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September 9, 2005 > News > Houston Mayor Bill White discusses relief, activism

Houston Mayor Bill White discusses relief, activism

By Sarah Baker | For the Thresher

Despite the influx of thousands of Hurricane Katrina survivors, Houston Mayor Bill White kept his commitment to speak to the Rice Young Democrats Sept. 1.

Handling the thousands of evacuees will be a tremendous challenge for Houston, White said at the event, attended by about 35 students.

“It’s dawning on people — for all the plans and preparedness, here is something that has occurred for which there were no major contingency plans,” White said.

White said he is proud Houston can help during the crisis.

“It’s great to be on the receiving end, to give care to the victims,” he said.

White, who served as Deputy Secretary of Energy under President Bill Clinton, also addressed surging oil prices — and the importance of conservation in curbing them.

“These [energy issues] are extraordinarily important — issues that I hope people of your generation will keep their eye on,” White said.

In addition to discussing hurricane relief efforts, White said he hopes students will become involved in politics.

“It is sometimes uncool to participate in the political process at any age,” White said. “What I’m trying to do in my little way in this great city is say, ‘Yeah, it really does make a difference who we choose for office.’”

White said students should find issues they care about and get involved, citing as an example his work in the civil rights movement while in college.

“A person can make a difference,” White said. “You may play a role in your community somewhere down the line, as long as you keep your values.”

White did not mention specific plans for the hurricane evacuees, but his campaign manager, Mustafa Tameez, answered students’ questions about the relief efforts after White left. Tameez said White was quick to realize jobs in Houston must be found for the hurricane victims, since many of them will not return home. Houston must find a way to accommodate these evacuees who stay, Tameez said.

“Whether we’re afraid of it or not, it’s going to happen,” Tameez said.

Tameez said finding money to accommodate the evacuees will be difficult. He said he expects limited funding from the federal government and hopes the private sector and the Red Cross can compensate.

“We hope that there will be enough funding through quasi-government agencies to do something,” Tameez said. “Right now, it doesn’t look good.”

Tameez encouraged students to volunteer and donate goods to small- and medium-sized shelters, as well as the Astrodome.

He assured students the Sheriff’s department as well as county and city law enforcement officials are working to keep the area around the Astrodome safe and that security concerns should not discourage students from volunteering.

“Right now, we just need to get them inside and give them food and clothing,” Tameez said. “While everyone is fixated, watching TV, I challenge you to do something.”

In bringing White to campus, Young Democrats President Ian Everhart said he hoped to stimulate student participation in politics, especially from students from outside Houston. Everhart said one of the club’s main goals is to raise awareness about local elections.

“Sometimes in an off-year people can become apathetic, but even in this off-year, just one year removed from a big presidential race, there are elections at the local and city levels, and we can be involved with these,” Everhart, a Hanszen College senior, said. “These races are out there to win.”

The mayor did not discuss his campaign for the November election, but Will Rice College senior Melissa Dominguez said White’s campaign was a reason she attended the event.

“I really want to support him so he can win another election,” Dominguez said.

Lovett College freshman Nikka Landau said she learned about local politics.

“As someone coming from the Northeast and not knowing much about Houston politics, I feel like I learned a lot about Houston, the mayor and his policies, especially regarding the hurricane,” Landau said. “It gave me some Houston pride.”

Wiess College sophomore Rajen Mahagaokar said he was interested in White’s vision for Houston.

“I’ve lived in Houston my whole life, so I just wanted to see what plans he has for the city,” Mahagaokar said.

White also visited the Young Democrats last year at an event attended by about 150 people, Everhart said.

End of article

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