Texas District 31 Carter - Wareing run off

On March 25th at 7:00 PM 19:00 hours Carter & Wareing will have a answer questions forum on WTAW 1620 AM in College Station TX. This strong station covers most of the district during the daytime. Questions can be presented to the forum at this email address radio@wtaw.com - put “Question” in the subject line.

1a) Have you received any fund from Enron or Enron employees, including Ken Lay?

Correct: CLARIFICATION: Peter Wareing complained after this story ran that it was in error because he did not receive campaign funding from Enron's political action committee. He did receive donations, however, from Ken Lay and other Enron executives, according to reports on file at the Federal Election Commission. Unpublished clarification 2/8/02.

2a) Have either of you voted for a democrat such as Ann Richards, or others?

2b) Have you donated money in your name or your companies name to similar democrats?

The increasingly bitter race in the 7th Congressional District intensified Monday with the revelation that Republican runoff candidate Peter Wareing voted for Democrat Ann Richards in 1990.

"I was voting to defeat Jim Mattox," Wareing said. Democrats Mattox and Richards opposed each other in a statewide runoff for governor that year.

John Culberson, who faces Wareing in the April 11 runoff for the congressional seat, said the 1990 vote proves Wareing is not a lifelong Republican as he claims.

The heated and lengthy exchange came during a KHOU-TV round-table debate between the two candidates. The hourlong show will be broadcast Sunday at 10 a.m. on KHOU.

Throughout the campaign, opponents have criticized Wareing for contributing to Democratic candidates and occasionally voting in that party's primary.

A visibly frustrated Wareing said district residents are far more concerned with issues than his voting and contribution records.

Wareing said Mattox, who lost his bid for governor, was opposed by many business leaders for the policies he instituted as attorney general.

Wareing 's contributions and political support to Democrats are a fraction of the money he has given to Republicans, according to campaign records.

Culberson countered that district residents want "integrity" in their congressional representatives, and that Wareing 's history suggests he can't be trusted.

Wareing sharply criticized his opponent's 14 years as a state representative, and asked why Culberson had never achieved a committee chairmanship.

Culberson responded that Republicans who won committee assignments had to support Democratic House Speaker Pete Laney on certain close votes as a condition of their appointments.

Wareing countered that Culberson's remarks would be news to GOP members of the local delegation who were committee chairs and vice chairs under Laney.

Also debating Monday, but with much less vitriol, were Chuck Rosenthal and Pat Lykos, Republican runoff contenders for district attorney.

Republican congressional candidate Peter Wareing is under attack in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Bill Archer for his history of contributing to Democratic candidates and voting in that party's primaries.

Questions about Wareing 's Democratic ties have circulated for months and most recently appeared on an anonymous flier left on parishioners' windshields at two churches Sunday.

Wareing , who said he has always voted Republican in general elections, calls himself a "lifelong Republican" whose few dalliances with Democrats have been purely strategic.

"I voted in a few Democratic primaries, but that was basically to beat more liberal Democrats," Wareing said.

Wareing is raising record amounts of money in the race to represent west Houston's 7th Congressional District with a war chest that nears $1 million.

Most of Wareing 's seven opponents in the district's primary are sharply critical of the prominent businessman's past involvement in Democratic politics, which include:

A $1,000 contribution in 1994 to the congressional campaign of former City Councilman Ben Reyes, now serving time in federal prison for corruption and bribery.

$1,000 to former U.S. Rep. Mike Andrews' 1994 Senate primary campaign and $250 to his 1992 congressional race.

$250 each to U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee's 1994 campaign and Richard Fisher's 1994 Senate runoff campaign.

"He is either a stealth Democrat or a recent convert to conservative values," said rival Wallace Henley, a former Southern Baptist minister. "As I move about the district, there are many Republicans who are wary of Wareing ."

The westside congressional district is among the most staunchly conservative in the nation, which means that even though a little-known Democrat, Jeff Sell, will campaign in the fall, the March 14 Republican primary is virtually tantamount to a November victory.

"This wasn't just a one-time, waking up and having a bad hair day - there was a little bit of a pattern here," said Cathy McConn, a former Republican national committeewoman, who also is in the race.

Wareing said his comparatively minor contributions were aimed at defeating the most liberal candidates in Democratic contests.

Wareing said he supported Andrews and Fisher financially in a three-way primary race for Senate against former Attorney General Jim Mattox.

He said he subsequently supported Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who won the 1994 race, and donated $2,000 to her campaign that year.

With regard to Jackson Lee's 1994 primary race, Wareing said, "I was trying to get rid of Craig Washington," the former representative in the 18th Congressional District.

According to Federal Election Commission reports and information provided by his campaign, Wareing 's contributions to Republican candidates over the years far outstrip those to Democrats.

Richard Murray, University of Houston political scientist, said it was inevitable that Wareing 's voting and contributions records would come up in this campaign.

"Obviously, it's a problem and could cost him something with party stalwarts," Murray said, "so he has to get them to vote for him on some other basis."

Mark Brewer, a lawyer also in the race, said he does not even consider Wareing a Republican.

