Bill White for Governor Campaign Recruits A Veteran Political Player

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.