Countywide : Executive Named to Water Council

Newport Beach businessman Thomas S. Maddock has been appointed by Gov. Pete Wilson to the Western States Water Council.

Maddock, the 66-year-old chief executive officer of Boyle Engineering Corp., will replace state Sen. Ruben S. Ayala (D-Chino), who was asked to step down.

“Gov. Wilson wanted to put a public member on the council,” spokeswoman Jan Dana said. “There’s already a state employee and a state senator. Sen. Ayala agreed; it was a very friendly parting and a mutual understanding.”

The other California members of the 51-member council are state Sen. David G. Kelley (R-Hemet), and David Kennedy, director of the state Department of Water Resources.

The Salt Lake City-based Western States Water Council encompasses 17 western states, each of which appoints three representatives. The council advises the Western Governors Assn. on water policy, particularly regarding federal legislation.

Maddock was selected for the post, Dana said, because “he is very well qualified and widely recognized as an expert on water issues.”

A Republican, Maddock holds a master’s degree in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He is a member of the California Chamber of Commerce, where he serves as chairman of the Water Resources Committee. He is also a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Institute for the Advancement of Engineering and the American Water Resources Assn.