Newport Beach Names Official to Push Airport Plan for El Toro Base

Striving to play a larger role in the future of El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, the city has chosen an official to be a full-time advocate for building a commercial airport at the retiring military base.

City officials announced that Peggy Ducey, assistant to the city manager, will immediately begin working to promote the airport proposal.

“This is something that is long overdue,” said City Councilman John W. Hedges, adding that Newport Beach needs to be more active in the El Toro land-use debate because it has more at stake than many other cities in the county.

City officials and most city residents favor the commercial airport plan, believing it will relieve pressure to expand John Wayne Airport.

“This is a significant issue for Newport Beach, but it’s also an opportunity for the entire county,” said Ducey, 39. “It’s a challenge I look forward to taking on.”

Among other duties, she will take on a public relations role because Newport Beach officials think airport opponents have spread misinformation about plans for El Toro.

Ducey will keep all the cities that support the airport plan informed about developments and coordinate their efforts on behalf of the plan.

Since joining the city manager’s staff two years ago, Ducey has been responsible for overseeing intergovernmental projects for the city, including working on airport issues.

Most recently, she was responsible for lobbying county, state and federal officials to get funding to dredge the Upper Newport Bay. She also served as executive director of Orange County Regional Airport Authority, a group of nine Orange County cities that favor building a second airport in the county.

Before working for Newport Beach, she was an assistant to the city manager in San Bernardino and an executive assistant to former Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder.

Ducey received a bachelor’s degree in political science from UCLA in 1980 and a master’s in public administration from Cal State Long Beach in 1986.