Friends,
After much deliberation and many conversations with supporters, family and friends, I am proud to announce that I will be seeking a third term as your El Paso County Commissioner for Precinct 2. I sincerely appreciate those who would have put their faith in me to run for a higher office and for your votes of confidence in asking me to do so, however, I feel there is so much work that I can effectively continue to do as a progressive Commissioner.
My staff and I have logged some pretty impactful successes over the past seven years. Whether it be writing policies for the creation of programs like our Healthy Food Financing Initiative and our outstanding Redistricting Advisory Committee, supporting historic preservation with our soon to be named Segundo Barrio Historic District, pushing for equity in our community's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the way in creating programs that support our local and small businesses such as the FASTER program, instituting changes that offered more and better access to voting in the 2020 elections (bringing the highest voter turnout EP County has ever seen), creating the County's immigrant services office and our new Public Information Officer position, fighting for and finally paying a living wage as a minimum wage at the County, University Medical Center and Emergence Health Network, spearheading the creation of Crisis Intervention Teams in policing at both the City and the County, and having nearly half of the strategic planning goals for FY2022 for the County come out of my office are just a few of the accomplishments my staff and I can so proudly claim.
But, we can't stop! There is so much more to be done. We are still not out of this pandemic and we need to work to help people not only survive physically, but mentally and economically. We need to work hard to continue to vaccinate people, especially our friends and family in Cd. Juarez. Our herd immunity is binational. We need to support programs that de-stigmatize accessing mental healthcare and urge people to get that help. We need to make sure people have food on their table, but at the same time alleviating pressure on emergency food services and bringing more federal dollars into our community to help pay for that. We need to provide more support to the homeless and justice involved individuals, more support to those who are struggling to pay their bills, more support to those who are working but need help with child care. We need to invest in making sure everyone in El Paso has access to broadband and invest more in workforce training, especially in the realms of healthcare and technology, and make sure we don't lose anymore small businesses due to the residual economic effects of the pandemic. We have millions of dollars in ARPA funding to help us do all of this, but it must be spent wisely, not all at one time, and in an impactful way that will bring more upward economic mobility to those in our region.
There are so many other priorities, as well. We still have a downtown historic district that needs to be created, we have to push TXDOT to listen to the people in El Paso when it comes to the widening of I-10 and push for the best possible outcome for that project. We have an amazing opportunity for some serious County investment and a truly community led process in re-purposing what we are calling the "Alameda Property", and we also have an opportunity to invest more in Ascarate and other County parks as a result of our parks master plan.
We are dealing with many challenges, but the future is bright. My staff and I are committed, as always, to continue giving Precinct 2 the best representation possible, and it is for this reason that I humbly ask for your support and hope you will consider making a contribution to my 2022 re-election campaign. Any amount is helpful! Gracias! Thank you! Un abrazo!
- Dave Stout