Far East El Paso voters picking their District 5 city representative on Nov. 3 are choosing between two men who both say the city's deal with Meta Platforms is a bad one — but who disagree sharply on whether anything can still be done about it. Incumbent Ivan Niño, 35, is seeking his first full four-year term after winning a special election two years ago, while 34-year-old community organizer Richard Genera is making his second run at the seat.
Two Rivals, One High School
Niño and Genera both graduated from El Dorado High School in District 5, Niño in 2009 and Genera in 2010, according to the El Paso Times. Niño later earned a political science degree from the University of Arizona in 2022 and now runs a photo and video production company called Niño & Niño Enterprises; he lives in his mother's house off Edgemere Boulevard near Zaragoza Road, per the same report. Genera earned a multidisciplinary studies degree from UTEP in 2021 and works as organizing manager for the Houston-based Texas Majority PAC, living in an apartment complex on Tierra Este Road near Edgemere Boulevard.
This is not Genera's first attempt at the seat — he placed second in a three-person race in 2022, when Isabel Salcido held the District 5 seat before giving it up to run unsuccessfully for mayor, the El Paso Times notes. Niño won the seat in a December 2024 special election to fill the remaining two years of Salcido's term and filed for a spot on this year's Nov. 3 ballot on July 29, according to the same report. Genera has said he entered this race because Niño was set to run unopposed after another candidate was ruled ineligible.
Affordability Dominates Both Campaigns
Both candidates say affordability and cost of living rank among the district's biggest issues, and that the concern should factor into decisions affecting constituents, per the El Paso Times. That extends beyond property taxes to utility rate increases sought by El Paso Electric and Texas Gas Service, which are ultimately decided by state regulators. Niño says the city challenges those rate hikes with regulators, while Genera has argued he could rally constituents as a representative to demand lower rates himself. Genera has made affordability more prominent on his campaign website and social media than Niño has, the report states.
Niño says he's running for reelection to pursue affordability, public safety, roads and infrastructure priorities, and that he wants District 5's voice represented in city hall discussions. He holds monthly community meetings and publishes a community newsletter. Genera, for his part, has promised to let constituents decide whether he merits a raise if elected, says he'd leave his job to serve full-time, and plans weekly livestreamed community meetings at varied locations along with frequent surveys and a revival of his paused podcast, The El Paso Beat, according to the El Paso Times.
The $10 Billion Meta Question
Looming over the race is Meta Platforms' $10 billion data-center project in Northeast El Paso, which both candidates say is not a good deal for the city, per the El Paso Times. The El Paso City Council approved the economic development agreement with Meta in December 2023, the same month the city sold the company the land. Under the deal, El Paso provides Meta tax breaks to build the facility — though accounts differ on the exact term. El Paso Matters has reported the incentives mainly provide an 80% property-tax break for 35 years, while a separate account from the same outlet describes the Chapter 380 agreement as granting an 80% reduction in city taxes for 25 years.
Once fully built, the data center is expected to become El Paso's largest property taxpayer, with the city estimating it will pay around $15 million a year in city property taxes alone, El Paso Matters reports. The city has also committed $12.5 million to repair road infrastructure immediately around the site, and Meta has said the project will employ 300 permanent workers alongside 4,000 temporary construction workers during the roughly four-year build-out, which is expected to start operating in July but won't be fully complete until 2028. Opponents raised concerns during debate over the deal that the data center could use up to 1.5 million gallons of water a day.
Council Vote Splits the Candidates' Positions
The City Council voted 5-3 on June 9 against a proposal that could have led to terminating the Meta agreement, with Niño among the five votes to keep it in place, according to El Paso Matters. Niño has said the city could not stop construction regardless, since the project involves a private company, private funding and private land. City officials have separately said canceling the agreement could expose taxpayers to significant costs, according to KFOX14/CBS4, while distinguishing the council's opposition to incentivizing future hyperscale data centers from agreements already executed.
Genera has argued that breaking the agreement and pursuing court discussions might have allowed a fight to pause the project, and that a city representative can organize residents to communicate opposition to it. Niño, meanwhile, has said he does not believe hyperscale data centers belong in residential neighborhoods, telling kvia.com, “I do not believe hyperscale data centers belong in our neighborhoods.” He has said he co-sponsored council action seeking protections so residential ratepayers are not left covering utility costs tied to large data centers.
A Second Data Center Fight Brewing Near District 5
The Meta project isn't the only data-center fight touching District 5. The U.S. Army has proposed a large data center on Fort Bliss land off Montana Avenue, outside city limits but near the district, per the El Paso Times. Niño says he's collaborating with U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar and County Commissioner Jackie Butler to push for changes to the army facility's location, wanting it moved farther from residential neighborhoods or out of El Paso entirely.
Campaign Cash and Donor Questions
Fundraising has become its own flashpoint in the race. Niño collected $32,750 in mostly 22 large campaign contributions ranging from $1,000 to $2,500, after bringing in $27,750 from many of the same large donors in the second half of 2025, the El Paso Times reports. Kelly Tomblin, who is retiring from El Paso Electric this November but will remain an advisor through the end of 2026, gave Niño $500 in December 2025 and $1,500 in September 2026. The El Paso Electric Employees PAC gave $1,500 in September 2026 and $1,000 in December 2025, while El Paso police and electrical workers PACs combined to give $4,500 to campaigns in August and September, according to the same report.
Genera, by contrast, has reported raising $1,186 in contributions ranging from $5 to $100 as of Oct. 5, and loaned his own campaign $500. He has argued that Niño's large contributions make him beholden to donors, a characterization Niño has denied, telling the El Paso Times that fundraising is simply part of running a campaign.
What's on the Ballot
Because only two candidates are running, the District 5 race will produce a definite winner on election night, with only district residents eligible to vote in the contest. The seat carries a four-year term, an annual salary of $72,800 and a $4,200 expense allowance, per the El Paso Times. Early voting continues at various locations through Oct. 30, with Election Day set for Nov. 3.
