In the short time that a term limit-constricted San Antonio councilman has to make his mark, Justin Rodriguez scored himself enough successes to intrigue the city's elder statesmen.

Rodriguez, 35, authored an ordinance that mandated drivers be restricted to hands-free cell phone usage in school zones. The idea caught fire and the 2009 state Legislature cloned his idea statewide.

"I take pride that it was recognized as a good public safety measure," Rodriguez said.

An up-and-coming public servant, Rodriguez also showed a passion for green technologies that drew him into former Mayor Phil Hardberger's goals for a citywide, long-term policy on sustainable growth.

A University of Wisconsin alumnus, Rodriguez frequently visited Chicago during his college days. He was aware of Chicago's forward thinking on green initiatives and - early into his time on City Council - drafted a memo on the subject that caught Hardberger's eye.

Hardberger had already put in motion the drafting of a plan that would become the Mission Verde Sustainability Plan - now the cornerstone of the city's Office of Environmental Policy.

"Justin was most helpful in getting that passed," Hardberger said. "Mission Verde will control growth for the next 50 years. It's rather authoritative, and keeps us on the right path with what we need to do to keep ourselves green."

Rodriguez, however, is a short-timer on City Council. The class of council members of which he is a part are excluded from the newer, longer term limits that were recently approved by voters. And Rodriguez is talking like a man with no interest in running for mayor, a position now held by the same Julian Castro that Rodriguez replaced as city councilman in District 7.

"That's not something, at this time, that is on my radar screen," Rodriguez said.

But with a little over a year to go representing the district, Rodriguez feels he has enough on his plate not to look much farther ahead.

"The biggest piece of unfinished business, I feel, is inner-city development," the councilman said in a roundabout and tactful way of meaning he wants to do whatever he can to makeover the neighborhood where he grew up as the middle child of a single, working mom.

Rodriguez spent his youth in the shadow of St. Mary's University and it is no coincidence Woodlawn Avenue has of late been a regular work projects site for the city's Public Works Department. Rodriguez has closely aligned his office with the St. Mary's University Revitalization Project, (see www.stmuproject.org).

University president, Charles L. Cotrell, credits Rodriguez with the speed with which goals of the project have been implemented.

"We really made rapid progress in all areas that required cooperation," Cotrell said. "In every aspect of this effort, he and his office have been very helpful."

The university campus has for generations been a private academic institution surrounded by down on their heels small businesses. Mom-and-pop cafés, convenience stores, and a broad assortment of mostly independent shops line Culebra and Bandera roads - the two main commercial corridors flanking the campus.

The university's neighborhood revitalization project provides a four-point plan to improve infrastructure, revive the commercial district, and improve housing and quality of life, Cotrell said. To that end, millions of dollars have come to the area through the city and the state highway department.

A $694,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was also secured, and the success of the project to date has so impressed HUD that the federal housing agency is holding a national conference in April to showcase the university's partnership with neighborhood associations, Cotrell noted.

Rodriguez faithfully appears himself or sends one of his aides to neighborhood association meetings that take up revitalization project business. It has been a signature trait of Rodriguez' leadership style that he is so immersed in neighborhood association activities.

In fact, Rodriguez's political education had its formative start in neighborhood works. Rodriguez credits his time at the University of Wisconsin - where he earned his law degree - with drawing him into public service; but that is only in the sense that being far from home gave him a new appreciation for how special his hometown was to him.

His first job after law school was with the Bexar County District Attorney's Office handling juvenile cases. From there, he did a stint defending insurance companies against claims brought by individuals who had suffered in accidents.

"That was horrible," Rodriguez said of his short time defending insurance companies. "Of that, I'll just say I tried it and I will never do it again."

Around this same time, though, Rodriguez became president of the Jefferson Neighborhood Association. He has often professed since joining City Council that he is most at ease in neighborhood association meetings.

"I understand and appreciate the commitment they have," he said.

Rodriguez's next venture into public service was as a trustee on the board of the San Antonio Independent School District. He joined the board in 2004 and served three years of a four-year term, leaving early to run for City Council. He defeated the incumbent, Elena Guajardo, taking 65 percent of the electorate.

When Guajardo tried to take back the seat in 2009, Rodriguez beat her with a solid 72 percent share of total ballots.

"He is very well liked in his district," said Henry Cisneros, the city's first Hispanic mayor in modern times and a former U.S. HUD secretary. "He had no trouble getting re-elected."

It is in Rodriguez's character to seek advice from experienced politicians on many subjects, and he sat down with Cisneros to discuss the shortcomings of term limits and where his future might take him. Cisneros noted there were roadblocks ahead.

"There are no term limits at the state level, so those positions are tied down for awhile," Cisneros said. "But he is bright and respected. I think he has unlimited potential."

Cisneros assessed Rodriguez as a complete package - a leader with good speaking ability, good presentation, a strong family background, and the requisite political skills. He could sit on local public agency boards and bide his time until he sees an opening for county or state office.

"We are blessed with a cadre of young people who can fill a whole series of jobs," Cisneros said. "Rodriguez is of the same breed as a Joaquin or Julian Castro, a (Councilman) Phil Cortez, or (state) Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer. He is obviously smart and an impressive person."

It has been to Rodriguez's advantage that he survives financially as an investor. While an undergraduate at the University of Incarnate Word, Rodriguez worked for USAA and by age 20 earned his licenses to be a mutual funds broker. Working 50-hour weeks as a councilman, Rodriguez admits he had to cut back on his law practice; without the less time-constrained investment business to fall back on, he would have been a less effective councilman.

Hardberger, for one, has appreciated Rodriguez's effectiveness and hopes to see him in politics for some time.

"He has a lot of gravitas. People listen to him, perhaps it is because he knows when to keep his mouth shut and not talk all the time," Hardberger said. "I do believe he has not peaked. He's got more to do, and I do believe he has laid a good foundation."