HPOU has announced its endorsement of Houston businessman Bill White for Mayor of Houston in the Nov. 4 city election.

“Bill White has the skills to get Houston moving again,” HPOU President Hans Marticiuc said in a Sept. 25 news conference at Union headquarters.

“This is good for motorists and for police officers responding to calls for help. Bill can balance the budget and make City Hall work, which means he has the financial expertise to make sure that the Police Department has the resources to do its job.”

The Union’s endorsement of White concluded the Political Action Committee’s series of screenings of candidates for mayor, city council and city controller. White was chosen over the two other major mayoral candidates, state Rep. Sylvester Turner and former City Councilman Orlando Sanchez.

White vowed to make public safety the number one issue in this year’s mayoral election. He said, “This endorsement demonstrates my commitment to public safety and law enforcement, homeland security and to creating a safe and prosperous community for all Houstonians.

“HPOU has been one of the most important endorsements in city elections. I am humbled by this strong show of support by the men and women who risk their lives every day to protect the people of our city.”

At the Aug. 20 mayoral candidate forum, White said, “I want to be your champion and I want to use my management skills to deal with a tight budget to make sure we never compromise public safety.”

White also went on record that he would make sure the city fulfills its contract with officers.

The HPOU endorsement also was widely sought by fellow mayoral candidates Sylvester Turner and Orlando Sanchez. A fourth candidate, Michael Berry, was screened but announced that he would drop out of the raced on Sept. 22, saying he would seek the At-Large, Position 5 seat on City Council.

The Union had endorsed Turner for mayor in the 1991 election ultimately won by Bob Lanier.

After this year’s screenings HPOU’s PAC Committee chairman Matt Calley said, “Sylvester came across as a candidate who was still running a 1991 campaign.

“After being educated about the evolution of HPD’s sole and exclusive representative status, Sylvester continued to be inclined to act like it was 1991 all over again.

“Even though he has been a good supporter of certain pension-related issues in Austin, we based our decision on who we think would be the best mayor and who possessed the vision to look forward instead of backward.”

HPOU’S CURRENT LIST OF ENDORSEMENTS:

Mayor	Bill White
City Controller	Annise Parker
Houston City Council:
At Large, Pos. 1	Mark Ellis
At Large, Pos. 2	Gordon Quan
At Large, Pos. 3	Shelly Sekula-Gibbs
At Large, Pos. 4	Bert Keller
At Large, Pos. 5	Michael Berry
District A	Toni Lawrence
District B	Carol Mims Galloway
District C	Mark Goldberg
District D	Ada Edwards
District E	Addie Wiseman
District F	Terry McConn
District G	Mike Howard
District H	No Endorsement Yet
District I	Carol Alvarado

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