Perry's rental home raising eyebrows

By APRIL CASTRO, Associated Press Writer

AUSTIN, Texas - The home sits on 3.25 acres and has pecan hardwood floors, a gourmet kitchen with granite and marble countertops, and an outdoor kitchen near the heated pool. It includes a subzero refrigerator, a balcony and an attic converted to a game room. It also has guesthouse.
But don't try telling anyone on Gov. Rick Perry's staff that his new rental home is posh.

While the secluded $9,900-a-month estate has become a water-cooler topic, Perry's staff has been trying hard to keep a positive spin on his upcoming move.

Perry and his wife, Anita, will live at the secluded estate at taxpayer expense for about a year while the Governor's Mansion undergoes repairs.

The facelift at the mansion, a designated National Historic Landmark, will include new plumbing and the removal of lead paint and a compound believed to contain asbestos.

In the meantime, Perry's new pad will be a 6,386-square-foot gated property most recently listed on the market for $1.85 million.

It's caused some angst in Perry's office, which last month announced the Governor's Mansion project and invited reporters there to discuss the upgrades and preservation efforts.

Spokesman Robert Black insisted the undertaking be referred to as "a massive maintenance project," rather than a renovation.

At the Aug. 29 gathering, Black said the Perrys did not yet know where they would live.

"We don't know right now," he said. "I think they're looking at all the options, everything varying from downtown to in the suburbs."

But documents examined by The Associated Press show that owners of the three-story, limestone home - which includes a $1,800 pet addendum for the Perrys' dachshund Lucy - agreed to lease the property to the governor on Aug. 23, six days before Black met with reporters.

Black reiterated Friday that the Perrys did not know where they would be living until a representative for the state signed the lease Sept. 6.

Attempts by The AP to reach the seller's real estate agent for more information were unsuccessful. A woman who answered the phone at Keller Williams Realty said she was instructed to direct all inquiries about the property to Black.

Black called the descriptions of the property included in the real estate listings exaggerations and compared them to a beefed up resume. The governor's staff has refused to let photographers onto the property.

The flap has drawn comparisons to previous projects at governors' homes.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee moved his family into a donated triple-wide mobile home for 16 months in 2000. "I'm a Republican. I'm trying to save the taxpayers money," Huckabee explained at the time.

Black said Perry needs the space for his security staff and to host functions expected of the governor.

Cal Jillson, a Southern Methodist University political science professor, said that argument would take Perry "some distance down the road." But, he added, the governor shouldn't be surprised if Texans consider the new digs too extravagant.

"People really don't believe it's necessary to live on resort grounds at $10,000 a month," Jillson said.

The last time a Texas governor was forced out of the mansion while it underwent repairs was 1979. Bill Clements moved to a $1,500-a-month downtown condominium.

Rent for Perry's new residence is part of the estimated $10 million in renovation costs for the Governor's Mansion.

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