"I believe Republicans should not speak ill of other Republicans, except when they are not real Republicans," Brewer said. "I really do want to run an issues campaign, and I don't want to talk about Peter Wareing 's Democratic credentials. I regret that it is an issue."

John Culberson, a state representative also vying for the nomination, said voters in the district are well-informed on candidates' records.

"Republicans are show-me conservatives. They want to know that someone has earned their support and that someone is a true-blue, guaranteed conservative so that voter can take care of their family, their job, and not worry about their elected representative's consistency," Culberson said

Voter's Guide 2002: U.S. House of Representatives /Eight candidates running for new congressional seat

In the redistricting process, Wareing 's River Oaks neighborhood was placed in the 25th District. That seat is open in this year's election because Democratic U.S. Rep. Ken Bentsen is running for U.S. Senate. But no Republican has ever won the 25th District seat.

DALLAS - A $10 million University of Texas System investment was wasted in an import venture also backed by a UT investment advisory committee member, his son-in-law and a regent's son-in-law, The Dallas Morning News reported Friday.

In a copyright story, the newspaper said records showed that the system's investment sidestepped a staff member's concerns that it could raise ethical questions and that the company's top executive might not be up to the job.

The deal was later described by state auditors as an "apparent conflict of interest" in a confidential preliminary report.

But references to it were deleted from the final report released late last year after lobbying by UT officials, the newspaper said.

Houston-based International Cargo Network, an agricultural import company, went bankrupt only 10 months after the university's investment in January 1991.

A UT investment officer who provided auditors with details of the failed investment without his supervisors' knowledge resigned under pressure, according to people familiar with the matter. Brian Borowski, who worked for the University of Texas Investment Management Co., received a severance package that UT System Chancellor William Cunningham confirmed amounted to at least 18 months' salary.

In February 1990, ICN unveiled its plan to import a South American fruit, storing it in huge refrigerated warehouses in Houston before distribution.

The project's initial investors put more than $1 million into the deal before LFC Financial Corp. of Philadelphia bought 80 percent of the venture for $20 million.

In January 1991, UT transferred $10 million to LFC. In return, UT would get part of the profits LFC received from ICN and a share of the gains if the project was sold at a profit, said Mike Patrick, UT's former executive vice chancellor for asset management.

But the company's souring fortunes left the UT System with one of its biggest investment setbacks.

A two-month review of court records, depositions and university documents found that UT made the investment in early 1991 despite concerns about the ability of ICN's chief executive, Don Holloway, the newspaper said.

According to a due diligence report at the time of the university's investment, a UT investment analyst cautioned that Holloway got "mixed reviews" as a manager.

ICN's investors and part-owners included Holloway and his father-in-law, Houston businessman Jack Trotter. Trotter was a member of a six-person committee that advised the UT System on its investments.

Peter Wareing , the son-in-law of former UT Regent Jack Blanton of Houston, also was an investor through a separate partnership, according to records and interviews with UT officials.

The analyst who evaluated the project in 1989 suggested that such relationships might cause some concerns, records showed.

Trotter's lawyer, Andrew J. Clark, said Trotter didn't remember much about ICN, but that his associates recalled that he alerted UT officials about his family's interest in the company.

Holloway said he accepts "some contributory responsibility for the failure of the company, unquestionably. But I'm not sitting here willing to say that I'm the reason that it failed."

Blanton said in an interview that he was never an investor in ICN and that he never discussed the firm with UT officials.

UT administrators defended the investment, saying there was no conflict and that such losses occasionally happen on riskier investments.

NEW YORK - For me, the highlight of this trip to N.Y. was Friday night's gala benefiting the American Council for the Arts and its arts-education program and honoring the council's outgoing board chairwoman, Laura Lee Blanton . Things got under way at a Broadway preview performance of "Beauty and the Beast" at the Palace Theater; the ACA took over the theater for the evening and filled it to the rafters. After B&B the action moved over to the Plaza Hotel ballroom for an elegant late supper, dancing to the Michael Carney Orchestra, an auction and, best of all, a tribute to Laura Lee. The evening was dedicated to her, showing the council's appreciation for her three years chairing its board; her term is up early next summer. ....

The tribute included a video featuring friends and family singing her praises. The Blantons' three children and eight grandchildren were so sensational that Laura Lee's husband of 45 years, Jack Blanton Sr., shed a tear or two, as did her mom, Elizabeth Scurlock. Scurlock was with longtime friend Smythe Shepherd of Beaumont. Artist Richard Hunt gifted Laura Lee with one of his bronze sculptures. Hunt, of Chicago, has work in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum and more. Laura Lee also was presented with a picture of the "Mona Lisa" in a beautiful silver frame, with Laura Lee's face superimposed over the original; she got a big laugh from that. ...

