Houston mayor to run for governor, answers Victoria-specific questions
Houston Mayor Bill White, center, shakes hands with supporters after announcing Friday his decision to run for Texas governor.
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Houston Mayor Bill White ditched his Democratic run for the U.S. Senate on Friday and announced a campaign for Texas governor.
"I don't have the polish of career politicians," White said. "As a businessman and mayor, I know how to be accountable for results, not just rhetoric."
White was first elected as Houston mayor in 2003 and was twice re-elected with margins averaging 88 percent, according to his campaign.
He abandoned his U.S. Senate bid in part after the leading Democratic gubernatorial candidate dropped out last week, he said.
During his tour Friday, he answered phone questions posed by the Victoria Advocate.
Q: Victoria is a proposed location for a nuclear power plant. What is your view on nuclear power?
A: Nuclear power for the nation can be an option and should be an option we consider for the future of this country. Nuclear can be an option, the extent to which depends on the immediate environmental and financial consequences. I don't think the government should dictate how much nuclear power is used.
Q: If elected, would you help to ensure Exelon Nuclear receives the federal loan guarantees it says it needs?
A: Politics should not have that much to do with it. Listen, I'm an expert of the utility business. I know the business. I'll be a resource for the business. I wouldn't push nuclear power down the throat of a community that didn't want one, though.
Q: Victoria sits in an active human and drug smuggling corridor. How would you better secure the border with Mexico?
A: We need real immigration reform at the federal government to separate those who come here lawfully to do trade in the border areas from those who come here illegally. We have to stop narcotics traffickers. Too often, we concentrate so much in the border areas and forget about places such as Victoria. Our top priority is to get the top federal funding. Texans shouldn't have to pay for this.
Q: Would you give relief to counties such as Victoria County that implement unfunded state mandates, such as jailing deadbeat dads?
A: I'm against unfunded mandates. I've been the mayor of a city. I've had unfunded mandates by the state and federal government. One thing I'd do is to eliminate those unfunded state mandates. You do it by changing laws.
Q: During the past decade, many rural Texas counties that grew witnessed only moderate population and job growth. What can you do to spur growth in rural areas?
A: I've been a business person. I know how to attract jobs. We can attract jobs in this state by an improved education system, making sure our workers have the skills employers need. Rural Texas has a lot going for it: friendly people, an affordable cost of living. Growing jobs for the future requires skills and education.
