H-2 svo Clements says homemaker to get PUC post By Sam Attlesey and David Harmers Staff Writers of The News Campaigning in the Dallas sub- urbs Friday, former Gov. Bill Clements promised to appoint a homemaker to the Public Utility Commission if he is elected gover- nor again. And he blasted Democratic Gov. Mark White for false promises about lower utility bills, contend- ing that the average ratepayer's utility costs have increased $102 an- nually during the past three years. Meanwhile, Clements' two rivals for the Republican gubernatorial nomination — U.S. Rep. Tom Loef- fler and former U.S. Rep. Kent Hance — went their separate ways Friday. Loeffler stumped in his own 21st Congressional District, and Hance met with reporters in news confer- ences in Austin and in El Paso. As he campaigned in the Dallas area, Clements was asked about a quote attributed to him during his 1982 race against White that he did not know a homemaker qualified to serve on the utilities commission. Clements, who is seeking a rematch with White, claimed he had been misquoted. "What I said was that I person- ally did not know a housewife who was qualified who had the back- ground and experience," Clements said. "I now know six .. . in various geographic locations around the state," he said. "I can tell you I will appoint one of the six" to the com- mission. Clements said that he already has resumes from the six qualified housewives and that two of them have engineering degrees. One sug- gestion to appoint a homemaker came from his wife, Rita, Clements said. In Austin, White's campaign spokesman, Mark McKinnon, pointed out that Clements had his chance to appoint a homemaker to the Public Utility Commission when he was governor, and he didn't. "One chance is all you get," McKinnon said. "I don't think he's going to have the opportunity to do it again." White has appointed two women to the PUC. McKinnon also said utility rates are down in many aceas of the state, including Dallas. In Republican-rich Collin County on Friday, Clements strolled around the town square in McKinney, ate a chocolate ice cream cone while a television crew interviewed him and kissed his first baby of the campaign, 4-week- old Julia Coffman. "Is this Uncle Bill?" asked 4-year- old Justin Kaczor, looking up at Clements, dressed in a short- sleeved shirt. "My name is Bill, but I'm not your uncle," Clements laughed. After visiting with several dozen people eating at various restau- rants, Clements kept running into people who were from Canada, Ar- kansas and Oklahoma, none of whom can vote in the May 3 Texas primary. "Where you front?" Clements asked one woman. "Timbuktu?" In Austin, Hance, who switched from the Democratic to Republican Party Just a year ago, said he was counting on a large Democratic crossover to put him on top in the primary. "If I bring 50,000 (Democrats), that's a big jump," he said. "If I brought one out of 10, that would be 150,000. If I brought one out of 10, the race would be over." Hance said he believed a large number of the 1.5 million Texas Democrats who voted in 1984 are more comfortable with his conserv- atism than they are with the Demo- cratic Party leadership. And on Fri- day, he sought to shore up his new- found Republican credentials with the endorsements of three heavyweights in President Reagan's past campaigns in Texas: Clymer Wright of Houston, Jim Brandon of Amarillo and Kay Danks of Austin. Wright said Hance "has the same ability as Ronald Reagan to bring new people to the primary." And he took a shot at Clements, saying the former governor had "embarrassed all of us by losing to Mark White . . . after spending $13 million as the in- cumbent." "Kent will attract conservative Democratic voters and officehold- ers into our party and will speed our journey to becoming the major- ity party," Wright said. Stumping through his own 21st Congressional District on Friday, Tom Loeffler sought to solidify his support in the 26-county area, which he said would provide 20 per- cent of the Republican primary vote. "What we cart do in the 21st Con- gressional District is going to make a big difference on the outcome of this primary," he said at a reception In Brady, in McCulloch County. "The votes here are mighty, mighty critical." Speaking in buoyant tones, Loef- fler frequently invoked the name of his horse, Liberty — the star of one of his early television commercials. In Boerne in Kendall County, Loeffler told a crowd of about 50 at an outdoor reception: "Liberty has never packed a loser, and I'm not about to turn her out to pasture now." "Remember," he added, "we've never lost, and we're not going to break that record now." Loeffler repeatedly touted his latest television spot, which began airing Monday in mast areas of the state outside Houston and Dallas. The 30-second spot features for- mer U.S. Rep. O.C. Fisher, a popular, 89-year-old Democrat who repre- sented Loeffler's district for 32 years before retiring in 1974. Sitting in a rocking chair, Fisher says that he has been a Democrat all his life, but intends to vote in the GOP primary for the first time to support Loeffler. "It's an upbeat spot," Loeffler told reporters. "It's from a person who has tremendous respect." Staff writer Kevin Merida contrib- uted to this report.