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.
Mary Benton Media 