Carrollton Mayor Ron Branson encourages citizens to express opinions

by Minnie Payne

CARROLLTON — Ron Branson, 61-year-old Carrollton Mayor, was serving his second term as a Carrollton councilman in 2006 when he had to resign in order to have a heart transplant. But he didn’t let that stop him from running for mayor in the May 2008 election.

“Several people encouraged me to run, but we [council] really wanted Matthew Marchant to run against Becky Miller,” Branson said. “Matthew let me know the day before filing day that he wouldn’t run.”

“We all [council] agreed that somebody needed to run, so I decided to run.”

Out of the seven council members, Branson said that only two endorsed Miller.

Branson was born and raised in and around Greensboro, North Carolina. After graduating from Southeast Guilford High School in 1965, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, serving four years in Texas, California, Vietnam, and Maryland.

After his military tour, he was employed in a number of communications/computer related jobs, including the American Red Cross, the Greensboro Daily News & Record, Burlington Industries, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida, Burlington Industries again, First Tennessee Bank of Memphis, and Lomas Mortgage. He retired in 2005 as a vice president with MBNA Information Technology. While working these various jobs, he went to school part time, taking two or three courses per semester, and earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Economics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1980. In 1986, he earned his master’s degree in Information Technology Management from the University of Dallas.

Branson lived in a rural area near Greensboro, North Carolina until he was in the eighth grade, and his family moved closer to the city where he was able to enjoy indoor plumbing.

“Dad was a weaver for Burlington Industries,” he said. “He had an eighth grade education, while mom attended 11th grade, but didn’t graduate.

“Dad left the cotton mill and started to work for P. Lorillord Cigarette Company where mom was also employed.”

When Branson decided to run for mayor this year, he decided not to take any campaign contributions.

“I didn’t want the perception that I owed anything,” he said. “I spent $9,700 of my personal money on the campaign, and it’s my hope that my $375 mayoral monthly salary at the end of three years will pay me back.”

When something really needs to be done, he said that he makes sure that people are backing him. When he ran for mayor he identified several issues to use in the campaign and narrowed them down to about four that resonated with citizens. First, he determined that illegal immigration remains a hot topic in the community. Second, he represents Christian values and does that without apology. Third, he thought that better communication and decorum was needed from leadership.

“I believe that everyone should have an opportunity to respectfully voice their opinions at council meetings and that was not previously occurring,” he said. “Also, as long as people are respectful and they want to applaud, let them do so.”

The fourth issue is travel expenses. If travel doesn’t have a direct impact on the city, he said that his philosophy is that it shouldn’t take place.

“My predecessor made several trips that did not have a direct impact on our city,” he said. “After election, immediately the city withdrew from three organizations that had no benefits which saved us $38,000 a year, plus the associated travel expense.

“Those organizations are TX-21, North Texas Commission and the Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition.

Making a difference he said is what he enjoys most about being mayor.

He dislikes the inability to make things move faster.

“I find myself having to stay on top of items and asking a lot of questions,” he said.

John Mahalik, Deputy Mayor Pro Tem, was a backer of Branson when he was contemplating running for mayor.

“When Ron was on city council and now as mayor he has always been a proponent for allowing people to express their ideas and views,” Mahalik said. “If a group wants something for the community, he’s willing to listen.”