Former mayor bids fond farewell

Paul Clinton

Former Mayor Jackie Heather offered her farewells to friends and

former colleagues at a small going-away party Saturday at her

Westcliff home.

Heather, 73, has decided to leave town after more than 40 years as

a member of the Newport Beach community to spend time with her family

living on the outskirts of Phoenix. She’ll be in Arizona by early

September.

“I’m sad to leave,” Heather said. “That’s why we’re having this

party, so I can say goodbye.”

A small group of friends that included former Assemblywoman and

State Sen. Marian Bergeson and former Mayor Evelyn Hart wished

Heather well at a celebration that also doubled as the former mayor’s

birthday.

Heather, her four sons, five grandchildren and other relatives are

all moving to Arizona to develop an 18-acre parcel of family land.

Heather’s husband, Loren, a retired cardiologist, died in March.

“She’s going to move back with us,” 42-year-old son John Heather

said. “It’s kind of a new chapter for her, new scenery.”

During her 15 years of public service to the city, Heather was a

civic activist, planning commissioner, council member and, finally,

mayor. The Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce named her its “Citizen

of the Year” in 1987.

After growing up in Cincinnati, Loren Heather moved hisfamily out

to Los Angeles in the 1950s so he could complete his medical training

at UCLA.

When he finished in 1957, he moved them to a house in Westcliff.

The couple lived in only two houses, both in the same

neighborhood, in the 45-year span between then and now.

Jackie’s life in the spotlight of public office began in 1971,

when she accepted an appointment to the city’s Planning Commission.

She held the chairmanship from 1976 to 1978, when she mounted a

successful run for a City Council seat.

Two years after her election, she was chosen as mayor, a post she

held from 1980 to 1982.

She also held seats on the California Coastal Commission, Orange

County Sanitation District and Southern California Assn. of

Governments.

As a member of the council, Heather became known for her

visibility and outspoken style.

She devoted her time to the removal of polluted silt from Upper

Newport Bay and helped craft the 1985 settlement agreement that

brought flight restrictions to John Wayne Airport. Heather’s home

sits under the flight path.

Heather was a member of the City Council that approved the housing

development at Promontory Point, which eliminated the bluffs in the

area east of the Back Bay Bridge.

“People always want to blame me if there was any development,”

Heather said, cracking a smile. “I said I wasn’t responsible for all

of that, only the good part.”

Heather and Bergeson not only worked closely on the city’s tough

issues, they played bridge together.

“We just sort of plotted and schemed and worked our way through

the chambers [of power],” Bergeson said Saturday about her friend.

“Much of what has happened in Newport can be traced to the work of

Jackie ... She provided a tremendous amount of leadership at a time

when it was needed.”

Heather showed her resilience in 1982, and again in 1984, when she

fell victim to a stroke and a mild epileptic seizure while still

holding office.

On both occasions, she quickly bounced back to her civic duties

even though she still suffered some paralysis.

Her erratic health kept her from seeking higher state office,

Bergeson said. The plan has been for Heather to “follow me into the

Assembly,” Bergeson said.

In 1986, Heather left the council, endorsing former Mayor Clarence

Turner for her seat. After leaving office, Heather emerged again in

1989, when she tried to raise money to help pay the medical bills of

Liberian immigrant Sundaga Bryant, who was accidentally shot by a

Newport Beach police officer.

Since that time, Heather has lived a quiet life that has been

spent, for the most part, in a wheelchair.

* PAUL CLINTON covers the environment and politics. He may be

reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at paul.clinton@latimes.com.