Arcos, Griego vie for El Paso County Precinct 4 commissioner seat

First-time candidates Leo Arcos and Annette Griego are asking voters to choose them as the next county commissioner for Precinct 4, which covers West and Northeast El Paso, as well as Vinton, Westway, Canutillo and Anthony, Texas.

Arcos, a Republican, had no challenger in the primary. Griego, a Democrat, defeated first-term incumbent Sergio Coronado in the March primary. Whoever wins will take the oath of office Jan. 1, 2027. Commissioners are paid $133,466 annually.  

The El Paso County Commissioners Court is made up of a county judge and four commissioners. They decide policy, adopt a budget and tax rate for the county and its hospital district, and approve proposals to build and maintain roads, bridges and county buildings and facilities. They also ratify plans to deliver health and welfare services, cultural and recreational activities, and law enforcement and public safety to the county.

Griego said during a recent in-person interview that she has walked plenty of blocks in Precinct 4 and residents’ concerns range from a lack of infrastructure in the unincorporated areas of the Westside to worries about the Meta data center in Northeast. A general concern was high property taxes.

She stressed that she would not vote to raise property taxes and said she would work with El Paso’s elected officials at the state and federal levels to request necessary funds for needed projects.

“In these situations, we need help,” she said during a break from her duties as a family nurse practitioner at her business, El Paso Family & Pediatric Clinic, 12410 Montwood Drive.

Arcos did not respond to several calls and emails from El Paso Matters to discuss his candidacy. According to Arcos’ campaign website, his priorities include lowering property taxes. Secondary initiatives include supporting local businesses, enhancing resources for veterans and ensuring accountability through accessibility.

The precinct covers more than 163 square miles and is divided by the Franklin Mountains. According to the 2020 Census, 208,370 people reside in that precinct. As of Oct. 7, it had 146,206 registered voters, according to the El Paso County Elections Department.

Early voting runs Oct. 19-30. Election Day is Nov. 3. 

Annette Griego

Griego, 51, is a native of Ciudad Juárez who grew up in the Lower Valley. She earned her U.S. citizenship in 1993. Her desire to serve others led to her decision to enroll at the University of Texas at El Paso and pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing in 1999 and 2007, respectively.

She used her degrees to land nursing jobs at area hospitals that led to administration roles. With an entrepreneurial spirit, she started a medical services company in 2008 and then opened her Eastside clinic eight years later.

While some Precinct 4 residents have encouraged her to be a full-time county commissioner if elected, she said that she would continue to work at her clinic as much as possible. She said her staff and management company do the bulk of the work, giving her the flexibility to serve the county as needed.

Her efforts to prepare for the job include watching Commissioner Court meetings live online, speaking with people who used to work for commissioners and reading books that she hoped would enhance her political perspective.

The Westside resident, who lives near Hornedo Middle School, said that she also has read county budgets to look for items that could be trimmed, cut or audited. The only item she mentioned was the Sheriff’s Office because of the nearly $6 million budget deficit.

When not working or campaigning, Griego said she likes to spend time with family, which includes her husband, attorney Felix Castañon, and her two high school-aged sons.

Castañon had worked in the public defender’s office for 10 years but was fired two years ago. He sued the county for wrongful termination in April 2025. The county settled the case, which was dismissed in August, but details were not publicly disclosed.

Griego said she has been sued twice as a business owner. In both cases, she countersued. One case was dismissed and the other was settled at mediation.

Her latest campaign finance report showed that since July 1, she received a $200 contribution from the Westside Democrats of El Paso. The report included expenditures of almost $9,000 with most of it going to an ad on an electronic billboard. As of the end of September, she had more than $21,000 in campaign funds in the bank, and $65,000 in outstanding loans, including another $15,000 she made to herself last month.

She admitted in a previous interview to a spotty voter record and attributed it to family and professional demands. She has been a regular voter since 2018.

Leonard “Leo” Arcos

Information about Arcos through his website, electronic files and various media posts show that he is an El Paso native who grew up in the Downtown El Paso area. He is a military veteran who earned an MBA in 2022 and a master of leadership studies three years later.

The Texas Veterans Commission confirmed that Arcos served as a veterans service representative I and II on the Claims Department’s Claims Assistance Fully Developed Claims Team from Nov. 15, 2022, through Jan. 23, 2026.

Arcos registered to vote in 2004, but had not voted until the May and November 2025 elections, according to county voting records.

He filed for bankruptcy in 2018 and 2020. The court dismissed the first case because he did not pay the filing fee or provide the required documents. The court granted the second request for Chapter 7, which is a liquidation of debts where proceeds, if available, go to creditors.

According to his latest campaign finance report, Arcos has contributions of $2,050, including an in-kind contribution of $600. He has spent $1,395.17. His money on hand at the end of the reporting period was $1,311.

Juan Jimenez, a  self-employed business owner who lives on the Eastside donated $1,000. There were other contributions of $200 to $300 mostly from people with Eastside addresses with one from a resident of Precinct 4. One backer gave Arcos an in-kind $400 donation of popsicles.

Among his expenses were $385 for a mariachi band in late July, $305 for his campaign P.O. Box, and $200 for the North Hills Neighborhood Pride Association.

Constituents

Melissa Bailey, president of the Southwest Mesquite Hills Neighborhood Association, said she has had several conversations with Arcos and decided to support him because of his willingness to serve veterans and the community, as well as his fiscal conservatism.

While she could not remember many specifics of what he said, she recalled Arcos had told her about his concerns with how the county’s tax money was being spent, and possibly wasted. She did recall his interest in the Sheriff’s office budget and its deficit.

Bailey said Arcos provided a pallet of bottled water to her Northeast neighborhood after a major water main break in January that left the area with no- or low-water pressure for days. Mesquite Hills is within the city limits.  

Ivy Saavedra is a lifelong resident of Westway, a rural, unincorporated community of about 4,000 northeast of Canutillo. She is politically active and has lobbied in Washington, D.C., for farm bills and supplemental nutrition assistance.

She said her community’s main issues are property taxes and infrastructure, specifically sidewalks and drainage. She said heavy rains usually mean some flooding to her neighborhood.

While Westway residents do not pay city taxes, they pay taxes to  El Paso County, the El Paso County Hospital District, El Paso Community College and the Canutillo Independent School District. She said residents have told her they want elected officials who will advocate for them.

She said that she has had conversations with Griego and county officials about Westway’s issues. She wants them to see residents as more than voters every four years, but as people who live in their precincts and who deal with real life issues that impact them.

Saavedra said she was happy with the advances made in infrastructure under Coronado, including road repairs, improvements to Westway Park, and joint efforts to bring county services to the neighborhood.

“As an unincorporated community, we do see less funding,” Saavedra said. “We do see the pulling of resources, and it seems to be that we’re always the last ones to be considered.”

She said she is working with Griego’s campaign to get the candidate to speak in Westway.

“I’m going to vote for her, but I hope that if she wins, she’ll (make the commissioner’s job) her full priority,” Saavedra said.

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