Water chief new leader for Tahoe agency

Decision makers for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency agreed Wednesday that Greg James, an attorney and the director of a California county water department, should be the next leader for the bistate regulatory authority.

The TRPA Governing Board agreed to pay James up to $100,000 for the executive director position. Negotiations are expected to be concluded by Monday.

The decision is the culmination of a several-month search that drew in more than 100 applicants.

An attorney from Bishop, Calif., James has been the director of the Inyo County Water Department since 1981, managing a 15- to 25-employee department consisting of scientists and technicians.

James also has served Inyo County as legal counsel during that time.

Inyo County had a nearly century-old battle with Los Angeles over water resources and the environment of Southern California's Owens Valley. A negotiated settlement was reached in 1991, and, as the county's attorney, James was a key advisor and coordinator of that agreement.

TRPA's 14-voting-member governing board decided on James Wednesday after interviewing three finalists.

The others were Carson City resident Pam Wilcox, the Nevada administrator of the Department of State Lands, and Utah resident Bill Allayaud, a principal planner in Salt Lake City.

"In Mr. James, I saw a maturity and a polished and a seasoned individual, which I felt could make a credible and smooth transition for the agency," said Kay Bennett, the Carson City appointee to TRPA's board.

The new director will guide the bistate agency as it tries to implement its Environmental Improvement Program, thus organizing the construction of $900 million dollars worth of restoration programs that experts say are needed to save Lake Tahoe's famed clarity.