Two of Carlsbad’s most dedicated residents will soon be switching their permanent location to Santa Fe. The good news, however, is that John and Julia Heaton have assured us that they will continue to stay involved in their many Carlsbad projects.
Julia Heaton was a teacher in Carlsbad from 1973 through 1996, and she was widely considered to be one of our district’s best educators. She also spearheaded the effort that resulted in Carlsbad’s teachers being the best-paid teachers in the state.
More recently, Julia has led the efforts with the Halagueno Arts Park, a labor of love on the property with the Carlsbad Museum and Carlsbad Library. The FAAV and the Halagueno Arts Park Committee have accomplished a miracle, thanks to a lot of hard work by Julia and many others. There’s a more on the horizon, as well.
John Heaton was a former state representative. As a representative, he built strong bipartisan connections, and he was known for introducing numerous successful bills. After his time concluded as an elected official, he came into my office and offered to help the City. It was one of the best offers that I ever received, and John hasn’t slowed down since.
Recently, John has played the critical role in the college obtaining its independence, in the safe closure of the brine well, and in WIPP’s successful reopening. His extensive knowledge of both the political and the technical sides of a situation meant that he always provided valuable insight and guidance.
He has been at the front of our community’s nuclear efforts for decades, both with WIPP and now with the HOLTEC project. He has always been a champion of safety while also pursuing economic opportunity in our area. He was also the key figure in state legislative efforts that led to improvements in tax law, in health care, and in numerous other directions. We could probably go on forever, but John brought a very methodical approach to every project in which he was engaged. In doing so, he got results. Anyone who ever worked with him can tell you about the detailed agendas he would email at 4 a.m. mapping out what processes needed to take place in order to accomplish a given task.
The good news, as we stated, is that John and Julia have both promised to continue to assist our community. We’re extremely fortunate to have these two extremely dedicated citizens, and they will always be outstanding citizens of Carlsbad.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway