Bill White makes final round of World Mayor competition

The dashing Mayor White needs your vote to win the 2006 World Mayor competition! According to their website, World Mayor "intends to raise the profile of mayors worldwide, as well as honour those who have served their communities well and who have contributed to the well-being of cities, nationally and internationally." The project, an annual competition, is in its third year. Past winners are Edi Rama of Tirana and Dora Bakoyannis of Athens.

Mayor White gained national acclaim in the past year due to his superb handling of the thousands of evacuees that poured into Houston after Katrina. His profile on the World Mayor site addresses this:

It has been said that Houston Mayor Bill White is New Orleans’ second-favourite mayor after his generous response to Hurricane Katrina. Houston became home for thousands of refugees from New Orleans and the city administration provided them with a full range of social services. The mayor judged correctly that the people of Houston would not begrudge the massive costs involved in helping the disaster victims. He was re-elected in November 2005 with almost 90 per cent of the vote.

Mayor White is up against tough competition from all around the world, and he needs the support of Houston's citizens. Help him get the recognition he deserves by voting for him here, and remember to read the fine print: you can only vote once, but the passion and persuasiveness of your argument count just as much as your vote.