Concerned Citizens

Last week the race for governor of Texas took an interesting turn when Tom Schieffer pulled out of the Democratic primary race and publicly endorsed Mayor Bill White of Houston. The problem is that White is running for the U.S. Senate seat expected to be vacated by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas).  Once Schieffer pulled out the list of Democrats publicly urging and endorsing a presumed White gubernatorial candidacy started growing almost by the hour. White, trying to calm the rising tide right before the Thanksgiving holiday said he would make a decision by Friday of this week on what he would do. Well, we’re less than five days away and Democrats seem to be really hoping for a big Christmas gift this year – a Bill White candidacy for governor.

Several people have expressed their desire for Mayor White to run for governor, largely in part because he seems like the most viable candidate to beat a Republican in 2010. Looking at the other candidates it’s pretty easy to see Democrats really didn’t have a chance against either Gov. Rick Perry or Sen. Hutchison. If anything, most people were expecting moderate Democrats to vote for Hutchison as a more moderate alternative to Perry. Some would probably have even crossed over during the primary just to make sure she was on the ballot in November, possibly skewing the rest of a Democratic ballot.

At this point I don’t think Hutchison stands a chance of beating Perry in March, mostly due to a series of campaign missteps. Hutchison has since postponed her resignation, citing a variety of reasons for the delay. Many see this as handwriting on the wall of a person who started to see her political career ending if she did resign the Senate. Mostly likely she will continue her candidacy and engage in a heated battle with Perry leading up to the primary that could benefit a Democratic candidate. Hutchison will most likely draw out the flaws of Perry’s terms as governor, giving Democrats plenty to amplify going into November.

However, in this post I want to focus on the merits of a White candidacy for the Democratic nomination for governor and possible down ballot impacts. I’m not the only one examining this possible situation. Over at the newly launched Texas Tribune Charles Kuffner of Off the Kuff and David Benzion of Lone Star Times are in an e-mail debate of White’s terms as mayor of Houston. Heck, even Paul Burka of Texas Monthly has already started his speculation. I started a preliminary review of the possible announcement last week after Schieffer’s exit.

Executive Skills

To start with is White’s executive management of a major government entity and the success he has achieved as mayor of Houston. According to an article in the December edition of Texas Monthly White appears to be a consensus builder, having passed more than 13,o00 votes in Houston City Council and losing only three shows White is about working for solutions. He has helped provide fiscal responsibility for Houston, including shoring up the city’s pension fund and managing through revenue shortfalls to keep the city’s budget balanced. Granted, managing 14 members of council is nothing like managing the Texas legislature but it shows White strives for consensus which Texans need these days unlike Gov. Perry who enjoys partisan politics.

Having the ability to manage consensus and achieve results is something Texas so desperately needs at this point. With a governor who can’t even seem to work within his own administration or the boards he appoints has put Texas into a state of turmoil too many times. Perry has put his personal agenda ahead of serving Texans quite a few times, most recently in changes to the Forensics Board and the information agency. While the need for a change at the information agency probably seems merited almost the entire IBM contract has been executed on Perry’s watch.

Crisis Management

But consensus can only get you so far. You need tangible actions to show you are more than just statements and promises. White has proven that in Houston and during his prior careers. The most notable was his actions taken in the aftermath of both Katrina and Ike. After Katrina, when the federal government was still laying blame on why there were residents stuck in New Orleans and praising a FEMA director that ultimately resigned due to incompetence, White began mobilizing Houston to accept those residents who could not stay in New Orleans with the conditions that existed.

Interestingly enough Perry took no action during this time and would later show his lack of preparedness when Rita threatened to hit Houston. During that evacuation Perry’s lack of attention on the issue resulted in extensive traffic jams and fuel shortages on the interstates because Perry and his administration waited too late to contraflow the system. Fortunately Perry realized the issue and better evacuation plans were implemented before Hurricane Ike a few years later. During Ike White took a more proactive approach to dealing with the aftermath than was taken in New Orleans with Rita. While the biggest issues were water and power, Houston recovered more quickly and major portions of the city came back online sooner.

Energy Leadership

White has also been proactive in terms of energy policy, having served under former Pres. Clinton as Deputy Secretary of Energy. During his term as mayor of Houston he has led the city on a path to energy sustainment and efficiency, establishing the Office of Environmental Programming. Under his leadership Houston has been working to become a leader in green technologies and energy sustainment. Recently he unveiled a plan to convert 10 of the city’s Prius cars to electric and establish 15 plug-in stations. During Netroots Nation he spoke at a panel discussion on energy security (article with video) and explained his views on energy independence.

Texas is an energy state and it is imperative the state claim it’s place in America’s next revolution – the energy revolution. Where Perry has done little to move Texas forward and seems at times to be more beholding to old oil ideas White is working with Houston to look towards energy alternatives as solutions. One of his goals was to build a home that would be completely sustainable. White said during a meeting in August that even during the hottest months in Houston the house actually had negative energy consumption. Pres. Obama, in a meeting with mayors, said that Houston could be considered a model for energy efficiency. This is the kind of energy leadership needed for Texas at this time, not continual bashing of “cap and trade” without offering alternatives.

Integrity and Accountability

Another set of traits critical to giving Texans a sense that they can trust the office of Governor is having integrity and accountability. White has exhibited these traits throughout his career as mayor as noted in the article in Texas Monthly. “He has instilled confidence, and he has gotten people to trust him to such a degree that people have this feeling that the city is in great shape because Bill White has been taking care of it for six years,” says Nancy Sims, a longtime observer of Houston politics who writes a popular political blog, texas-musings.com. There are many incidents of Perry’s frivolous attitude within the office such as a recent trip to Las Vegas for political purposes that had more to do with his son’s bachelor party than Texas issues.

Electable

One thing to consider as Democrats prepare to take on either Gov. Perry or Sen. Hutchison is fielding a candidate that would pose a serious challenge on the ballot, a candidate that is electable. While many liberals within the Democratic Party feel having a candidate that promotes their ideas is critical to the end result, if moderates and independents can’t stand behind the candidate it’s really all for naught. Likewise, having a candidate that can garner statewide recognition on the ballot is also a critical factor in being considered electable.

Up until this point Schieffer was the only one of the Democratic candidates that seemed to provide some aspects of either trait. However, Schieffer’s ties to the Bush administration and his absence from core Democratic activities gave too many Democrats suspicions of his motives. In an interview with Todd Hill at the Burnt Orange Report Schieffer mentioned how this hindered his ability to raise funds. “What kept happening to me was always, ‘you need to do one more thing before I can make a financial commitment,’” said Scheiffer.

The Right Choice

In the end, when you look at the factors it’s apparent that the best choice for not only the Democratic Party but Texas in general would be a Bill White candidacy for governor. It would provide a leader Texans could rally behind and also help potential down ballot office including the Lt. Governor. Many had speculated that Sen. Leticia Van De Putte (D-San Antonio) would make a good candidate for governor. I personally feel she would be a great Lt. Governor and would provide additional energy to a ballot with Mayor White at the top. Having the two in Austin could help advance Texas in so many ways. Van De Putte’s experience and understanding of the Senate would help White achieve the consensus approach he will bring. It would also provide a better environment for Speaker Straus, if Republicans continue to hold the majority in the House, who has stated many times his desire for consensus.

Apparently a news conference has been called for Friday at noon at the Hilton of the Americas in Houston by Mayor White’s campaign. Hopefully we’ll have the answer we’ve all been looking for – Bill White announcing his candidacy for governor of Texas.