San Antonio mayoral candidate Phil Hardberger. Government Canyon State Natural Area. What do they have to do with each other?
The San Antonio Current spells out Hardberger's small role, back in the 1970s, at the beginning of the long and convoluted process that eventually led to the creation of the state natural area on much of the land that once was scheduled to be part of a huge subdivision of thousands of houses on the outskirts of San Antonio.
As a mayoral candidate, Hardberger recently took credit "for stopping San Antonio Ranch," but upon further reflection says he merely jump-started the process. Although he lost the 1970s lawsuit against the HUD project, the case was the catalyst for the high level of community interest in the Edwards Aquifer over the past 30 years.
"That was a truly huge lawsuit," says Hardberger. "This was a planned city of nearly 100,000 people directly over the Recharge Zone, when very few people understood there was a recharge zone. It galvanized public opinion to the danger of polluting the aquifer."
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The development would have proceeded as planned but for City Planning Director Edward F. Davis, an ardent environmentalist. He was distressed by a developer-drafted environmental impact statement's "summary dismissal of potential ill effects of the SAR on the aquifer," according to Wattersons' book [The Politics of New Community: A Case Study of San Antonio Ranch].
After nasty political infighting at the local, state, and national levels, the League of Women Voters, Citizens for a Better Environment, a local chapter of the Sierra Club, and the American Association of University Women sued HUD in federal court and hired attorney Hardberger to try their case.
Hardberger lost the case. But the movement to preserve the land was begun, eventually breaking through in the early 1990s. How much credit does Hardberger deserve? Some, certainly. But many others' contributions were far greater, especially since Hardberger does not appear to have been involved significantly after losing this case. Based on this account, the award for "jump-starting" the process should belong to Edward Davis and the individuals and organizations that initiated the lawsuit, not to their lawyer.
Anyway, I remain undecided about my preferred outcome for tomorrow's mayoral runoff election. If I had a vote, I suspect it would go to Julian Castro, since Hardberger's strong support from the bulk of the cities' entrenched special interests disturbs me. But it is not a strong preference. Hardberger, as shown by his at-times overblown claims about his role in the creation of Government Canyon Sate Natural Area, appears to have his heart in the right place.
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