White stresses education in San Benito visit By MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ Managing Editor sanbenitonews@sbcglobal.net “I will never forget the Rio Grande Valley!” “I will listen to border communities before discussing border issues!” “This (the Rio Grande Valley) should be the front door not the back door of Texas!” These statements and more were made by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White while in San Benito on Thursday, Feb. 25. White, who won the March 2 Democratic Primary, visited with local dignitaries and residents at Blanquita's Mexican Restaurant on Oscar Williams Road in an impromptu political rally hosted and organized by Place 4 San Benito City Commissioner and San Benito CISD Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Celeste Zepeda Sanchez. The lady commissioner announced such news in advance in the Feb. 24 mid-week edition, encouraging all Democrats and educators interested in listening to White's platform to attend as the event was open to the public. Those who attended included a number of citizens of San Benito but also Cameron County Commissioner and candidate for county judge John Wood as well as San Benito CISD School Board Trustee Oscar Medrano, Place 2 City Commissioner and Mayor Pro-Tem Jack Garcia, Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio, and area educators and administrators. Also in attendance was Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, a political supporter of White's who joined the campaign during its recent tour of the Valley. Sheriff Garcia said he is the first Hispanic to be elected to such a post in Harris County and credited White for his support in achieving that feat. During the rally, White touched on a plethora of issues ranging from education, job growth, border security, and bi-partisanship. White also took the opportunity to criticize Governor Rick Perry, stating, “Texas should lead the states not leave the states.” White was referring to controversy comments Perry made in 2009 when the governor was accused of implying secession from the United States. After the rally, White spoke candidly with the News. When asked why he scheduled a stop in San Benito, White said, “All the towns within the Valley are important, and San Benito is important.” “I want to come back during the campaign and after the campaign, and work every day to make higher education to two-year and four-year colleges more accessible for young people. We need to get better educated,” White further stressed. PHOTO CREDIT: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White is shown inside Blanquita's Mexican Restaurant in San Benito, where the former Houston mayor visited on Thursday, Feb. 25 as part of his Rio Grande Valley campaign leading up to the March 2 Primary. (Staff photo by Michael Rodriguez)