El Paso County Commissioner Carlos Leon will not seek reelection
El Paso County Commissioner Carlos Leon, who has served on Commissioners Court for more than a decade, announced in a statement that he will not seek reelection when his term representing Precinct 1 expires next year.
"This decision has taken much thought and consideration, as it has been a tremendous honor and privilege to serve all the constituents of El Paso County," Leon said in a news release Monday. "We’ve made tremendous strides and accomplished much, but after 40 plus years of public service with the El Paso Police Department and El Paso County, it is time for me to spend more time with my family and to find other ways to continue serving the people of El Paso."
A day after Leon's announcement, Jackie Arroyo Butler, who currently serves as senior policy adviser in Leon's Precinct 1 office, announced that she would run for the open seat.
“My family and my heart are in east El Paso," Arroyo, a lifelong resident of the East Side Montana Vista community, said in a news release. "I’ve seen first-hand how quickly this area of El Paso is growing and the challenges that come with it. Growing up, and now raising a family with my husband Larry, within the unincorporated areas of the County, I have a first-hand appreciation for everything the County does to support all residents within our community,”
Leon's work in public service began in 1974 when he joined the El Paso Police Department, eventually being chosen to lead the department as chief in 1999. As a captain, Leon championed the community policing strategy that continues to be a mainstay of policing in the Sun City and, as chief, he earned the city's first recognition as one of the nation's safest cities.
Leon retired from the force in 2003 and began representing a variety of organizations, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as a law enforcement and security consultant.
During the course of his tenure on the El Paso County Commissioners Court, which began when he was first elected in 2012, Leon boasts a number of accomplishments, but concedes there is still more work ahead.
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"During my tenure I have had the honor of serving with very dedicated Commissioners Courts," Leon said in the release. "I am very proud of how our County team has elevated the level of judicious, efficient, and responsive government that we provide our residents. I am particularly pleased to have worked over the years to improve public safety, increase health care access, and ensure that we are fiscally responsible with taxpayer’s hard-earned dollars. We have also improved public infrastructure in communities that need utilities and transportation services.
"There is still much work to be done before my term ends and into the future," he added, "and our team will continue to support policies and programs that enhance the quality of life for all constituents of Precinct 1 and across the County."
Commissioner David Stout: 'I think he should be proud of his service'
El Paso County Commissioner David Stout, who has worked alongside Leon since joining the Commissioners Court in 2014, praised the longtime commissioner for his lifelong dedication to public service and his work on a number of important issues.
"Commissioner Leon has spent his whole life in public service," Stout said, "which is not an easy thing to do. I think he should be proud of his service."
Stout applauded Leon's work to "turn county government around" a decade ago, when it was coming out of a series of "dark times" in which county representatives were implicated and even charged in public corruption scandals. Leon, he said, was instrumental in bringing order to county government.
Additionally, he praised Leon's work to ensure fiscal responsibility at the county level and his persistent work to ensure that the lowest-level workers, both in county administration and within the businesses that set up shop in El Paso as a result of incentives Leon championed, were paid fairly.
"That's one of his major accomplishments over his time in office," Stout said.
He likewise noted that Leon was the swing vote in 2013 when the Commissioners Court approved a University Medical Center of El Paso-requested bond issue to establish a series of clinics that are now providing invaluable care to residents throughout the county.
Stout also lauded Leon's work to establish a County Administration Office, which did not exist when he first took office and has since streamlined and cleaned up county operations, as well as his continued efforts to bolster operations at the Fabens Airport, including a partnership with the University of Texas at El Paso that continues to pay high dividends in the aerospace engineering and manufacturing sectors.
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But Stout said all of Leon's accomplishments are simply "above and beyond just being a good human being."
"It's going to be quite different when he leaves," Stout said. "My respect to him for having stuck it out for so many years. It's going to be different and we'll miss him."
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso County Commissioner Carlos Leon will not seek reelection
