October 19, 2010

Liberal Bill White left behind a disastrous fiscal legacy in Houston, where his contributor-appointees nearly ran Houston Metro into the ground and the city’s expenses exceeded its revenues every year he was mayor, resulting in $1.7 billion in operating losses for the city under Bill White.

“In the final days of this campaign, Bill White continues to hide from his disastrous fiscal mismanagement of Houston and the fact that his political donors nearly ran Houston Metro into the ground,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “Bill White is clearly in a state of denial.”

Every Bill White appointee to the Houston Metro board contributed to his campaigns, as WFAA-TV has reported. “Campaign finance records show that since 2003 — when he first ran for mayor — White's five appointees to the Houston Metro transit board and their spouses gave him about $85,000 in campaign money. Some $50,000 came from real estate developer David Wolff and his wife. White picked Wolff to be Metro chairman.” [1]

Metro’s illegal actions have jeopardized a $900 million grant and will cost the city at least $40 million. [2, 3]

Every year Bill White was mayor, Houston’s expenses exceeded its revenues. [4]

As a result, Houston suffered $1.7 billion in operating losses under Bill White. [5]

The city of Houston’s annual financial report explains: “The statement of net assets presents information on all of the City of Houston’s assets and liabilities, with the difference between the assets and liabilities reported as net assets. Over time, increase and decreases in net assets may serve as a useful indicator of whether the financial position of the City of Houston is improving or deteriorating.” [6]

October 14, 2010

“Bill White’s latest false attack ad from his trial lawyer friends is nothing more than an attempt to divert attention from the fact that Bill White profited from a company he had a financial relationship with in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “In order to respond immediately, the state of Texas used general revenue funds for expenses incurred in response to Hurricane Ike, funds that were later reimbursed by the federal government and returned to the state’s general revenue fund and appropriated by the Texas legislature.”

From H.B. 4586 passed by the 81st Texas legislature:

SECTION 6. PRESERVATION BOARD OR HISTORICAL COMMISSION: RESTORATION OF THE GOVERNOR ’S MANSION. Out of reimbursements received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for expenditures that were paid for with funds transferred from the Health and Human Services Commission to the Department of Public Safety during the state fiscal year ending August 31, 2009, an amount not to exceed $11,000,000 is appropriated for the two-year period beginning on the effective date of this Act, in addition to other amounts appropriated for the state fiscal biennium ending August 31, 2009, for costs associated with the restoration of the Governor’s Mansion. The appropriation is to: (1) the State Preservation Board, contingent on the enactment and becoming law of S.B. 2307 or similar legislation by the 81st Legislature in regular session that imposes responsibility on the State Preservation Board for the preservation and maintenance of the Governor’s Mansion; or (2) the Texas Historical Commission, if the 81st Legislature in regular session does not enact S.B. 2307 or similar legislation that becomes law that imposes responsibility on the State Preservation Board for the preservation and maintenance of the Governor’s Mansion.
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/81R/billtext/pdf/HB04586F.pdf#navpa...

S.B. 2307 became law May 27, 2009.
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB...

October 12, 2010

With his failing campaign quickly running out of money, liberal trial lawyer Bill White has pulled his advertising from 22 television stations in seven different Texas markets: Abilene, Amarillo, Beaumont, Harlingen, Midland-Odessa, Shreveport, and Waco. [1]

In an attempt to distract from this evidence of Bill White’s imploding campaign, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine is now attacking Gov. Perry on Bill White’s behalf. [2]

“Once again Bill White is enlisting the Obama attack machine in an effort to breathe life into a campaign on life support,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “With no ideas, reduced advertising and limited resources, Bill White is running on empty with three weeks to go until election day.”

October 7, 2010

Texas Watchdog has released a new report titled, “Bill White's city of Houston travel forms missing business purpose, other details.” (Full report below and online at http://www.texaswatchdog.org/2010/10/bill-whites-city-of-houston-travel-...)

Included in the report is a $1,609.50 plane ticket Bill White used to travel to Washington, D.C., from Jan. 18-20, 2009. The airfare was purchased on Nov. 5, 2008, the day after President Obama was elected, and his inauguration was Jan. 20, 2009. [1]

Bill White’s official mayoral calendar reveals that while in Washington from Jan. 18-20, 2009, Bill White met with one of President Obama’s top fundraisers and held political meetings to benefit his campaign for the U.S. Senate. [2]

“Bill White needs to explain his political travel while mayor of Houston,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “Throughout this campaign, Bill White has tried to re-invent himself, leaving questions unanswered about his business and political past. Bill White needs to come clean and apologize to the people of Houston for using the Mayor’s office as his own personal travel agency.”

On Jan. 19, 2009, Bill White met with Kirk Rudy, a top Obama fundraiser who helped introduce President Obama during an August 2010 fundraiser in Austin. [3, 4]

The night before, Bill White attended a dinner organized by his chief political fundraiser that the Houston Chronicle described like this: “There are other more intimate Texas-related happenings in the coming days, and one of the more interesting is a Sunday night dinner hosted by a handful of Texas couples at the swank Hay Adams Hotel. It’s been billed as everything from a salute to the Texas congressional delegation to a thank-you for Obama supporters from Texas. We hear, however that the underlying purpose of the gathering for around 100 is a salute to Houston Mayor Bill White and his wife, Andrea, as he tosses his hat into the ring for the U.S. Senate seat expected to be vacated by Kay Bailey Hutchison.” [5]