A sitting board member, a civil engineer, and a water law professor have all been nominated to serve on the San Antonio Water System’s board of trustees.
To succeed current board member Ernesto Arrellano Jr., Mayor Ron Nirenberg nominated Amy Hardberger, associate dean and professor at St. Mary’s University School of Law to represent SAWS’ southwest quadrant.
Hardberger is an attorney and geologist who researches and teaches courses on water law, conservation, the water-energy nexus, and environmental ethics. She is the daughter of former San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger and a member of SAWS’ Capital Improvements Advisory Committee.
Hardberger is also known for being a critic of SAWS’ Vista Ridge pipeline project and its “Waterful” marketing campaign. In 2016, then Mayor Ivy Taylor removed Hardberger from the Capital Improvements Advisory Committee, although she was later reappointed by then-Councilman Nirenberg (D8).
The nominees must go before the City Council’s Governance Committee for interviews before being voted on by the full council. The vote is likely to come in March, according to a memo from Nirenberg to City Council members.
Nirenberg also announced he would be reappointing David McGee to represent the northeast quadrant of SAWS’ service area.
SAWS is a municipally owned water and sewer utility that serves 1.8 million customers in the San Antonio area. Its trustees serve four-year terms.
McGee is a longtime banker who is President and CEO of Amegy Bank’s Central Texas region and serves as board chair of the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation. He previously was chairman of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.
Nirenberg also nominated civil engineer and project manager Eduardo Parra to fill the seat held now held by fellow engineer Louis Rowe, representing SAWS’ northwest quadrant.
Parra has taught university courses on water and sewer construction and serves as a board member for several nonprofits, according to the memo.
