Heffernan’s last-paragraph surprise

Just when you thought it was going to be a quiet New Year in Newport Beach, former mayor and current City Councilman John Heffernan decided to resign. Yes, effective Jan. 11, the residents of District 7 lost their reelected councilman.

What a shock to all of us -- and to me!

After I heard the news, I stopped by Heffernan’s office in Newport Beach, and he graciously met with me while I tried to talk him out of it. I probably stated things many other people would have, if they could have.

Things like: “You only have three more years, and the time will fly by like the last five years,” and “You do a great job and eloquently ask the tough questions that nobody else wants to ask.”

And I finally told him that the city needs him.

None of that worked.

Funny thing regarding our meeting, he handed me a copy of his resignation letter and kept telling me to read the last paragraph at the same time I was trying to convince him to stay. When I finally stopped talking and read his last paragraph, much to my amazement, I read that he had endorsed me to be his replacement.

“My parting request is that the City Council does the right and fair thing and appoint Dolores Otting, who finished a close second to me in the election in November 2004, as my interim replacement pending the upcoming City Council elections this coming November.”

A gentleman until the end and always. Thank you! We will miss you!

Speaking about elections, now there will be six seats up for election and reelection. The only person not running in Newport Beach is Councilman Steve Rosansky. He is the Lone Ranger up there, but without Tonto.

This might be a frightening thought for some of us, that we could actually have a near complete turnover in our City Council. However, as history has shown, people usually do not run well against an incumbent. Conversely, it might be just as frightening to have our November 2006 election with only the incumbents on the ballot.

For all of you who ever thought of participating in your local government and making a difference, this might be the year to try. In the history of Newport Beach there has never been so many opportunities: six of them to be exact. Another centennial moment in the making.

Speaking about centennial moments, I believe more than 100 people attending the recreation and seniors activities committee meeting held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday constitutes another centennial moment.

When was the last time more than 100 people attended a public meeting that was barely advertised?

The only item on the agenda besides the call to order and public comments was about the placement of beach amenities on Corona del Mar State Beach. Unless you attended the meeting, amenities could mean anything, even restrooms. However, after reading the informative staff report you will be very happy to learn that they were discussing the fire rings and the volleyball courts.

Mayor Don Webb has pledged that all 10 courts (and maybe more) will be replaced. They even discussed obtaining more sand -- another plus and win for the residents of Newport Beach. An additional bonus is that since the city’s volleyball classes enjoy an 80% city resident participation, they will now be configuring a minimum of four courts together for classes. Will we see centennial volleyball tournaments this year?

Don’t miss this year’s 25th annual Mayor’s Dinner hosted by Speak up Newport at the newly renovated Newport Beach Marriott. Call (949) 224-2266 for reservations; reserve a spot by Jan. 31.

* DOLORES OTTING is a regular contributor to Sunday Forum and a community activist.