“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has”

My search for this month’s “interesting person” led me to Nancy Alston a Bluff’s resident for eight years.

Nancy moved to California from Houston Texas with her husband and two children in 1986. A retired schoolteacher, she was attracted to the area because of the fine schools but like many of us she fell in love with the beauty and tranquility of the Back Bay. It is that tranquility that Nancy and her fellow Airfair members are trying to preserve. Airfair, organized in May 2002, is officially registered with the state of California as a PAC (Political Action Committee).

Their goal is to slowly and deliberately raise the level of discourse about flight and passenger caps (current agreement expires in 2015) as well as the 10:00PM to 7:00AM curfew which expires in 2020. Today almost 1,000 daily operations at JWA make it one of the busiest airports in the nation. This group of concerned and dedicated citizens are working to insure the current limits of 10.8 million airline passengers per year will become permanent.

Airfair wants to create a powerful force of individuals, groups, businesses and elected leaders who agree that regional transportation needs must be met without further expansion of John Wayne Airport. If you spend anytime on the phone or in person with Nancy it doesn’t take long before her enthusiasm and dedication to the AirFair Mission becomes contagious.

There are many ways to contribute to this group’s efforts and more information is available at www.jwairfair.com or by calling 714-989-2323. Personally having lived in the Bluffs for twenty-five years and having watched JWA grow from a sleepy local airport into the transportation center it is now I realize the value of Nancy and her fellow committee member’s work. After all, the number and timing of the flights out of JWA not only affects our peace and safety but the values of our homes as well. My hat goes off to Nancy and everyone who contributes to the success of AirFair.