Newport chamber’s Citizen of the Year award a pleasant surprise for winner

When Paul Watkins stepped into the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club on Wednesday morning, he thought he was meeting with a few fellow members of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce to discuss potential candidates for the next City Council election.

He had brought a large brown briefcase with information about possible contenders to share with the rest of the group, he said.

However, as he walked into the lounge area and saw a group of former Newport Beach Citizens of the Year, he realized he had been duped.

Watkins appeared bewildered as chamber President Steve Rosansky announced that the 68-year-old had earned the chamber’s Citizen of the Year title for 2015.

The award is presented annually to a person who has served the Newport Beach community for many years, according to the Chamber of Commerce.

“I’m very pleased and very humbled,” Watkins said.

Watkins, a real estate lawyer with a practice in Newport Beach, has been a member of the chamber since 2002. He is on the board of directors and was chairman in 2009.

The longtime Newport Beach resident also has served on various city working groups in the past decade, including the July 4th West Newport Safety Planning Committee, the Charter Update Commission and the Santa Ana River Trails Advisory Committee.

Most recently, Watkins was on the Land Use Element Advisory Committee, which came up with a proposed city general plan amendment known as Measure Y, which would have allowed more development in the main business district while limiting it along the residential coast. The measure was denied by local voters last year.

Rosansky said Watkins stands out as an ardent supporter of improving West Newport Beach.

“I like to keep my hand in what’s going on in the community,” Watkins said.

About two weeks ago, a group of former Citizens of the Year voted unanimously to select Watkins as this year’s winner.

Watkins’ wife of four years, Ronnie, said her husband embodies every qualification for the award.

“He’s so deserving,” she said. “He gives so much to the community and never asks for anything back.”

Watkins will be honored at a dinner Nov. 13 at the Balboa Bay Resort.