The Bill White campaign for governor of Texas is getting an experienced political operative to help the former Houston Mayor defeat Governor Rick Perry.
I ran into William Paul Thomas Saturday night at the Greater Houston Partnership World Trade Soiree. He confirmed to 2 On The Beat that he is joining the campaign through election day in November.
Thomas plans to take a sixty day leave of absence from his job as chief of staff for Houston city council member Sue Lovell.
He wouldn’t provide specifics about his role when I asked him to describe his responsibilities. He told me that he would to defer to the campaign to make the announcement.
I assume that he is going to help White create some excitement and bolster election day turnout in African-American communities across Texas.
I’ve heard grumblings from many Democrats that White is taking African-American voters for granted.
Some are also upset that he doesn’t have a prominent African-American on his campaign staff.
If White doesn’t give African-Americans a reason to vote for him in November, many will stay home, and he’ll have a tough time defeating Rick Perry.
Thomas is a political campaign veteran and he has worked on staff for U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Senator Rodney Ellis, in addition to his current job at city hall.
