Three-time elected El Paso County Commissioner David Stout faces Miguel Antonio Teran in the Democratic primary for Precinct 2, which covers Central El Paso and the Lower Valley.
Stout, 45, a former broadcast journalist, has served this office since 2015. Teran, 61, has served as a director for the El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1 since 2005. His term ends in May and he will not seek reelection. Teran is the son of a former county commissioner who stepped down amid a public corruption investigation two decades ago, but said that situation didn’t involve him.
The winner of the March primary will meet Republican candidate Matt Sistrunk, a cryptocurrency promoter, in the November general election. Sistrunk is running unopposed in the Republican primary.
What do the County Commissioners do?
The Commissioners Court consists of four commissioners and County Judge Ricardo Samaniego, who is also up for reelection this year. County Commissioners serve four-year terms with an annual salary of about $133,500.
The court adopts an annual budget, sets property tax rates, makes policy and authorizes plans for infrastructure projects, including county-owned facilities and bond propositions. The commissioners also appoint members to the El Paso County Hospital District board, which approves budgets, tax rates and CEO salary and other decisions for University Medical Center of El Paso.
In 2025, the court for the second year in a row voted against a pay raise for county staff and elected officials, including themselves, because of a tightened budget. Along with balancing the budget, commissioners oversee the progress of three voter-approved bond projects: Parks and Recreation improvements, a new office of Medical Examiner and a new animal shelter.
CANDIDATE Q&A: 5 questions for candidates in March primary contested races
David Stout
Stout is the longest-serving member of the Commissioners Court. He previously had a broadcast journalism career before moving into communications for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and then former Texas Sen. José Rodríguez.
He has received more than $42,000 in donations for his reelection run – far exceeding his opponents – and spent more than $23,000, according to the latest campaign finance reports. He also took out a nearly $8,000 loan on himself.
His largest contributions were $10,000 from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Officers Association PAC; $5,000 from local business magnate Stanley Jobe of Jobe Materials; and $2,500 from Adrian Garcia in Houston.
Stout’s priorities for the county include improving the county’s efficiency through technology and fiscal responsibility, which may involve reducing programs that are not required, he said.
County Commissioners approved a 14% tax rate increase for this fiscal year, due in part to fund a portion of the 2024 voter-approved bond and to make up for federal funding losses. Dipping into budget reserves is not sustainable and the county has had to make tough decisions, from temporary hiring freezes to no cost-of-living adjustments for employees, to make up for state-unfunded mandates, Stout said.
More than half of the county’s $635.6 million budget goes toward programs and services the state requires the county to provide, but does not provide funding for, he said. Examples include Operation Lone Star, which forces the county to house federal inmates in county jails, and Texas Senate Bill 8, which forces sheriffs in urban counties to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
In the November 2025 constitutional election, Texans also voted to give homestead property tax exemptions for surviving spouses of veterans, increase personal property tax exemption for businesses and deny bail for people accused of certain violent or sexual offenses.
While he doesn’t take issue with giving relief to veteran families, all these revenue losses must then be spread out to the rest of taxpayers, Stout said.
The county may have to make cuts in programs not mandated by the state, Stout said. Examples of non-mandated programs include the Promise program, which supports incarcerated youth transitioning back into the community, and grants for small businesses.
“In the future, if we don’t want to raise taxes and have less resources, those are programs we have to look at and may not be available in the future,” he said.
To work more efficiently, Stout said he supports plans for human resources to survey employees about the possibility of a four-day work week, which some studies have shown to increase productivity and reduce burnout. The county is still in the early stages of exploring flexible work weeks – without reducing services in public-facing departments, he said.
Stout said he would also like to adopt a county policy on the use of artificial intelligence, or AI, to streamline work. His office already uses ChatGPT for basic functions, such as coming up with schedules or help writing policies. The county also has an AI kiosk on the third floor of the courthouse for visitors who have questions, he said.
An audit with Schneider Electric also found ways the county can replace outdated equipment with more energy-efficient ones, which would save the county close to $40 million over 20 years, he added. The project, which Stout voted in favor of, would also cost more than $25 million to be repaid over 20 years. El Paso Matters requested a copy of this audit report.
When asked how the county will hold contractors accountable and ensure the voter-approved bond projects will stay on track, Stout said the county will hold public meetings throughout the year to update the community on progress. The county’s bond projects website shows near completion for one project: upgrading the lights at Sportspark to LED to increase visibility and reduce operating costs.
Stout attributed the delay of one county project – the long stalled Pellicano Drive widening – on “things out of our control,” namely the contractor’s failure to complete and bankruptcy proceedings.
“I don’t know what we could have done to increase the speed of the project,” he said. “We didn’t undergo the direct purchasing process… not trying to cast aspersions, but I think in the future some kind of insulation could come from how we write the scope of the project, for companies to have good track records and have done this in the past.”
For economic development, Stout said he would like El Paso to move away from its dependence on service sector jobs, such as in retail and hospitality, and add more knowledge sector jobs, such as in science and engineering.
“I intend to continue to advocate for more investment of this kind, as well as ensuring that any company that wants county incentives offers a living wage and good benefits to all of their employees,” Stout said.
