Meta deal, 'affordability' focus of far East El Paso council election
A contested El Paso City Council election in District 5 is focused partly on the city’s agreement with Meta to build a data center and a proposed U.S. Army data center near Fort Bliss. Candidate Richard Genera criticized incumbent Ivan Niño for not doing more to halt the Meta project, while Niño said the city could not stop privately funded construction and is working to move the Army proposal farther from neighborhoods.
The El Paso District 5 City Council race has made two data center developments a central issue. Challenger Richard Genera criticized incumbent Ivan Niño for voting against voiding the city’s economic development agreement with Meta, which includes tax incentives for the company’s data center. Genera said the city should have pursued legal options to place the project on hold, while Niño argued that the council vote did not offer a way to stop construction on privately owned land using private funding. The Meta facility is expected to become El Paso’s largest property taxpayer despite both candidates saying the deal is unfavorable.
The U.S. Army also has proposed a large data center on Fort Bliss property near Montana Avenue, outside city limits and near District 5. Niño said he is working with U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar and El Paso County Commissioner Jackie Butler to encourage the Army to relocate the facility farther from residential areas or outside El Paso entirely. Genera called for community organizing against the proposal. The article presents the data center disputes as part of a broader campaign focused on affordability and local representation.