Perry calls on White to quit governor's race -- over alledged BTEC Turbines connection

[Lone_Star_Dem]

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, has asked his democratic rival, former Houston Mayor Bill White, to drop-out of the race for governor.

This all stems from a lucrative 2005 contract related to recovery in the Houston area following Hurricane Rita.

“As mayor, White helped line up private companies to provide goods and services as part of a massive relief effort,” The Associated Press reported on June 8. “One of those companies was Btec Turbines, where he had served on the board of directors.”

“A little more than a year later,” the AP story continues, “White says he invested about $1 million in the privately held Btec and has since reported more than $500,000 in profit.”

Less than a day after the AP story broke across the state, the governor fired back.

“If this is true, and Bill White did unethically steer taxpayer dollars to a company he had a personal financial stake in, I am calling on him to immediately resign from the race for governor,” said a quote, attributed to the governor, which was e-mailed to reporters early Wednesday afternoon by his campaign staff.

Quotes in the governor’s campaign rhetoric have rarely been attributed to the governor himself, but instead to a spokesman.

“Career politician Rick Perry has sunk to new lows,” wrote White campaign spokeswoman Katy Bacon in an e-mail to KVUE News Wednesday afternoon. “His attack on Bill White's leadership after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is not only false, but absolutely appalling. Bill White had no financial interest in BTEC during that time.”

http://www.kvue.com/community/blogs/political-junkie-blog/Perry-calls-on-White-to-quit-governors-race-95982109.html

I hope this blows up all over Goodhair's doo!

[kjackson227]

1. White better get his boxing gloves ready...

cause Slick Rick is not going down without a fight, and a dirty fight at that. Get your popcorn ready!

[sonias]

2. Perry calling Bill White unethical

How asinine. Perry is the most corrupt Governor of Texas we've ever seen making loads of money selling off Texas assets to the highest bidder. And each one of those corporations or cronies makes sure Perry is rewarded somehow. Not to mention that Perry is the one living in a $10,000 a month rental on the taxpayer's dime.

I'm sure Perry has never made a dime on any deals he's steered to corporations he has a conflict of interest in. No way. :sarcasm:

[sonias]

3. Perry's biggest supporter, Paul Burka, thinks Perry is blowing hot air

Burka blog TX Monthly 6/9/10
Perry says White should quit the race over Rita contract

(snip)
–Is there anything wrong with this? Not that I can see. Emergency contracts are used in emergencies. Does anyone doubt that this was an emergency? This was all about arranging for the Authority (a conservation and reclamation district) to provide untreated surface water to Houston, Baytown, and Deer Park as well as around 100 industries during a crisis. The authority is governed by a seven-member board. White has four appointees, Perry three.

5. “A little more than a year later, White invested about $1 million in the privately held Btec, which has also provided generators to contractors in Iraq. He has reported about a $500,000 profit from the investment.”

–Again, I see nothing unethical in this transaction. The investment in Btec came ONE YEAR after the storm. Whatever payment Btec had received from the emergency contract was in the past. You have to credit the Perry people with shrewdly making a mountain out of a molehill, but the dots do not connect.

Burka also lays into White for letting Perry get the upper hand on releasing his tax forms. :shrug:

[sonias]

4. Texas Observer also calls it a bunch of hot water over nothing

Texas Observer 6/8/10
A Bill White Scandal?
(snip)
But that doesn't seem to be the case.

There are some important mitigating details:

1. White had no financial ties to BTEC Turbines at the time the company received its contract. Although he had served on the board previously, he wasn’t invested at the time.

2. White spokesperson Katy Bacon said White’s investment in BTEC came more than a year later and was unrelated to the company’s hurricane recovery work. She said investors who were looking to purchase BTEC called White in 2006 to ask his opinion on the company. The then-mayor said it was an excellent company—one he would personally invest in. In fact, the investment group later asked him to do just that.

3. And, finally, it seems unlikely that White’s $556,000 profit stemmed from BTEC”s work on Hurricane Rita. It’s doubtful a temporary emergency contract for mobile generators could have provided enough money to BTEC to enrich a single investor. (Again, it’s not clear how much money—if any—BTEC earned from the emergency contract. Calls to the company for comment weren’t returned this afternoon.)

Meanwhile back at fraidy camp Team Perry Day 45 of Rick Perry's Refusal to Debate: "Let's Call That What It Is. CRAP." Perry is cutting and running as usual. :eyes:

[TEXASYANKEE]

5. Fire back.

White's camp should fire back every single time with something like "I guess living in a $10k mansion at the State's expense really *does* keep Perry out of touch, but the reality of the situation is ...."

