Jimmy Isaac

U.S. Senate candidate Bill White told about 100 East Texans on Monday that he'd rather not breathe the chemicals that wafted in Texas' air a long time ago.

"Energy itself isn't bad," the former U.S. Deputy Secretary for Energy said at Keep Longview Beautiful's Go Green Luncheon at The Challenge at Oak Forest.

"Anybody that walked here or doesn't use electricity, then you can tell me how bad energy is," White said. "That doesn't mean we have to use more of it than we need."

White has been Houston's mayor for more than five years.

In that time, the city has required that all new construction use energy efficient materials that conserve as much as 20 percent of energy usage. Commercial building owners have embraced the idea, because they can now attract tenants looking for energy savings, he said.

Houston's focus on eliminating solid waste has led to a more than 20 percent reduction in the amount of water the city disposes of annually, he said. Discovery Green, a 12-acre downtown park built with public and private funds, has attracted $1.2 billion in commercial construction adjacent to the park. And the city has eliminated all billboards in residential areas.

"We love the fact that we're growing because it makes us the city of opportunity," White said, "but we don't want to be Mexico City where you can't see the stars at night (because of pollution)."

Richard LeTourneau, vice chairman of a regional water planning group, said he agreed with many of White's ideas. He's encouraged that more Americans and East Texans are engaged in energy conservation and clean air and water.

"I don't want to breath dirty air," LeTourneau said. "I don't want to drink dirty water."

Touting his experience in energy, conservation, business, the arts and fostering diversity, Houston Mayor Bill White said Monday that he's the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate that is right for Texas.

White visited Longview during a campaign swing through East Texas, with stops in Nacogdoches, Tyler and Athens. He seeks the seat held by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who said she plans to resign to campaign against Gov. Rick Perry for the Republican nomination for Texas governor.

In meeting with Longview News-Journal editors Monday, White repeatedly mentioned the strides the city of Houston has made during his more than five years in office. Houston has added more jobs than 16 states combined, has developed a diverse arts community that includes the nation's third-largest opera and has implemented ideas in education and health care reform that he thinks could be broadened.

"The fact is that we're the only major city to provide more services while cutting property taxes," White said. "Just because of the sheer size of the city, we have more people who would identify themselves as conservatives or Republicans than all of East Texas. I don't do hot-button ideological issues. I look at the problems and the solutions."

White and former Comptroller John Sharp campaigned this summer -- including in East Texas -- for Hutchison's Senate seat. Possible Republican candidates include Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, state Sen. Florence Shapiro, Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones, Railroad Commission Chairman Michael Williams, former Secretary of State Roger Williams and Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert.

White suggested a three-share plan in which employees, employers and the public contribute $50 each per employee, and that would pay for 80 percent of a person's medical needs.

"I can't tell you that we could cover every high-end procedure or two months at M.D. Anderson for cancer treatment," he said, "but we know by market testing the number of employees who would go for that."

Houston requires that all contractors for city projects either provide health insurance to their full-time employees or contribute to a public health insurance pool, White said. The city has seen no adverse impact from that requirement but has instead posted one of the state's best track records for minority-owned business development, he said.

Neither Longview nor Gregg County have such a requirement, local officials said. Longview Risk Manager Terry Fields said administrators have never considered the idea.

Gregg County Purchasing Agent Shelia Embrey said requiring contractors to provide health insurance would place a disadvantage on some small-business owners.

"If they had to provide an insurance program for the people that work for them, they'd be out of business," Embrey said. "There's a lot of people that don't make that much money."

Joel Campbell, owner of Gladewater-based Trendsetter Construction, agreed with Embrey. His business didn't offer health insurance to employees for its first 15 years in operation. Requiring contractors to provide health insurance would limit the number of bids that local governments get, he said.

Local insurance agent Gaylon Snider said he doesn't see how governments could require a subcontractor to insure its employees.

"We need some reform for sure, but I can't see imposing it if a person can prove that they can take care of their own expense," Snider said. "I don't think I ought to be forced to do that just because I'm working for you."

White said he wants to expand Pell grant funding to make college accessible to more Americans.

He also touted Houston's "Reach out to Dropouts" program that encourages local civic leaders to go door to door to lure school dropouts back to classrooms.

On Sept. 12, about 125 volunteers knocked on doors in Houston to get dropouts back in school, according to MyFoxHouston.com.

"In one school district alone, not counting (Sept. 12), we brought back 6,700 students that completed the class year," White said.

Longview school spokesman Brian Bowman, Pine Tree spokeswoman Vicki Echols and Hallsville spokeswoman Carol Greer say there are no such programs locally. Cinda Farrell, associate director of special programs for Region 7 Education Service Center, said there are no such programs in East Texas. Farrell hired a specialist Monday to coordinate efforts among area school districts to lower dropout rates, she said.

Bowman said Longview has paid staff members who go door to door and track down dropouts. Volunteers also visit some campuses to counsel with students and perhaps prevent dropouts, he said. Echols said Pine Tree's assistant superintendent for administrative services works with campus principals to seek out students with excessive absences or an uncertain residence.

"I think it would be a great idea to get community involvement to help our students that are possible dropouts," Greer said.

Longview News Journal
September 28, 2009