In 2023, Stout was part of the Commissioners Court that supported the upcoming and controversial Meta data center in the Northeast, approving an 80% property tax abatement for the tech giant. The dollar amount of the incentives cannot be calculated in advance because of variable capital expenditures by phase, a county spokesperson wrote in an email statement. The agreement is structured in five phases, with incentives available for up to 15 years per phase and overall agreement term up to 35 years. Half of the 50 full-time positions at the data center must be filled by local residents, according to the county’s Economic Development team, though Meta said it will create about 100 jobs.
El Paso Electric is seeking to build a gas power plant for the data center, despite the utility’s previous claim it would be powered by solar and other renewable energy. Stout said he should have gotten more information before supporting the data center. Last month, the Commissioners Court approved a measure to establish guidelines for future data centers.
“I did ask questions about the water use,” Stout said. “We were assured it would be OK. I don’t know if that’s the case right now as more information is coming out… I don’t know if that information was available back then.”
“We were very green regarding this project,” he said. “We plan to be more informed moving forward.”
Miguel Teran
Teran is the owner and CEO of Roman Construction Project Management, which specializes in contracting for commercial and residential construction projects. His clients have included Ysleta, Clint and Socorro independent school districts, as well as Fort Bliss, according to the company’s website.
As a director for El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1, he helps make decisions regarding the distribution of Rio Grande surface water and water land rights in El Paso County.
His father, Miguel Arnulfo Teran, is a former county commissioner who stepped down in 2007 during a sweeping FBI investigation into public corruption. The elder Teran was not among the local officials who was indicted. His son described the situation as “ugly politics” from the past that did not involve him.
Teran’s campaign finance reports are unclear, starting with his first filed Jan. 15 for the month of December reporting period showing no contributions, expenses or loans, but then itemizing a loan of about $2,600. On Feb. 2, he filed a report for the January reporting period showing a $25,000 loan, expenses of just under $4,500 and no contributions, but then itemized more than $3,000 in contributions. He filed an amended report Feb. 6, showing a loan of $22,500 and expenses of about $5,800. His campaign manager Michelle Rivera said they plan to file an amendment to correct Teran’s campaign finance reports, but hadn’t done so by end of day Monday.
Some of Teran’s priorities for the county include delivering projects on time and practicing fiscal responsibility.
Teran said if elected, he would use his experience in construction project management to hold contractors accountable to strict timelines for county infrastructure projects. Delays end up costing the county more money, he said.
He would hold contractors accountable by meeting with them early and often to solve risks for delay earlier in the timeline, he said. When asked which projects he thought took too long to complete, he did not cite any examples, but said he was looking ahead to future projects such as the Interstate 10 expansion. The state owns the highway and the Texas Department of Transportation is managing the project, which is likely two to three years away from construction.
“If you ask them, they’ll do the right thing,” he said, when asked how he would hold the state agency accountable from his role in the county.
Teran also said the county should create a real-time register for the public to see how every cent is spent on bond projects. The county has an online dashboard that tracks bond project progress and posts upcoming public meetings, but Teran questioned whether the website was up to date, or just “pretty.”
Timeliness should extend to smaller improvements too, he added. Teran wants to improve response time from the county for resident inquiries, such as fixing potholes and getting permits, and said he would directly handle each constituent’s complaint.
Unlike incorporated cities such as El Paso, Socorro and Horizon that oversee building and zoning permits within their boundaries, Texas counties do not regulate the use of land or buildings. When asked which county permit is difficult to obtain, Teran said he could not name a specific one, but there are obstacles “every time you deal with a governmental agency.”
“I get the runaround all the time – I call and get an answering service or no answer,” he said.
When asked who in the county he’s calling, he could not specify which department and said it was the “county in general” at various times.
Teran said he would like to grow the county’s commercial tax base, attracting more residents and businesses to Precinct 2. In this economy, business owners have a fear of what could happen next and are already hampered by restraints such as tariffs, he said. The county should not create additional bureaucratic deterrents, such as in the process of complying with food handling regulations or getting permits. The city of El Paso Public Health Department conducts food inspections, not the county.
Teran criticized the Commissioners Court for approving tax incentives for the Meta data center for a return of so few jobs. Teran said he doesn’t oppose giving subsidies to businesses bringing in higher paying jobs, but would not have agreed to the subsidies to Meta without a clearer idea of the long-term impact on residents and their water supply.
“If there is not enough water, why bring someone in with a bigger straw?” he said as a potential scenario.
Teran positioned himself as a more moderate Democrat than Stout. When asked if there were other decisions he disagreed with from Stout, none of the commissioner’s policies came to mind.
“I don’t think he’s done anything,” Teran said. “He hasn’t championed anything besides the Far Left agenda. He seems to be about… everything but Precinct 2. I don’t need him to act as a congressman or a senator.”
Stout responded to Teran’s comments in an email statement.
“Anyone who serves on the Commissioners Court should absolutely be involved in advocating on behalf of our community on both state and federal levels,” Stout wrote. “Counties in Texas are an extension of state government and actions taken at the legislature have direct impacts on the programs and services we provide locally, and especially our budgets.”
Early voting for the primaries runs from Feb. 17 to 27 and Election Day is March 3. The general election is Nov. 3. The next representative for Precinct 2 will begin their term in January 2027.
The post Construction project manager challenges David Stout for county commissioner seat in Democratic primary appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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