Clements is confident of ousting U, „Ago 13y Gary Sebarrer limes stall writer ArR , os6 ,Whi-L-e Looking good In the polls, Re- publican candidate for governor Dill Clements expressed feisty confidence Thursday that Texas voters will admit "they made a mistake" four years ago and will undo the damage by replacing Gov. Mark White with him. Clements returned to El Paso to meet with party leaders and campaign workers in his quest to recapture the state's top job, which he surrendered to White In • the 1982 upset. Clements became the state's first GOP governor in more than 100 years when he was elected In 1978. Now he Is fighting for the Republican nominaLion against U.S Rep Tom Loeffler of Hunt, exas, and former U.S. Rep. Kent Hance, a converted Demo- crat from Lubbock. An independent poll taken three weeks ago by two Houston news organizations showed what partisan polls also reflect — that -Clements is well ahead of either !lance or Loeffler and is poised to win the May 3 primary without a tunoff, he said. And, unsurprisingly, the 68- year-old millionaire oilman and former undersecretary of de- fense said that's Just what finan- cially troubled Texas needs. "I am the only candidate In ei- ther party who comes to the podi- um and to the election with a business backeround," Clements said. Ile called this year's elec- tion the state's most Important posts; ar election. "We are truly at a crossroad, and we better be sure we choose correctly," he said Ile blamed White for all the state's money problems. Tax revenues from September through January were 11 percent higher than (Inc previous year, he said. The problems are excess- ive spending and White adding 20,000 state employees, bring the total to 187,000. Clements said. he former governor also chid- ed White for buying a $3.5 million Jet "and an $1,800 cashmere tux- edo" as personl perquisites of the office. To deal with the state's prob- lems, "the first thing I would do Is sell that jet airplane," Clem- ents said. Ile said he also would call a special session of the Legislature to: 'Get approval for building a new state prison. •Address tort reform, neces- sary because of too many busin- esses failing because of their in- ability to get liability coverage. 'Remove $1 billion from the state's current $18.6 billion bud- get But Clements refused 'to sug- gest where to cut $1 billion from the state's 240 agencies, commis- sions and departments. "That's not my responsibili- ty," he said when reporters pressed for secifics. "I am a candidate. I zitn only telling you what (Whi(e) shculd do."