El Paso Matters – Q&A: City Council District 5 candidates in Nov. 3 general election

Ivan Niño: I want El Paso to be more affordable, connected, safe, and full of opportunity. Economic development should mean economic mobility, with better-paying jobs, stronger local businesses, and a city where homeownership is attainable. We must invest in our people, our streets, transportation, public safety, parks, and infrastructure while planning ahead for our growth. Our goal should be a city where families can build their future and young people see opportunities to stay and succeed in El Paso.

Richard Genera: Affordable. My bare minimum goal is to propose a no-net-revenue tax base every cycle. That will almost always come with proposed cuts to services, but those decisions will be discussed with constituents at my weekly community meetings. Any cuts deemed unacceptable do not have to be made, any increases proposed would be shown to be supported with engaged feedback from my district. If we work through it together, we can get ourselves back on track.

Ivan Niño: We should make El Paso easier to invest in by improving permitting, infrastructure, workforce development, and site readiness while targeting industries that bring quality jobs and long-term capital investment. Incentives should be a tool, not an entitlement, and tied to measurable results. We also need to help local businesses grow, support entrepreneurship, and strengthen partnerships with schools and universities. A broader commercial and industrial tax base can reduce pressure on homeowners.

Richard Genera: I think El Paso already does an excellent job of attracting prospective commercial and industrial development, and we should. El Paso has a lot to offer. Which is why I find it so frustrating that we seem to give away the farm at every opportunity we get. I am not concerned so much with attracting more commercial and industrial development, as I am interested in seeing our current partners take on more of the burden that has so disproportionately and unjustly rested on residents shoulders.

Ivan Niño: We have to invest in the people who keep our community safe while also being responsible with taxpayer dollars. That means competitive compensation, strong recruitment and retention, responsible workforce planning, and using technology, grants, training, and equipment to strengthen our public safety system and improve response times. Public safety should remain a core priority while the City continues investing in streets, parks, infrastructure, and quality of life.

Richard Genera: I am going to lean hard on our chiefs to help me identify and remove inefficiencies in their departments and I am going to lift up our first responders and listen to their thoughts, concerns and feedback, and use their first-hand knowledge inform and drive my vision of balancing affordability and managing public safety.

Ivan Niño: City Council directed that the city not actively recruit, pursue, or incentivize new hyperscale data centers, which I supported. Any future proposal should address community concerns and keep residents at the forefront through meaningful public input. Projects should meet clear standards for water, energy, infrastructure, transparency, and community benefit, while ensuring costs are not shifted to residents and delivering quality jobs, local opportunities, and long-term economic value.

Richard Genera: Would another data center make my constituent’s lives more affordable? All of the data I’ve seen would indicate, no. I can’t fathom signing off on giving any data center any more than it has, and would only propose changes that would make building data centers in El Paso undesirable to tech companies. We can find business partners who share our community’s values and value our community, not just our resources.

Ivan Niño: Economic incentives should be a tool, not an entitlement. Public resources should deliver measurable benefits to El Pasoans through quality jobs, better wages, local hiring, workforce development, capital investment, and a stronger tax base. Agreements should include transparency, accountability, and taxpayer protections. We should also support small local businesses and use economic development to create economic mobility, build wealth, and expand pathways to homeownership.

Richard Genera: There needs to be clearer, faster returns on investment. El Paso has, in my opinion, had a bad habit of giving away the farm, when negotiating incentives. Every deal I negotiate will be viewed first as “how is this making my constituents lives more affordable?” El Paso has a lot to offer, and carrying that pride into negotiations means walking away from deals that ultimately put corporate profits over the well being of our people.