Shami calls for change

Likening himself to President Barack Obama, Farouk Shami on Wednesday asked a room full of Odessans to keep an open mind at the polls next November and cast their ballots for change in Texas. The Democratic gubernatorial candidate cast himself as a savvy businessman who can boost the state’s economy by bringing in new jobs.

“I’m not as black as him,” said Shami, a Palestinian immigrant and the CEO of a major hair care and spa products company based in Houston. “But I looked in the mirror and saw a person who could change the economy. I feel business people are the people who can bring jobs.”

Shami said his plan is to put a factory in every poor community in the state to generate jobs.

“I’m for the underdog and the underprivileged,” he said.

He also called for education reform, saying it’s unacceptable that Texas has the highest high school dropout rate in the country. At one point, Shami derided what he called the status quo in Austin and mocked Gov. Rick Perry.

“Our governor has one good thing going for him and that’s good hair,” Shami said, drawing laughter from a crowd of about three dozen supporters and curious onlookers at the Holiday Inn on East 42nd Street. “And that’s because of my products.”

Shami, who spoke to a similar group in Midland earlier Wednesday, is visiting smaller areas in Texas that might not be accustomed to hearing from gubernatorial candidates, said Scott Emery, a campaign official.

Berdell Collins, a consultant from Austin, said he heard Shami on the radio a few weeks ago and dropped by the meet-and-greet Wednesday to hear more.

“I’m curious as to why he thinks he can beat the more mainstream candidates,” Collins said, alluding to the likes of Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson. “But if Barack Obama can do it, maybe he can do it, too.”