The camp of Republican Gov. Rick Perry in a story from the Dallas Morning News says that former Houston mayor - and Democratic gubernatorial contender - Bill White left the city in “deep financial trouble” because of the way White handled money.

It is one of the first of many barbs, no doubt, as Perry seeks re-election to a third term.

White tells the newspaper he left the city’s finances in good shape. He claimed when he took office that the place was a mess with massive pension funding problems and a structure that gave retired employees a bigger paycheck than when they were working. White also cast blame on the Lee Brown administration for the problem.

White has been criticized for issuing pension obligation bonds, which carry a higher interest rate than municipal bonds, for long-term debt and short-term expenses.

And now, his political opponent will probably make hay of it in the coming days.

Maybe the race will become a symbol of the epidemic of loose play with public employee pension funds around the U.S., where they are wreaking havoc on budgets.

In one egregious example in northern California, a retired fire chief was paid a $284,000 annual pension – a raise of almost 30 percent from his working salary of $221,000.

Call it a taxpayer gift for those golden years.

As far as comment from the current administration on whether Bill White left the city in fine financial form, forget it: “We’re not getting involved in the gubernatorial campaign,” said Janice Evans, spokeswoman for Houston Mayor Annise Parker.

Texas Watchdog will try to keep digging on these questions, to assess the city of Houston's financial shape.