[sonias]

6. I agree

White needs to go negative on Perry. Perry has lots of negatives and White needs to punch back. Perry is never going to play nice, so why be nice to him.

Saddle up White, and hit Perry hard! I want to see stars in his eyes!

[sonias]

7. White: No wrongdoing in investment

AAS 6/10/10
Gov candidate White: No wrongdoing in investment

HOUSTON — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White denied Thursday that he has improperly benefited from a profitable investment in an energy company hired to help the Houston area recover from Hurricane Rita five years ago, the same time he was the city's mayor.

White also ripped his Republican opponent, incumbent Gov. Rick Perry, for exploiting what he called a false story. Perry has accused White of "profiteering" from the hurricane, and White said voters should "expect to see more of these personal attacks."

A year after a regional water authority hired the Houston-based and privately held BTEC Turbines following Rita's assault on the Texas Gulf Coast, White invested $1 million in the company, which he once served as a director. His tax returns, released earlier this week and examined by The Associated Press, showed he has recorded a $500,000 profit from the investment.

White told reporters Thursday that he left the company's board before taking over as mayor in 2004 and had no financial interest in BTEC at the time the company won a $1.8 million contract to provide power generators to ensure Houston-area refineries and the city of Baytown could maintain their water supply during storm-caused power outages.

"At no time did I ever benefit from calling BTEC and asking them to help the people in this community in a time of need," White said.

Glad to see the media giving White a chance to rebut Perry. That weasel Perry has the gall to say that White's investment was ""violation of the public trust." Perry would know about "violating the public trust" intimately. He lives it everyday. :grr:

[onestepforward]

8. White fires back, calls Perry accusations ‘a lie'

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7047013.html

Speaking to reporters a day after Rick Perry accused him of “profiting from Hurricane Rita,” Bill White accused his Republican opponent of lying about his relationship with a company called upon to supply temporary power in the aftermath of the 2005 storm.

“I had no interest in a company called BTEC during the time of Hurricane Rita,” White said. “At no time did I benefit from BTEC's work on behalf of this community.”

Perry's charges came a day after White released his tax returns for the years he served as Houston mayor. With the disclosure, White pressed Perry to publicly debate issues.

Debating the debate
The Perry campaign has said it would not agree to a debate with White until the Democratic candidate released his tax returns, which he did on Tuesday. Now, the campaign is insisting White release his returns from the years he served in the Energy Department during the Clinton administration.

White, speaking slowly and deliberately, described Perry's charges as “a complete lie.”

He said his involvement with BTEC Turbine was an effort to respond to an emergency by recommending the company to help supply temporary power to the Coastal Water Authority. A year later he did invest in BTEC and made a profit. He insisted the two are unrelated.

“I liked their business plan, I made an investment in that company,” White said. “At no time did I ever benefit from calling BTEC and asking them to help the people in this community at a time of need.”

Style of management
White said Perry was trying to draw attention away from his management of state government during his 10 years as governor.

“He doesn't want to have to answer your questions about how he can lead this state living an extravagant lifestyle at the time he's asking state agencies and employees to cut back,” White said. “He doesn't want to compare his record on management experience with mine. He doesn't want to be held accountable for his number one responsibility as governor, any governor, which is to educate and train Texans for the future.”

The Perry campaign responded with a press release, accusing White of “hiding the truth about his financial relationship with BTEC owner Wedge Group, just as he has hidden his tax returns for his years in public service for 95 days and counting.”

[hobbit709]

9. Where are Goodhair's tax returns from the last 20 years.

[onestepforward]

11. Good question!

He's just using the old "attack and distract," that way he doesn't have to debate any facts. :)

[sonias]

12. Most of Perry's returns are out there

Texas Poltitics has them except 2009. What's up with that huh? Seems like Perry is stalling - probably something embarrassing on that one. :shrug:

Texas Politics 4/13/10
Gov. Rick Perry taxes returns 1987-present -- Updated

We've updated this item to include all of Gov. Rick Perry's income tax returns from 1987 to 2008. We have the 1995 return, but it is missing due to scanner problems. We will add it as soon as the scanner starts working again.

Perry has not yet filed his 2009 return. Spokeswoman Allison Castle said Perry plans on requesting an automatic extension.

And you thought your 401K took a beating. Gov. Rick Perry's blind trust had a capital loss of more than $500,000 in 2008.

Bill White issued a comparison of their financial data. White says Perry's 2004 return is also missing. So what's up with that one too?

A Comparison of Bill White’s and Rick Perry’s Available Financial Information
available here:
www.billwhitefortexas.com/finances/tax_summary.pdf

[sonias]

10. Woot!

Good punch Bill!

:applause::applause::applause: