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.
