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Bill White

former Mayor, City of Houston

Bill White fights for the people he represents, and brings people together to get things done.  That’s why as Houston’s Mayor, he was re-elected twice with margins of 86% and 91%.  During his time of mayor, the Houston area led the nation’s cities in job growth, adding more than sixteen states combined.Bill White made Houston more efficient by reforming municipal pensions, reducing traffic delays and cutting energy consumption even as the city grew.  During his time as mayor, the government has provided more services – including parks, libraries and health clinics – while consistently cutting the property tax rate and raising exemptions for seniors and disabled citizens.Bill White made public safety one of his highest priorities and saw Houston’s crime rates drop to the lowest levels in more than 25 years.  For his leadership and dedication in fighting crime, he received the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award.In a recent editorial, the Houston Chronicle praised White’s management skills and his hit-the-brakes approach to spending, noting, “Mayor White has deftly steered Houston through both fiscal and tropical storms.  His successor will have a tough act to follow.”  Before that, Governing Magazine named White one of its 2007 Public Officials of the Year explaining, “In time of both crisis and calm, White, a former business executive… is a cool pragmatist who wants results rather than excuses.”The results of his strong leadership were noticed nationally in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.  Bill “mobilized more than 100,000 Houstonians in the public, private business and faith-based communities to help evacuees rebuild their lives with independence and dignity,” said the John F. Kennedy Foundation presenting him with the Profiles in Courage Award, “in recognition of  his political courage in leading a compassionate and effective government response to the disaster.”Bill was also recently honored by the Houston Military Affairs Council for his work in spearheading a regional Returning Veterans Initiative deigned to give returning veterans the welcome they deserve with coordinated social services, reductions in red tape, and employment opportunities.  The Department of the Army has recognized this initiative as one of the finest in the country and Houston has been named one of the most military friendly cities to live and work.Bill has been a nationally recognized energy expert for decades, pushing for practical measures to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil with higher fuel economy standards for cars, aggressive energy efficiency programs, more production of domestic natural gas, and greater reliance on domestic renewable resources.  Before serving as mayor, White built one of the region’s most successful businesses.  Previously, he served as Deputy Secretary of Energy of the United States, where he helped diversify national energy supplies and saved taxpayers more than a billion dollars with management reforms.  As a legislative assistant in Congress in the 1970’s, he worked on landmark energy legislation.