John Heffernan

AT ISSUE: Which applicant should the Newport Beach City Council appoint to its ranks tonight?I urge the appointment of Dolores Otting to the vacant Newport Beach City Council seat. She may be our best hope to exert some local control over the rehab businesses that are appearing in the city because local zoning laws are not being enforced. DOROTHY BEEK Balboa Peninsula I support Dolores Otting to replace John Heffernan on the City Council. We need her civic knowledge and experience on the council.

hall By: JOHN HEFFERNAN I want to take this opportunity to address recent important issues in Newport Beach. First, with regard to St. Andrew's, I offer my apologies to both the proponents and the applicant for the unkind remarks I made near the end of the hearing on Aug. 11. It was wrong for me to have used harsh and judgmental words against each group at the hearing. I regret doing so and also any offense that might have resulted. Second, with regard to the city hall project, I am appealing to residents to give the City Council your input, either at upcoming City Council meetings or at my e-mail address, o7nbcityhall@yahoo.

John Heffernan cites time commitment as reason for leaving; he says 2004 challenger should replace him.Newport Beach City Councilman John Heffernan on Thursday announced he's stepping down from the council after serving for five years, including a six-month stint as mayor in 2005. He ran for reelection in 2004 and would have been termed out in 2008. Now the council will have to replace him, likely with an appointment. Heffernan submitted a resignation letter Wednesday to Mayor Don Webb and City Manager Homer Bludau, citing the time involved in serving on the council.

Deirdre Newman Dolores Otting is the Aretha Franklin of city government -- demanding respect for residents from the City Council, where she feels it is lacking. The City Council candidate thinks it should be more inviting for people to speak up at City Council meetings, not intimidating. "I think it's important to make City Hall a more happy place to make people come," she said. "There has to be more respect for people who speak at the podium.

Newport leaders are expected to on Tuesday choose a replacement for John Heffernan, who resigned in January.Newport Beach City Council members will decide Tuesday which of five people to appoint to the seat left vacant when John Heffernan resigned last month. Tuesday was the deadline to apply for the Seventh District seat, which represents about 12,400 voters in the Port Streets, Spyglass, Newport Ridge, Harbor View and a few other neighborhoods. The five applicants are financial advisor Keith Curry, community volunteer Nancy Jones, local activist Dolores Otting, architect Scott Peotter and employment-agency manager Daniel Wampole.

Five have applied to fill seat vacated by John Heffernan; knowledge of issues is key, members say.When Newport Beach City Council members meet tonight to fill the vacancy on the dais, they may be looking for someone who plans to stick around. The council will interview five applicants to replace John Heffernan, who resigned last month. Heffernan represented the Seventh Council District, which includes the Port Streets, Spyglass, Newport Ridge, Newport Coast and several other neighborhoods.

John Heffernan I read with interest Dolores Otting's Watchdog piece entitled "New City Hall sounds like same old problems" on the Sunday Forum page. My response includes the following points: Roger N. Torriero is the principal of Griffin Holdings, which is located in Laguna Beach. Griffin Holdings was selected at our last City Council meeting to conduct outreach and initial site and rendering work for a possible new City Hall facility to be built on the existing site, along with a parking structure, replacement fire station and community meeting room.

NEWPORT BEACH Christmas boat parade launches into 97th year The 2005 Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade launched Wednesday in the harbor. This year, about 100 boats registered for the parade, and dozens more participated. Boats and homes ringing the bay were decorated with lights and holiday displays. This year, the 97th for the event, was the first to feature live commentary by veteran boater and Daily Pilot columnist Mike Whitehead. The parade concludes today. The Kiev Ballet of the Ukrainian National Opera made its American debut with a weeklong run of performances of "The Nutcracker" at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

Noaki Schwartz NEWPORT BEACH -- City Council hopefuls Bob Wynn and John Heffernan announced they are definitely candidates, despite acknowledgments that they could split the vote if they both run against incumbent Tom Thomson. Wynn, a former city manager, and Heffernan, a local attorney, have talked about the possibility that they could lose because they could divide votes. Despite this, the two say they are determined to run. Thomson's district includes Harbor View, Spyglass Hill and Jasmine Creek.

