Paul Warner, former city manager, dies

BARSTOW • Former City Manager Paul Warner was not one to draw attention to himself, but he worked steadily on behalf of the City of Barstow for nearly two decades, former associates say.

Warner, 60, died last week in his Hinkley home, where a family member found him on Friday. The coroner’s office has not yet determined the cause of death, but it appeared to have been from natural causes, said San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department deputy coroner investigator Lisa DeNardo, noting that Warner had a history of high blood pressure.

Warner was Barstow’s longest-running city manager in recent history, with a seven-year stint that ended when he retired in July 2003. Prior to that, he has worked as first city planner and then community development director since 1984.

Those who worked with him and were close to him remembered Warner for his gentle character and love of animals. Warner’s now-separated wife Karla Warner said he looked out for the welfare of the city staff who worked under him, which she credited partially for enabling his longer-than-average stint as city manager.

“I always looked forward to coming to work for him,” said Patricia Morris, who was assistant to the city manager under Warner. “He was always very considerate of people who worked for him, which is a very good quality for a boss to have.”

Scott Priester, the director of development services for Hesperia, who worked as planning director and then community development director in Barstow under Warner, said the former city manager was always willing to offer help but never micro-managed the staff. Warner, whose background was in planning, still had an active interest in planning and development issues, and when he had a free moment, he would often drop by to talk to the planning staff, Priester said.

“Without question, he was one of my mentors,” Priester said.

Aside from his extensive knowledge about planning issues, those who worked with Warner remembered his patience and ability to remain calm under pressure.

“The biggest thing about Paul was he was a calming influence,” said Mal Wessel, who was mayor of Barstow from 1991 to 1996. “He never got flustered in the matter of a crisis.”

Lawrence Dale, who was mayor from 2000 to 2008, said, “I think people also recall Paul as a very light-spoken guy. He didn’t ever get exercised about things and worked things out on an even keel.”

Wessel recalled that Warner was happy in his position as community development director and had to be convinced to take the step up to city manager.

At work, those who knew him recalled that one of Warner’s pet projects was the annexation of the Marine Corps Logistics Base Nebo annex into the city of Barstow, intended largely to protect the base from being closed in the future. He also presided over the construction of the factory outlet centers in Lenwood, litigation to secure Barstow’s water rights in the Mojave River Basin, and the initial phase of the Lenwood sewer project, which hooked up the community of Lenwood to Barstow’s sewer system.

“(He liked) the total aspect of planning, being part of growing a city in a positive way and not just haphazardly,” Karla said.

Outside of work, Warner was an animal lover, who enjoyed raising and showing English setters, said Karla, who called the dog shows a family event, including Paul, Karla and their two children.

“It was a whole family effort,” Karla said. “We’d go all over, whether it was Arizona or Reno or Los Angeles, whatever.”

They brought two dogs to championship status. At the time of his death, however, Warner’s dog Petie was not a dog show champion but a Humane Society rescue. Warner sat on the board of the Barstow Humane Society for several years, retiring as president in December 2007, said former Humane Society spokesman Bill Cook.

He also loved the desert and was an avid hiker, Karla said. Warner’s family had bought land in Hinkley as an investment in 1972, and before he moved to the area, Paul used to take trips there with his father. He had fond memories of spending time there, and when the city planner job opened up in Barstow in 1984, he and Karla had a mobile home put on the land in Hinkley and moved there. Paul’s parents also moved to Hinkley and lived on the adjoining property for many years, Karla said.

Warner was survived by his two grown children, Jeff, 24, and Cheryl, 22.

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4123 or asewell@desertdispatch.com

Paul Warner's Bio:
Paul Warner started as Barstow’s City Planner in August 1984 and became Community Development Director in November 1992. He took the position as City Manager in August 1996 and retired in July 2003. Prior to coming to Barstow, he worked five years with the County of Orange, four years with the City of Brea, four years with the City of Ontario. He graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a master’s degree in political science.
Sources: City of Barstow, Karla Warner