‘Mayor of Balboa Island’ maintains his drive to keep it bustling and bright

He’s sometimes referred to as the “Mayor of Balboa Island,” and if there’s an event there, chances are Jack Callahan is involved.

And if you want something done on the famed Newport Beach island, you call Callahan. He’s a perpetual volunteer.

Callahan, who is serving for the sixth time as president of the Balboa Island Improvement Assn., has become the face of the annual Balboa Island Parade. He’s the one scurrying up and down Marine Avenue working the crowd in a coconut bra and grass skirt while making sure all goes off without a glitch.

The 24-year veteran of the parade committee says the parade, the granddaddy of Balboa Island events, wouldn’t be possible without the other, smaller local events.

“The pancake breakfasts, barbecues, carnival, home tour and concerts act as fundraisers for the parade,” Callahan said. “The costs of putting on the parade add up quickly, with police and fire security, city permits, street cleaning, advertising, independent music and, in some cases, participant fees.”

Callahan first called Balboa Island home in the late 1960s before he moved to pursue a career in marketing and advertising. His first job was with Levi Strauss in its Los Angeles office. From there, he traveled to San Francisco to work for Ford Motor Co. and later moved on to advertising agencies in Chicago, Detroit, New York City and Jacksonville, Fla.

After 25 years, Callahan returned to Balboa Island with his then-wife and two daughters. He partnered with a colleague to open an advertising agency in Irvine before striking out on his own, creating a home-based consulting business for start-up companies.

When his business slowed in 2010, Callahan volunteered as a classroom aide at Lincoln Elementary School in Corona del Mar. Two years later, his volunteer gig turned into a paying job and a new career in education. He was hired by the Newport-Mesa Unified School District as a special-education teacher’s aide.

His classroom assignments currently require him to float among different schools as well as take on occasional long-term assignments and summer school commitments. But with his workday ending at 3 p.m. and with weekends off, his schedule allows for plenty of volunteer time.

Fellow volunteer and longtime Balboa Island resident Tom Houston has become friends with Callahan through their service on the Balboa Island Improvement Assn. board. “Having known Jack for many decades, I can attest that Jack certainly meets the definition of one of my parents’ favorite mantras: ‘Remember to be a positive contributor to society, community and neighborhood,’ ” Houston said.

Lee Pearl, Balboa Island concert coordinator and vice president of the association, said: “It’s really a team effort, but Jack works harder than anybody else. Jack is a high-energy person who is dedicated to Balboa Island.”

Pearl said Callahan can be seen putting up “No parking” signs and cleaning up after events.

“Everybody thinks somebody else is gonna do it. People take for granted that someone else will do the work, and it’s not gonna happen,” Callahan said. “In an effort to help keep Balboa Island clean and maintain its image … it takes a village.”

His latest campaign is to encourage residents to “adopt” a trash can or a beach to keep their island beautiful.

The beaches, particularly on South Bay Front, are a constant struggle to keep clean, he said, not just because of everyday debris such as food trash and dog feces but also garbage that washes up from the ocean with the tide, such as bottles and various plastic items.

Callahan’s posts on Nextdoor.com are a call to action for residents to volunteer to help clean up.

“We have more island folks coming forward to help with all of our projects to keep the beaches, sidewalks, trash cans, etc., clean,” Callahan said. “The city helps every few weeks, but it’s not enough, so we use Nextdoor, Constant Contact and our newsletter to reach out for help. We use the tide charts and just plain old walking around the island to check things out.”

When Callahan isn’t tending to the island, he spends time in the Los Angeles area with his daughters and five grandchildren.

Susan Hoffman is a contributor to Times Community News.