Politics

Banta replaces Cooke on Laurel Park council

By Bill Moss, Published: March 18, 2015

The Laurel Park Town Council unanimously appointed George Banta to fill the vacant seat left after Town Commissioner Rich Cooke resigned in January. Banta will serve the remainder of Cooke's term, which ends in December 2015.
Commissioner Cooke's resignation took effect on Jan. 20 after the Town Council reluctantly accepted his decision. Elected to the Town Council in 2007 and in 2011, Cooke also served as mayor pro tempore. The council appointed Commissioner Bob Vickery to replace Cooke as mayor pro tem.
Before to his appointment to the Town Council, Mr. Banta served for seven years on the Parks and Greenways Board as secretary and then as chairman. A graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in Agronomy, he worked throughout his career in product development for crop protection. After 34 years of service, he retired from Bayer Crop Science as Field Research Director.