is the county's first African-American state representative since Reconstruction. "They have been able to set aside what would arguably be personal matters and judge me by the work that I do as their state representative in the district."

Conventional wisdom, of course, holds that voters care deeply about a candidate's character. Reynolds' experience raises questions about what shapes voters' perceptions of a candidate.

His criminal conviction, bankruptcy and law license suspension were widely publicized, but he says voters are giving him the benefit of the doubt - a benefit he has earned.

"When people are local," the Missouri City Democrat said, "they know me, they see me at the churches, they see me at the schools and civic club meetings. We do strong constituent services, making sure that we are a voice for them in Austin."

Perhaps a handshake at a PTA meeting or a quick response to a neighborhood issue will hold more sway with voters than a news article about how an elected official runs his private legal practice. But I wonder if Reynolds' backers had considered what might happen if he lost his appeal. Jurors sentenced him to up to a year in jail, and he won't be a very effective advocate if he is behind bars.

I asked the chairwoman of Fort Bend County's Democratic party, Cynthia Ginyard, if she was concerned that Reynolds' legal morass might affect his ability to represent the district effectively.

"No comment," she said.

When I asked Turner's spokeswoman, Janice Evans, if the Houston mayor still supports Reynolds, she relayed this response: "This is a very sad situation. I have known Representative Reynolds for a long time. I'm praying for him and everyone else involved."

One vote Reynolds won't be getting is that of Nancy Ann Calloway, the former client whose daughter was killed at age 23.

Calloway had planned to use part of her settlement to buy a headstone for her daughter, April Cherisse. Calloway told me she won't make that purchase until the dispute with Reynolds is resolved, which won't happen until his bankruptcy case is sorted out.

"When my daughter rests in peace," she said, "I will get the headstone."