With the November election six months away, Republican Gov. Rick Perry and his Democratic opponent Bill White are debating debates.
Belo Corp., the company that owns WFAA and TV stations in Austin, Houston and San Antonio, along with the Dallas Morning News, sponsored a statewide debate during the Republican primary and invited Perry and White to debate this fall.
White accepted. But Perry's campaign spokesman, Mark Miner, says not yet.
"Once he releases his income taxes and tells the public how he made his money while in public service and as a business person, we'll be more than happy to discuss debates," Miner said.
The Perry campaign demands White release returns for all six years he served as Houston's mayor and two years as deputy energy secretary in 1990s.
White has released only his 2009 tax return since he's running for a statewide office just as Perry has since 1991. White said he will disclose specific information when asked.
"We'll take in consideration releasing tax returns or parts of those tax returns," White said. "We've been providing information from them to journalists as time goes on. I just want there to be a standard that's applicable to all candidates.”
White claims there is private information about business partners on his returns and the financial disclosure forms required by the City of Houston are detailed enough about his income.
White says Perry has another motive declining to accept a debate without demands. "Oh, I think he is trying to find an excuse to avoid a debate because he's afraid of the open-end questioning of his track record as governor," he said.
The Perry campaign says transparency is the issue; White says fall debates are up to Perry.
If White doesn't release his returns is a debate off? "Well, we'll see what he does," Miner said. "We'll see if he releases those tax returns.”
E-mail bwatson@wfaa.com
