Bob Bullock - Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

In 1973, Bullock first sought the Democratic nomination for comptroller. The octogenarian incumbent, Robert S. Calvert, soon withdrew from the contest when he gauged Bullock's strength. Bullock promised to modernize the office and to collect certain taxes that had been previously gone uncollected for many years. The officials collecting such taxes were known as "Bullock raiders." Bullock was also the first elected state official to adopt an equal opportunity employment program, a policy that Calvert had opposed. Bullock was among the first elected officials to use computer technology in state government to cut costs and improve productivity. He was the winner of numerous national awards for his management skills, including the "Leon Rothenberg Taxpayer Service Award." During his sixteen years in office, Bullock pledged fair but aggressive audits. He made statewide headlines with a long series of "raids" on businesses which had collected state taxes from customers but did not turned them into the state. As an outgrowth of his tax collecting efforts, the term "Bullock's Raiders" entered the Texas government lexicon.

As Comptroller of Public Accounts, his frequent and increasingly accurate forecasts on state finances allowed the legislature to budget more accurately. He also developed a "Taxpayers Bill of Rights" to guarantee fairness, courtesy and common sense. Bullock was re-elected overwhelmingly in 1978, 1982, and 1986 by landslide margins and although Bullock refused to seek the governorship during the 1980s, he saw his eyes on the lieutenant governorship when the longtime incumbent William P. "Bill" Hobby, Jr. of Houston chose not to seek re-election to a sixth term. Bullock quickly announced his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor in September 1987.