Talk:Bill White (mayor)

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Contents 1 Birth date 2 Stub? 3 Birthdate Correction 4 Background Corrections

[edit] Birth date

Can someone verify that he was "(born July 15, 1953)", the IP address 67.67.89.25 has been readily vandalizing in all but a few cases, such as this one, in which it is indertiminant if it is a vandlism or not. --ShaunMacPherson 14:27, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

I don't know where he would have gotten this information off-hand, as it's not on White's campaign site or his official bio on the City of Houston website. I would suggest deleting it until there is confirmation, considering that the IP belongs to a vandal. --Holdek ^(talk) 19:42, July 20, 2005 (UTC)

I just put in a birth date (June 16, 1954) that I found in an Associated Press article from LexisNexis, dated October 4, 2003. PBP 02:51, 11 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Stub?

Would this article be classified as a stub? I think it's quite big now. Should we remove the stub? -Tcwd (talk) 19:59, 30 September 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Birthdate Correction

William Howard White, born Bexar County, Texas, 16 Jun 1954, son of William Byrd White and Gloria Avalon Howard.

source: Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997 (Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics) via Ancestry Library Edition.

[edit] Background Corrections

Bill White was never a tort lawyer. Tort lawyers handle personal injury cases. At Susman Godfrey, Bill White practiced business litigation, primarily under federal antitrust and securities law. -- www.susmangodfrey.com / HouChron archives

Also, Frontera Resources is by no means an unsuccessful company. It recently had a public offering in London, and is operating in emerging markets around the world, with an exclusive development project currently underway in the country of Georgia. --fronteraresources.com / www.lse.co.uk

I'll change it from "tort" to "plaintiff" lawyer.

Also, Frontera Resources might now be successful, but White's participation in it was not successful. From The Houston Press, "Is This Guy Too Smart To Be Mayor?"

"'I have not made one penny, one dime, from activities in the Caspian Sea…"' Of course, a company that loses money for investors is not quite a free-enterprise role model...."

I'll make a change to reflect this. Holdek ^(talk) 18:43, 21 December 2005 (UTC)

Frontera Resources was (and is) a long term investment. The fact that it is doing well shows that Bill White's leadership and vision was strong from the outset. Early setbacks are not uncommon for oil & gas ventures, they require heavy capital up front and often, as is the case here, operate in less than optimal conditions. In short, the returns are long-term, and Frontera is now seeing those as a result of Bill White's vision. I think that should be accurately reflected.

Also I think its important to note, while we are discussing his business acumen, that the majority of Bill White's business career was at the helm of the immensely successful WEDGE Group.

Nonetheless, while White was head of of Frontera it was not successful, and this was notable enough for the Press to go into. But upon reading the paragraph it does seem to single out that episode of his career, so I'll delete the wording. Holdek ^(talk) 22:18, 28 December 2005 (UTC)

"Plaintiff's lawyer" is an unduly limited term to describe Mayor White's role at Susman. Also I think its important to acknowledge his leadership during the Hurricanes. That is a critical aspect of his public life. There is a large body of journalism that supports this addition to the page.