Reyes, a
Mexican American, was born February 16, 1947, in
Burton,
Texas. He served in the
Marine Corps from 1966 through 1969 for a three-year span, and he served one tour of duty in the
Vietnam War. In 1972, the
Raza Unida Party asked Reyes to run for the
State House under their ticket, but he ran instead as a Democrat Representing District 89, he won re-election three times, receiving over 96% of the vote in 1976. While in the house he served as the vice chairman of the Liquor Regulation Committee and as the chairperson of the Rules committee. In a 1991
Houston Chronicle article, Richard Murray, a political scientist from the
University of Houston, said "Ben was not only a
young Turk, but he was an angry Turk. But Ben has had a 20-year career and, like many people, he is a different person now than when he was first elected." He was forced into a runoff with State Senator
Gene Green (with whom he had served in the Texas House), which he lost by only 180 votes out of 31,508 cast. He challenged Green in the 1994 primary, losing by over 3000. A
Federal Bureau of Investigation sting revealed issues with Reyes. In May 1991 a grand jury from
Harris County indicted Reyes for felony charges, including illegally accepting corporate campaign contributions (taking $51,000
United States dollars to influence votes for a project for a convention center hotel), not using the proper authority while ordering demolition of structures accused of being "
crack houses," and stealing a
magnolia tree. While in the minimum security Georgia prison, Reyes worked as a janitor. Reyes, along with other inmates, submitted a petition to outgoing
President of the United States Bill Clinton asking for a pardon. In June 2006 he was released to an
East End halfway house. In December 2006 he was released from the halfway house and put on probation. A woman Reyes described as a "significant other" picked up Reyes from the halfway house. The probation terms stated that Reyes cannot campaign, run for office, or serve on any boards. He was released from probation in December 2009. Reyes lives in
Spring Branch with his wife, Rosalie Brockman; she was his longtime girlfriend before they married in 2008. As of 2009 Reyes works as a construction supervisor. ==Legacy==