N.Y.'s Roz and Jack Avrett chaired the evening. Avrett is prez of the Ad Council of America, which will hold its national convention in Houston in June. The Blantons plan to host a party in their home for the group. "I like for visitors to see something of Houston," Laura Lee said. The Blantons' daughter, Elizabeth Wareing , and her daughter Laura were on hand; Peter Wareing couldn't make it. Leslie and Jack Blanton Jr. also were in N.Y.; the others, for various pressing reasons, were unable to attend. Among the Blantons' close friends who came in for the event were Beth and Wayne Gibbons, who live in Washington, D.C.; Waco's Huguette Bornstein; El Paso's Rosario Holguin and her daughter, Annaelisa; Ashland Oil chairman John and Donna Hall of Louisville, Ky.; Houston's Joanne and Tom Berry; and Jean and Craig Rawley, also of Houston - he's on the board of the Retina Research Foundation, founded by Dr. Alice McPherson, who made a poignant speech about Laura Lee on the video tribute. Jon and Vivian Williams, who taught dancing for Fred Astaire and Arthur Murray studios for years and numbered Elizabeth Scurlock and the Blantons among their students, came in from Colorado Springs, Colo. The Williamses now hold cotillions around the country for young children, including annually at Houston's Junior League building. ...

On Saturday morning the action moved to Tavern on the Green, where the Blantons and Scurlock hosted a brunch for about 50 friends and members of the ACA board. Even the weather cooperated, and the restaurant, which is in Central Park, was bathed in sunshine and flowers. Guests dined on a lavish buffet of caviar, made-to-order omelets with all the trimmings and sinful desserts. An extended version of the video was shown and was the big topic of the day. Theodore Bikel opened it by singing Without You, I'm Nothing and went on to praise Laura Lee to the skies. Lady Bird Johnson talked about working with her on the environment, particularly trees and wildflowers. Peter Marzio of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, likened Laura Lee to "Tinker Bell, spreading her magic around the country." Others on the video were Secretary of the Treasury Lloyd Bentsen Jr., former President Bush, Southern Methodist University head man Ken Pye (Laura Lee is an SMU Distinguished Alum), Dr. Jim Moore (who said, "Laura Lee is one of God's best works of art"), David Gockley and so many more.

THE Jack Blanton family hit the road last week for two special events enjoying the prestigious Blanton imprimatur.

First stop was Southern Methodist University in Dallas where the family attended groundbreaking ceremonies Thursday for the new student services center building to be named after the late Laura Lee Blanton. This was a project that Blanton and his wife, an SMU graduate, had been working on for several years before her death in 1999.

Saturday, the family headed to Austin for the inaugural fund-raising gala benefiting the Jack S . Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas. The gala was a sellout with more than 750 guests and proceeds of $400,000, earmarked for acquisition of artwork.

Austin forces behind the gala were chairs Terri Quinn and Ellen Ray as well as Lady Bird Johnson, who served as honorary statewide chair.

Donning their tuxedos and gowns were Blanton family members Jack Blanton, Leslie and Jack Blanton Jr., Eddy and Kelli Blanton, Elizabeth and Peter Wareing , Billy Wareing , Julie Wareing and Laura Wareing Wheless and William Wheless.

Among the Houston contingent were Cathy and Frank Hevrdejs, Kathryn and Jim Ketelsen, Drucie and John Chase, Charles Saunders, and Elizabeth and Wayne Patterson

It's obvious you don't like Wareing, and that you swallow whole his opponents' spin on his primary votes. He says that he (as well as many other Houston-area businessmen) had a strategy of voting in the Dem primary to make sure that the most odious candidate lost the nomination. Why do you reject this explanation? Do you have any evidence that Wareing ever voted for a Democrat over a Republican in the general election?

Wareing has the endorsement of the current and previous chairmen of the Brazos County GOP. The previous chairman (a personal friend of mine), a conservative Christian, has spoken with representatives of many Houston-area conservative organizations. What he heard from them satisfied him enough to earn Wareing an endorsement.

In the primary, I was torn between Wareing and Brad Barton until the Barton campaign went nuclear with the smear campaign that is repeated above (one mailing said something to the effect that voting for Wareing was like voting for Sheila Jackson Lee). According to my friend, Barton knew full well that he was distorting the facts, but Barton had no intention of pulling the ads. In fact, the smear campaign hit district mailboxes just 4 or 5 days before the vote, leaving no time for Wareing to respond.

Now that the race is down to Wareing and Carter, it seems that the Carter campaign has taken the baton from the Barton campaign. I don't care what else Carter has going for him. By carrying on in this way, it is obvious that he is not an honorable man.

Tim

After 8 years of Bill Clinton & questionable ethics I for one do not want to be PARTY to electing a scum bag.

To my knowledge Mr. Carter has yet to say a word about Warning. I went to 4 debates & spoke personally with Warenig & Barton. I voted for Barton in a last minute decision. Barton knew he was going to lose, he also knew that the GOP dupes needed to know about Wareing.

The fact that many have been bought by spin or money has little to do with the reality of the articles posted in the Houston paper.

Just as many democrats denied Bill Clinton's abuse of power, I am sure many republicans will deny they are voting for a less than honorable man.

A quote from a Wareing supporter sums it up, "we know he's a sleeze ball - but he will be our sleeze ball"

You are right about one thing - I am against Wareing and given the choice between him & Clinton would have to go Clinton - for he is a more honorable sleeze ball.

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