This week’s guest is Jeff Arndt, who has served for 13 years as president and CEO of VIA Metropolitan Transit, San Antonio and Bexar County’s public bus system. Listen as Arndt discusses his career at VIA ahead of his retirement and the continuing challenges, even amid significant improvements, to San Antonio's public transportation system.

This week’s guests are Jeffrey Moore, an analyst with the city’s Office of Emergency Management and the founderof the SATX Social Ride held every Tuesday in the city’s urban core, routinely attracting hundreds of local cyclists for an evening ride and social gathering; and Mitchell Keogh, an avid cyclist who leads a community of riders who track their rides and performance on the Strava app. Listen as we discuss the cycling community in San Antonio.  

This week’s guest is David Marquez, executive director of Economic and Community Development for Bexar County, a longtime leader in economic development and advanced manufacturing, including cross-border auto manufacturing, for the county. Marquez oversaw the building and funding of the AT&T Arena, now renamed as the Frost Bank Center. Listen as Marquez discusses his role with the county and his own journey from machinist at Kelly Airforce Base to a leading voice in the direction of Bexar county. 

This week’s guest is Craig Garnett, the longtime publisher and owner of the Uvalde Leader-News, the daily newspaper in Uvalde, a South Texas town of 15,000 that became national news on May 24, 2022, when 18-year-old Salvador Ramos opened fire in Robb Elementary School, killing 19 young children and two of their teachers, and injuring 17 others. Garnett and the Leader-News should serve as the model publisher and newspaper for how to show responsible leadership in the wake of such tragedy. Last month Garnett was the subject of a profile in the New York Times that extolled his role in the community before and after the Robb Elementary School shooting changed Uvalde forever.

This week’s guest is Chris Cullum, the chef-owner of Cullum’s Attaboy, the  small but heavy hitting Tobin Hill restaurant founded by the James Beard finalist a stone’s throw from Cullum’s Attagirl, the tiny fried chicken shack he’s run for more than eight years. Cullum was a 2024 finalist for Best Chef: Texas from the James Beard Foundation. Cullum, however, is all about his team and the people he feeds, not industry awards that nonetheless can make a career. Listen as Cullum discusses his unique San Antonio upbringing and the ways that it has influenced the food he serves.  

This week’s guest is San Antonio artist Oscar Alvarado. There is no mistaking his distinctive sculptures, many larger than life, covered with thousands of mosaic pieces of glass and tile that are seemingly everywhere in the city: murals, sculptures, benches, bollards, columns, walls and floors with mosaics in Alvarado’s signature style. Listen to the story behind these huge installations and how they are fabricated.  

This week’s guest is Ronald Davis, curator of American History at the Witte Museum, a position he has held since January 2023. Davis is the co-curator of Black Cowboys: An American Story currently at the Witte Museum and running through February 2025, after which it will go on a national tour including the famed Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles. In tandem with the exhibit, the Witte will host a first-of-its kind conference on December 5th & 6th called "Ode to Juneteenth: Slavery in Texas." Tickets are available on their website. 

This week’s guest is UTSA’s Dr. Bryan Gervais. He is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science & Geography, and he's in the studio because he is the inaugural director of the UTSA Center for Public Opinion Research (CPOR), the new poll launched in advance of the national elections. His areas of specialization are political communication and political psychology. Listen as Dr. Gervais discusses how accurate their polling proved in the recent national election, and what CPOR is learning about our local electorate.   

This week’s guest is Meredith Walker, executive director of the Texas Business Hall of Fame, a position she has held for nearly seven years. The TBHF was founded in 1982 to celebrate the state’s most successful and community-minded business leaders. Bottom line success is not enough for someone to gain entry. Philanthropy, giving back, and community engagement are essential factors in each year’s class of inductees.  On November 13th, and the Admiral, NBA Hall of Famer and legendary San Antonio Spur David Robinnson will be among the small group of inductees honored at the annual induction dinner in Dallas.  

In this very special episode of bigcitysmalltown, we share a panel recorded live in front of an audience at Texas Public Radio for CityFest San Antonio 2024.  Host Bob Rivard moderated a panel of city leaders discussing how San Antonio's downtown has navigated the past decade and what's ahead. The panel included Veronica Salazar of UTSA, David Robinson, Jr. of Weston Urban, Trish DeBerry of Centro San Antonio, Andres Andujar of Hemisfair, and San Antonio City Manager Erik Walsh.