March 22, 2026

Bruce Ehlers ignores O’Hara’s chronic tardiness and rudeness

Mayor’s lack of leadership enables deputy mayor’s disruptive behavior.

Punctuality is not a small thing in local government. City council meetings are formal public proceedings, and residents, staff, and fellow councilmembers all deserve the basic respect of having elected officials show up on time and ready to participate.

Thus far, we have identified repeated lateness by Deputy Mayor Jim O’Hara at the following meetings: the special and regular meetings on March 11, 2026, February 25, 2026, February 11, 2026, January 28, 2026, November 11, 2025, the regular and special meetings on October 22, 2025, September 2, 2025, August 27, 2025, and August 3, 2025. That includes being late to two meetings in one day on October 22, 2025, and another two meetings on March 11, 2026. There have also been reports of O’Hara’s significant tardiness to the Cultural Tourism Committee and the School District Liaison meetings.

A councilmember who is consistently late signals that the meeting, the public, and city staff are not being treated with the respect they deserve. And O’Hara’s chronic tardiness is not the only example of his disrespectful behavior – on the dais, he consistently accuses critics of having ulterior motives, and got so out of control at the March 18 council meeting that Mayor Ehlers had to gavel him down.

This is a leadership issue that reflects poorly on Mayor Ehlers as the presiding officer who is responsible for setting the tone of the meeting. Even if the mayor cannot personally control another councilmember’s behavior, the public naturally looks to him for leadership, standards, and accountability.

A well-run council depends on punctuality, respect for the public, and visible standards of professionalism. When those standards slip repeatedly, it reflects on the whole body – especially on the mayor entrusted to lead it.