He served on the Edmonton city council from 1983 until 1992. White began his political career as a municipal councillor for the city of Edmonton, Alberta. The race for Ward 4 was hotly contested by a field of fifteen candidates.
White rode a white horse down Jasper Aveue a few days prior to election day.
lieutenant is said to be one of the reasons for his winning the seat over very stiff competition from, among others, Brian Mason. He would run for his second term in office in the 1986 Edmonton municipal election.
This election would see White finish with an easy first place victory with Incumbent Editor Leger going down to defeat. Mel Binder would take the second place seat.
In his second term on city council White ran for election to the Alberta Legislature in March 1989.
He was defeated but continued to remain on city council. Both incumbents finished well ahead of the other two challengers to each retain their seats. White would leave city council vacating his seat in the fall of 1992.
He and his family would spend four months on a packbacking tour around the world.
Upon his return, he would successfully run with the Laurence Decore Liberals in the 1993 Alberta general election. He finished fifth in a field of seven candidates with three percent of the popular vote.
White had ambitions of running for a seat in the Alberta Legislature. While still a municipal councilor he ran as the Liberal candidate in Edmonton-Calder for the 1989 Alberta general election.
He was defeated by incumbent Christie Mjolsness of the New Democrats.
He was re-elected in the 1997 Alberta general election. The race was hotly contested, with all three candidates taking a third of the popular vote. White would be defeated by Progressive Conservative Brent Rathgeber in the 2001 Alberta general election.
He then moved on to provincial politics and served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1993 until 2001. In the fall of 1995, while still a Member of the Alberta Legislature, White would run for Mayor of Edmonton.