Former Metropolitan Chairman Wes Bannister remembered

From Earth Times, this statement from Metropolitan Water District:

“Wes Bannister, immediate past chairman of the board of directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, was remembered by district officials today as a dedicated, focused and energetic leader who helped guide the agency through record drought on the Colorado River.

Bannister, who chaired Metropolitan’s 37-member board from January 2005 through October 2006 and represented Orange County on the district’s board for 13 years, passed away at his Huntington Beach home last Thursday (Dec. 10) after a long illness.

“Wes was dedicated to Metropolitan and water policies and made numerous contributions to critical issues regarding water supply reliability and delivery to the residents of Orange County and throughout the district’s six-county service area, particularly the advancement of water recycling and desalination,” said MWD board Chairman Timothy F. Brick.

“He also was passionate about the general welfare of his city, the region and the state. He will be greatly missed,” Brick said.

Metropolitan General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger recalled that Bannister’s term as chairman came with the Colorado River watershed in the midst of record drought and described Bannister as a “gregarious man and thoughtful leader.”

“Chairman Bannister envisioned Metropolitan as both a leader and team player in regional and statewide water issues,” Kightlinger said.

During Bannister’s tenure as chair, Metropolitan became the first entity to authorize one of the nation’s largest habitat conservation programs, covering 27 species along more than 450 miles of the lower Colorado River.

In addition, Bannister viewed water conservation as an essential element of the district’s integrated resource management strategy. He saw the integral connection between conservation and the environment and viewed water-use efficiency as a means for protecting environmental values. In 2005 alone, Metropolitan issued about 300,000 rebates for water-efficiency devices that are now saving nearly 3 billion gallons of water a year in Southern California.

Along with his chairmanship, Bannister was one of four representatives of the Municipal Water District of Orange County on Metropolitan’s board from January 1993 through October 2006.

He served on the Metropolitan’s board’s Executive Committee; as vice chair of the Asset, Real Estate and Infrastructure Policy Committee; and as a member of the Legal, Claims and Personnel Committee, the Audit Subcommittee, the Ethics Subcommittee, the Budget Finance and Investment Committee, the Communications, Outreach and Legislation committee, and the Diamond Valley Lake and Lake Skinner Oversight Subcommittee.

Bannister, who was president of Bannister & Associates Insurance, ran three times as the Republican candidate for state insurance commissioner and was a 1992 Republican nominee to the Electoral College.

Active in local and state politics and community affairs, he served as mayor of Huntington Beach in 1989, while serving a four-year term on the city council. He was a graduate of the University of Houston with a degree in political science, after which he served in the U.S. Army Artillery, receiving an honorable discharge in June 1967 with the rank of captain (reserves).

Bannister served as a director and as a past-president of the Orange County Water District board of directors. He also sat on the governing committees of the Association of California Water Agencies/Joint Powers Insurance Authority and the California FAIR Plan.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a cooperative of 26 cities and water agencies serving 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.

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