Reacting when the light changes

Newport Beach City Councilman John Heffernan doesn’t like to beat

around the bush.

Heffernan is a straight-talker, and appreciates the same from

others. He’s still uncertain whether he’ll run for another term on

the council, and his stint thus far has been an eventful one --

including announcing his resignation from his seat in 2002 and his

recent step back from supporting Greenlight.

In addition to following the goings-on of Newport, Heffernan

always keeps his eye on what’s going on globally. Even for a man

whose favorite movie is “Hoosiers,” the NCAA basketball tournament

didn’t come close to piquing his interest as Iraq has.

Even during his busy tax-season schedule, Heffernan agreed to

spend a chunk of his week answering questions of varying levels of

importance posed by Assistant City Editor Mike Swanson.

What has presented the greatest challenge thus far in your stint

on the council?

My greatest challenge is serving the residents of Newport as one

of seven city councilmen, while also doing a capable job as a father,

husband and professional in my trade as a lawyer. The time and

attention demands of each role have often overlapped and conflicted.

It has been a learning experience and hopefully, over my term, I have

become better and more efficient at it.

Why wait to announce whether to plan to run for a second term?

I am waiting to announce for a number of reasons. First, I am not

sure that I properly outreach into our community given my schedule.

It is for that reason that I passed up the mayor pro tem position

last December. Second, my wife works full time as a teacher and both

she and my sons have both missed much of me because of the workload I

have chosen. I am not sure it is fair to them to continue along in

that way for four more years unless I am able to take something major

out of my schedule in order to give me a fair chance to perform well

my remaining obligations. Third, there may be someone else who is a

better best match with the other city council members to better

represent District 7. Fourth, I am already missing the sound

leadership and counsel of our city attorney, Bob Burnham, who is

retiring mid-year. Fifth, I’m fairly disheartened by the lack of

trust of any politician -- including myself, by the public. Running

in 2000 took more than $40,000 from our savings in exchange for not

taking contributions and thereby owing no contributor. I am not sure

that personal expenditure has made much if any impact on what I hoped

was a higher trust level. And, during my term, one of the other

councilmen mentioned that since I did not take contributions, I had

no constituents. Last, I started with my public service as president

of the 552 Club at Hoag Hospital, then as chairman of the Orange

County Food Bank, then joined the Hoag Hospital board and will have

spent four years as a city councilman. There may be another public or

charity service need out there, which I can help with to produce a

more needed and immediate improvement.

What first attracted you to Greenlight and how have your feelings

changed?

The best response to this question is likely my following

facsimile letter to your newspaper from last week:

I want to respond to the recent Greenlight mailer titled “Focus on

Newport” because many of our residents likely perceive me as a

Greenlight member of the City Council. I did not contribute to any

part of that mailer, nor was I contacted by anyone in the Greenlight

Committee beforehand to verify any of the information included in it.

Phil Arst and the related Greenlight Committee do not speak for me,

nor I suspect do they speak for many or even a majority of the

residents who voted for the Greenlight Ordinance in 2000. From being

chairman of the Finance Committee, a member of the new City Hall

Committee and also as one of two delegated to negotiate the terms of

the Marina Park Hotel ground lease which will be part of the ballot

details in our upcoming November vote on that land use decision, my

observation is that many of the statements made in the mailer are

misleading if not outright wrong. During my term in office, I have

actively defended the Greenlight Ordinance and I also attempted to

reasonably address the issues listed in the mailer. I took no outside

money during my 2000 campaign so I would owe no contributor. My

objective has been to fairly represent all the residents of Newport

Beach as best I can. If Mr. Arst and the Greenlight Committee who

prepared that mailer want a more strident voice on the City Council

to achieve their stated objectives, then the filing deadline ends in

the first week in August for the upcoming District 7 election this

November. The Greenlight Ordinance was passed in 2000 by a large

majority of our residents which I believe along with me still back

its objective -- the right of our residents to vote on any change to

the General Plan if that proposed change is likely to cause an impact

above minimums stated in the ordinance. Today’s Greenlight Committee

has improperly, in my opinion, assumed that such prior voter majority

agrees with the expanded scope of Greenlight’s stated objectives in

the recent mailer. I for one do not.

In talking to residents lately, has their opinion of Greenlight

seemed to change much?

It depends who is doing the talking. Many of the original folks I

first came across during the election in 2000 have stepped away from

the current Greenlight Committee, being replaced by new committed

persons who identify closer with the committee’s current objectives.

But, those original folks still adhere to the objectives of the

Greenlight Ordinance passed in 2000 -- the right of residents to vote

on a General Plan Amendment which proposes a change above what is

then allowed by our general plan above specified mandated impacts --

100 residential units (dealing with density), 40,000 square feet of

commercial space (dealing with intensity) and 100 additional car peak

hour trips per day (dealing with traffic).

In the last month, what have you followed closer: the NCAA

basketball tournament or the war in Iraq?

Clearly, the war in Iraq. And even more so this week because of

the increased level of warfare, risks, losses and tension there.

After the Dick Nichols controversy last year, you appeared to

distance yourself from Nichols and develop closer alliances with the

other council members. Is this true, and if it is, why did you do so?

Hopefully, it is not generally held that I have distanced myself

from Dick. Dick Nichols is an elected city councilman and he

deserves, and gets from me, respect for that position he holds. I

disagree from time to time on positions and statements made by Dick,

as I also continually do with each of the other city councilmen. All

of us have a right to our opinion and our vote. But, none of us has

the right to disrespect the other because each of was elected. I

respect Dick Nichols and he is afforded that respect in public and

private by me. But, that may well not be the case with others

presently on the council. I have voted in the minority many times and

hopefully my fellow council members have respected those instances

when they have the security and confidence of the majority.

What’s your favorite spot in Newport Beach? What makes it stand

out to you?

Looking seaward from the bluffs above Big Corona State Beach.

During the winter, on a sunny afternoon around 2 o’clock, the entire

sea will be sparkling like diamonds all across the channel to

Catalina and beyond.

What issue do you think Newport residents care about the most

right now?

Hopefully, our residents believe our city staff and our City

Council adequately serve and represent their local interests so that

they can instead focus on their immediate family issues, their other

areas of personal enjoyment, our fragile economic recovery and then

state and federal issues which concern them. But during my time here,

I have noticed a peculiar sensitivity among residents here, which

inhibits the open discussion of charged, and even nominal, political

issues. Many seem to have strong feelings for their one side with

little tolerance for hearing out the other side of an issue.

What issue do you think Americans care about the most right now?

The increasing warfare level in Iraq and the peril of our

servicemen and women serving there, and the seeming widespread hatred

of our presence there by many of the Iraqi population and even more

so by various religious groups and political factions.

Is there anything you’ve said or done since being on the council

that you wish you could take back? If so, what?

My announcement in mid-2002 that I was resigning and that District

7 would be open for the then-upcoming City Council elections in

November 2002. I did so because I did not feel I was then having any

real say on the City Council, I was under heavy work demands, and I

felt the city was not taking the correct approach on the Veches

matter involving the city employee who was then charged with child

molestation (and later convicted). All in all that was a big mistake

on my part. And, it was not the message I wanted to send to my sons

who also need to finish well what they have chosen to start.

What are you looking forward to most this summer?

I haven’t thought that far ahead. With my sons in local sports, my

bet is that whatever we end up doing as a family will occur within a

small radius -- and be a refreshing change and enriching time for all

of us.