LIBERTY HILL, Texas — After a year hit with controversy, Liberty Hill Mayor Rick Hall has lost reelection in Williamson County. Hall earned 45% of the votes (502) and his opponent, Liz Branigan, earned 55% (606).
Branigan has served on the city parks board and the city art council at the City of Liberty Hill. She also has a background in nursing, formerly serving as a registered nurse at Holy Cross Hospital of Taos, New Mexico, and Parkland Hospital in Dallas.
During her campaign, Branigan said she aimed to restore ethics in City leadership, accountability to taxpayers, community pools and parks, and development driven by the needs of citizens.
Mayor Hall made headlines in 2020 after the firing of Liberty Hill Police Chief Maverick Campbell in March. The tipping point was an incident at an Atlantic City conference in which Campbell was accused of throwing a chair and knocking over a trash can during an argument with his wife.
The incident led to an investigation and the eventual termination of Campbell. Hall and other councilmembers also mentioned that an internal investigation and discussions with police officers suggested an environment and culture of harassment within the department. However, Campbell argued that he had the full support of his officers during his tenure and eventually filed a lawsuit over his termination.
In the suit, Campbell states Hall has a "sick fetish" with the police department and listed various claims, including that Hall impersonated an officer, violated the department's ride-along policy, and that he demanded that Campbell order him a red and blue flashing light for Hall's City vehicle.
The suit also mentions a City retreat at Canyon of the Eagles in Burnet County, in which Hall was accused of using racial slurs against Campbell's children, who are biracial.
"They were playing in the sand," Campbell said. "The boys were just, you know, playfully tugging on [Hall's] shirt, and that's when he came out and called them the N-word and say he's going to hang them from a tree."
Hall denied these claims, however, both men said there was plenty of drinking taking place at the retreat. Campbell also claimed that the mayor was too drunk to walk properly, and Hall claimed the Campbells had to be escorted back to their cabin.
Although it was looking into the incident, the Burnet County Sheriff's Office said it has ceased investigating this case.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: