San Antonio Report
by Andrea Drusch
Candidates for Bexar County’s public works director and county engineer came down to a longtime county employee currently serving as the department’s interim director, and the San Antonio office chief of a global engineering consulting firm.
After discussing the two candidates in executive session Tuesday, Bexar County Commissioners voted unanimously to extend an offer to Art Reinhardt, local business lead for the consulting firm WSP.
Before WSP, the University of Texas graduate spent seven years working for the City of San Antonio’s Public Works Department, overseeing transportation and capital projects as an assistant division director and interim deputy director.
“Art brings really great experience from his background and his experience, both private and public sector,” said Paul Basaldua, a developer who served on the county’s selection committee for the role.
Former Public Works Director and County Engineer Renee Green held the position for 17 years and retired in May 2023.
To choose a replacement, last year the county assembled a committee of commissioners and business leaders with expertise on the role’s two major components: public works, which manages publicly funded projects, and development services, which approves plans and plats for private developments in the county’s extraterritorial jurisdiction.
“Art knows the challenges ahead with the amount of development that’s going to happen in the extraterritorial jurisdiction. He knows that the development services department is going to need resources and attention. And he’s a guy that understands the political landscape as well,” Basaldua said.
Commissioners Rebeca Clay-Flores (Pct. 1) and Tommy Calvert (Pct. 4), County Manager David Smith and trucking company owner Adam Blanchard also served on the committee.
Their other finalist, David Wegmann, was the county’s engineering services manager before he was named interim director in June. Wegmann joined the county in 1998 as a civil engineering assistant and has worked their ever since, with the exception of a five-year stint at CP&Y Inc., where he oversaw roadway projects.
Although Reinhardt was selected as the finalist, a contract with him remains to be negotiated.
“He’s a quick study, so he’ll get up to speed fast and work well with staff and the leadership” at the county, said Mike Frisbie, a senior vice president at the engineering firm Raba Kistner who was the city engineer when Reinhardt worked in municipal government.
Prior to that role, Reinhardt worked with Bexar County’s Public Works Department to manage the county’s flood control program while working for the consulting firm Aecom.
“I’ve supported the county in some way or another for the past 15 years, whether as a consultant or as a peer agency over the city, and even in my current role, so it’s a great opportunity to continue working alongside the county in serving the public,” Reinhardt said in an interview.
Last year Reinhardt served as the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce’s Infrastructure Committee chair. He’s also participated in the chamber’s Leadership San Antonio program.
“He’s a nice guy. … Easy to talk to, easy to pick up the phone and call,” said Basaldua, who serves on the board of the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. “I think he’s walking in with a pretty good rapport with the business community right now.”