EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Three candidates are competing for the El Paso County commissioner Precinct 1 seat, currently held by Carlos Leon, who is retiring after serving three terms.
The candidates are: Democrat Jackie Arroyo Butler, Republican Claudia Rodriguez, and Libertarian Ryan Woodcraft.
Arroyo Butler secured the Democratic nomination in the party primary with 58.7 percent of the vote..
Arroyo Butler currently serves as a senior policy advisor for Leon. She began her career at the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce and has 15 years of experience working directly in the community.
Born and raised in the Montana Vista area, she has worked on policy and advocacy efforts at both the local and state levels.
Arroyo Butler said she wants to be able to maintain budgets that do not increase taxes, but she does not want to make promises about what can happen in the future
“I commit to ensuring that what the county is spending goes towards our most critical needs, especially in areas lacking basic infrastructure,” Arroyo Butler.
She prefers voter-approved debt but does not rule out certificates of obligation for essential infrastructure.
Regarding commissioners’ giving themselves salary increases, Butler said: “Salary increases should not be necessary for a long time.”
Rodriguez, a former El Paso City Council representative, is running as a Republican. Rodriguez, born and raised in El Paso, wants to finish the projects she started on the City Council, especially maintaining the City’s tax rate.
“I never raised the tax rate for the City of El Paso. My third year, it did not increase, and I also voted for a no-new-tax-revenue budget. I want to continue this at the county commissioner level,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez opposes commissioners giving themselves pay raises. “I don’t believe county commissioners should give themselves raises, and I will work to change that policy,” she said. She also focuses on infrastructure, lower taxes, and improving the quality of life.
Rodriguez said she is committed to opposing non-voter-approved debt, except in emergencies. “There should be a way to bring in state and federal funding without going back to taxpayers,” Rodriguez said.
Libertarian Woodcraft, a retired Army veteran, said financial responsibility and lowering the property tax rate is at the core of his platform.
“Lowering property taxes will help families buy groceries, school supplies, or clothes for their kids,” Woodcraft said.
Woodcraft supports balancing the County’s budget with no-new-revenue tax rates and limiting non-voter-approved debt.
He also opposes pay raises for commissioners, pledging to donate his raise to local charities. “I’ll give that $16,000 pay raise back to the community,” Woodcraft said.
Read: Read More