The Newport Beach City Council is expected to vote unanimously at tonight’s regularly scheduled meeting in favor of an ordinance that would close a loophole on term limits. The ordinance, which passed the seven-member council unanimously Sept. 22, is coming up for a second reading. It closes a loophole created by a 1992 ordinance that left open the possibility of a council member resigning his or her seat before their four-year term had expired, but running again for two more terms.

The Newport Beach City Council made a brilliant decision in selecting Keith Curry to fill John Heffernan's seat. Curry is a man of high integrity and deep wisdom in all that he does. His background in financial management and the proper stewardship of public assets will make a huge contribution to the already fine governance provided by our City Council. The public will soon recognize Curry's qualities as a servant leader. The city is quite fortunate that he stepped forward at this time to serve.

Five have applied to fill seat vacated by John Heffernan; knowledge of issues is key, members say.When Newport Beach City Council members meet tonight to fill the vacancy on the dais, they may be looking for someone who plans to stick around. The council will interview five applicants to replace John Heffernan, who resigned last month. Heffernan represented the Seventh Council District, which includes the Port Streets, Spyglass, Newport Ridge, Newport Coast and several other neighborhoods.

AT ISSUE: Which applicant should the Newport Beach City Council appoint to its ranks tonight?I urge the appointment of Dolores Otting to the vacant Newport Beach City Council seat. She may be our best hope to exert some local control over the rehab businesses that are appearing in the city because local zoning laws are not being enforced. DOROTHY BEEK Balboa Peninsula I support Dolores Otting to replace John Heffernan on the City Council. We need her civic knowledge and experience on the council.

Newport leaders are expected to on Tuesday choose a replacement for John Heffernan, who resigned in January.Newport Beach City Council members will decide Tuesday which of five people to appoint to the seat left vacant when John Heffernan resigned last month. Tuesday was the deadline to apply for the Seventh District seat, which represents about 12,400 voters in the Port Streets, Spyglass, Newport Ridge, Harbor View and a few other neighborhoods. The five applicants are financial advisor Keith Curry, community volunteer Nancy Jones, local activist Dolores Otting, architect Scott Peotter and employment-agency manager Daniel Wampole.

The election has changed, but the names remain the same; two have applied for Newport Beach council vacancy; endorsements galore; Seymour Hersh is a hot ticket at the library. This year's elections may look familiar to voters in the 48th Congressional District, which includes Newport Beach -- they'll see at least three of the same candidates on the ballot as they did in late 2005. Libertarian Bruce Cohen and Democrat Steve Young already have filed papers to run against Republican Rep. John Campbell, who won the House seat in a December special election.

I had coffee with John Heffernan a few days after he announced he was leaving the Newport Beach City Council. I was curious about what was unspoken in his resignation, and where his five years of often difficult service to the city had left him. He talked easily and comfortably. No stunning exposures, but some thoughtful perceptions certainly worth pondering. His service might be encapsulated by one story he told me. His Newport Beach neighborhood is adjacent to a green belt and a nature walk, heavily populated by children.

John Heffernan is leaving the Newport Beach City Council the only way, seemingly, he could: His own. Heffernan, who was first elected to the council in 2000 as a Greenlight-backed candidate, announced last week that he is resigning his position, largely so he can spend more time with his family. Heffernan has spent the past five years as a maverick persona on the council -- but a maverick of the thoughtful, almost logical kind. When he alone asked questions, they were not merely for the sake of hearing himself speak; they were not ridiculous; they were not clueless.

John Heffernan cites time commitment as reason for leaving; he says 2004 challenger should replace him.Newport Beach City Councilman John Heffernan on Thursday announced he's stepping down from the council after serving for five years, including a six-month stint as mayor in 2005. He ran for reelection in 2004 and would have been termed out in 2008. Now the council will have to replace him, likely with an appointment. Heffernan submitted a resignation letter Wednesday to Mayor Don Webb and City Manager Homer Bludau, citing the time involved in serving on the council.