Greenlight unfazed by Heffernan decision

June Casagrande

NEWPORT BEACH -- The news that Greenlighters will lose their only

representative on the City Council has come as a disappointment but

hasn’t discouraged the group’s hope to put Greenlight supporters on the

council.

On the contrary, said Greenlight Committee spokesman Phil Arst, the

group hopes that by getting Greenlight supporters elected, it can help

change the mind of Councilman John Heffernan.

“We hope to get him a council majority next year in this coming

election,” Arst said. “If we can get three or four people elected to

council, John won’t be the sole guy taking all the guff, and I hope we

can get him to change his mind.”

Heffernan surprised observers Tuesday night when he announced he would

vacate his council seat about two years before the end of his four-year

term expires in 2004. The freshman councilman, whose District 7 entails

much of east Newport Beach, including the recently annexed Newport Coast,

is the only council member who identifies himself as a Greenlight

supporter.

Greenlight aims to be a slow-growth measure, which opponents describe

as really a “no-growth measure.” The group created Measure S, the

Greenlight Initiative, which voters approved in the 2000 election. That

city initiative requires voter approval of all projects large enough to

require an amendment to the city’s general plan. The first and only real

test of Greenlight to date overwhelmingly defeated such a project in

November by shooting down plans to expand the Koll Center near the

airport.

In January, the Greenlight group announced its plans to create a slate

of candidates in upcoming council elections, beginning with this

November. This week, Arst said a number of people have been identified as

prospective Greenlight candidates but that the group was not ready to

announce their names.

Heffernan’s status as the only Greenlight council member led to a

certain degree of isolation on a council that has shown support for

several large developments, including the Koll Center expansion, which

voters defeated at the ballot in November 2001.

On Wednesday, Heffernan said he has not yet decided when he would

vacate his seat, saying he still has some work to do on the council. He

noted, though, that he might try to time his departure with the upcoming

election. That way, it’s possible that his replacement could be

determined by the voters instead of by appointment from the remaining

council members.

“I don’t want to close any doors at the council levels because I still

have a job to do,” Heffernan said.

* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .