Texas Power Broker Puente navigates SAWS through Texas water politics
Business // Texas Power Brokers
Scott Huddleston, Staff Writer
1of5San Antonio Water System President/CEO Robert Puente answers questions from San Antonio City Council members after SAWS customer complaint of inflated water bills in 2015. Puente recently turned down a bonus.JERRY LARA /San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less
SAWS President and CEO Robert Puente said the utility will "vigorously" oppose a lawsuit concerning the recent awarding of a contract for construction of a pipeline to deliver water from Central Texas to San Antonio customers.
Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less
4of5This is San Antonio Water System President and CEO Robert R. Puente Tuesday April 5, 2016 at San Antonio Water System during a Board of Trustees meeting regarding Garney Construction's plan to buy 80 percent of Abengoa's stake in the Vista Ridge pipeline.John Davenport, Staff / San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less
Robert Richard Puente's first job was delivering newspapers to readers' homes. Now, he is responsible for delivering water and sewer service to 1.8 million customers as San Antonio Water System's president and CEO.
Puente, 59, holds one of San Antonio's most high-profile executive posts, appearing before the City Council to explain the utility's efforts to diversify the local water supply, and why rate increases are often needed to improve water and sewer infrastucture.
He was an influential politician before joining SAWS, serving as a state lawmaker for 17 years and chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. He was instrumental in that role in creating the Edwards Aquifer Authority. The aquifer provides drinking water to some 2 million people in San Antonio and surrounding areas.
As the longest-serving CEO in SAWS' 26-year history, having held the role for nearly 10 years, Puente answers not only to city officials but business leaders, environmentalists and customers on fixed incomes.
The SAWS board last week increased his annual salary 1 percent to $472,876 starting April 1 and awarded him a $96,500 bonus. In an unusual move for a CEO, he refused to take the bonus, saying he wants to protect SAWS 1,700 employees.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg opposed his last bonus and pay raise in August when the board gave Puente a 5 percent bump in salary and a $99,286 bonus for his performance in 2016. Puente said rising water and sewer rates are a difficult sell, especially when executives are getting big raises.
Quick facts on Robert Puente
Morning routine: I usually get up about 5:45, feed the dogs, kiss my wife bye and get to work.
Current reading: "Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck," (by Adam Cohen; Penguin Press, 2016) and "The Color of Law: a Forgotten History of How Our Government is Segregated," (by Richard Rothstein, Liveright Publishing, 2017)
Favorite restaurant: Mary Lou's, on McCullough.
First job: Newspaper carrier for the San Antonio Light.
Hobbies: I like to do a lot succulent gardening, and I have a koi habit. I some some koi that I take care of and try to play with.
If you could have an entirely different career: Structural engineering
Off duty, Puente enjoys time at home with his dogs and Japanese koi, an ornamental fish. His most influential mentor, having grown up as the second-youngest of six — two boys and four girls — is a sister, Linda Talbot.
Puente, who holds a bachelor's degree in political science from St. Mary's University and doctor of jurisprudence from The University of Texas School of Law, opened a private practice in 1983.
Puente recently sat down with the Express-News. Turn to Monday's Business section or click here to read an edited transcript of the interview.
Scott Huddleston is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. Read more of his stories here. | shuddleston@express-news.net | @shuddlestonSA
Scott Huddleston
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Scott Huddleston is a veteran staff writer, covering Bexar County government, local history, preservation and the Alamo. He has been a reporter at the Express-News since 1985, covering a variety of issues, including public safety, criminal justice, flooding, transportation, military, water and the environment. He is a native Texan and longtime San Antonian.