Houston mayor visits Valley during campaign for U.S. Senate

McALLEN - The job growth that marked Bill White's tenure as mayor of Houston was of interest to Rio Grande Valley business and political leaders who met with the U.S. Senate candidate.

The Houston metro area added more jobs than 16 states combined during his three terms as mayor, White said Monday during a campaign stop. With unemployment up, he said, more areas can benefit from building a business-friendly climate and ensuring there are programs to train workers.

White first took office in 2004 and will have to step down in January 2010 because of Houston's term limits for elected officials.

On Monday, he told the group he met with over lunch a strong educational system that is accessible to the city's workforce is key to job growth.

"We have hardworking people and a growing young population," White said. "The challenge is how we make sure those people are educated."

White, a Democrat who is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Kay Bailey Hutchison, was in McAllen to thank the city for sending public works teams to aid the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Ike and to review its hurricane preparedness operations.

McAllen Mayor Richard Cortez, who met with White during the visit, said cities and counties can't look at borders or jurisdictions during an emergency and need to extend a hand to those in need.

It's the same approach that White and his city offered to evacuees from New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Disaster recovery efforts are led by local officials who are on the ground and know the needs of the city to recover, White said. The role of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal agencies is to assist where needed.

White said his experience in dealing with disasters, balancing budgets and handling other municipal chores would serve him if he is elected to the U.S. Senate.

"I know how to improve productivity and I know how to balance budgets," he said. "Those skills are really important in Washington."