Candidates talk Texas issues
February 8, 2010 by Managing-Editor
Filed under News
By Morgan Walker / Senior Staff Writer –
The leading Democratic candidates in the primary race for Texas governor squared off in a debate Monday, focused on education, environmental issues and creating more jobs.
The debate included former Houston Mayor Bill White, 55, and businessman Farouk Shami, 66.
Karen Borta, CBS 11 News anchor, was the moderator for the debate which was broadcast from the CBS-11/TXA-21 studios in Fort Worth.
The first issues addressed were the candidates’ stances on school vouchers, abortions, same sex marriage and a bill that would require photo ID to vote.
People who vote without being a citizen should “be indicted and serve time,” White said.
Shami said he was against the bill and that it was a “waste of time.”
Maria Renee Barillas, reporter for KUVN Univision 23, took questions from voters in a live audience while panelists Shelley Kofler of KERA and Dave Montgomery of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram also posed questions.
Margaret Murphy, a Dallas resident, single parent and former education counselor, has been trying to find a job for two years.
“I’ve sent out quite a few résumes, and over the course of my career I was very successful,” Murphy said. “When I got back into it, I really believe part of my unemployment to date is that I’m viewed as overqualified and also my age.”
Many people are finding that either they leave the work force to raise a family or there is some involuntary separation, White said.
“We ought to make sure every person has opportunity for job training,” White said.
Shami said he hopes to create green jobs such as building factories to make solar panels.
“I know how to serve the public, build a team, negotiate and I’ve explored 114 countries,” Shami said.
The candidates were then given an opportunity to ask one question of each other.
White asked Shami about his track record for bringing in jobs before he stepped in to run for governor.
Shami said he has been working with many experts and will be manufacturing jobs in El Paso, hiring hundreds of people.
Shami questioned White on the elevated levels of benzene, a carcinogen that has been detected from the Barnett Shale since drilling began in the area.
“If there is pollution anywhere, we should go after that particular source, and we will not shut down a clean system because of another’s emissions,” White said.
When asked about funding education, White said he believed in two basic principles.
“There should be no limit on what parents can spend to get their kids an education and those children should have a good education regardless of where they live,” White said.
Shami suggested the need to lower property taxes, raise teacher salaries and make education affordable to every family.
Darral Simmons, a Keller resident, asked each candidate how he plans to secure the border between the U.S. and Mexico.
“We should be building bridges between here and Mexico. I would work with officials on both sides and open businesses on the border,” Shami said.
White said he would be in each of the border communities to make sure procedures are enforced to distinguish between the many lawful visitors and those who may be up to no good.
The candidates were questioned on whether or not each supported the E-verify system, a program used by employers to quickly check a potential employee’s citizenry background.
“I am for people, employment and finding a positive way to give them legal status,” Shami said.
The last audience-member question came from L.G. Clayton, an Emorie resident and disabled Vietnam veteran, who asked about his rising electric bill.
Clayton asked the candidates what each would do for Texas residents so that they could live comfortably in their homes.
Shami claimed that in the future, residents would be using solar and wind energy to make Texas the center for green energy.
“Within 10 years, you won’t have an electric bill,” Shami said.
Montgomery asked the candidates how they, as Democrats, plan to attract independents and other party members.
“This race isn’t going to be about a party, it’s about the future of Texas,” White said.
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I was in the audience for the debate. I was the youngest in the audience at the ripe age of 26. In fact, there were a couple of people that had connections to people I knew in various Democratic circles in the Metroplex.
This was a good chance for Texas voters to see that, yes, there are Democrats running for governor. I mentioned to a couple of UNT students that there was going to be a debate among the front runners for the Democratic nomination on Monday night and most of them were surprised that there were candidates.
The debate was more civil than the ones that took place between the Republican candidates for the gubernatorial nomination. Audience members and myself were not pleases that the moderator representing the Fort Worth Star Telegram asked three wedge issue questions. The issues that Bill White and Farouk Shami addressed are the REAL issues that Texans are facing: transportation, immigration, and the 3 E’s: energy, education, and employment.
I admire Mr. Shami’s energy and enthusiasm, but he seemed to stray away from the questions a couple of times. I do agree with him that there needs to be a moratorium on the death penalty given the advances in forensic science over the last several years that have proven people once guilty, now innocent. Other than that, it seemed like he wasn’t adequately prepared for the debate. Even in a question refering to the Voter I.D. bill, Shami mentioned employment. I wonder how many times he mentioned the word job or jobs in the debate.
I am having a difficult time finding something wrong with the responses Bill White gave. Maybe the mistakes that Shami made were more glaring than any that Bill White made. If there were, please point them out to me.
Bill White’s response to why should Texans elect to send its first Democratic governor in 20 years had a focus on the bigger picture. Texans want change. I agree with a friend of mine, who is a Libertarian, that Rick Perry needs to go.
Since this was the only Democratic primary debate, Farouk Shami wasted an oppurtunity to make it an interesting race. I think his display of energy and enthusiasm would have brought some much needed attention to the race, but Bill White has experience in government with managing a large city.
This debate showed who is going to win the March 2 primary.
Pleases should be pleased. I apologize for the spelling mistake.