I am writing to introduce myself as a candidate for South Lake Tahoe City Council.

Throughout my career, I have dedicated myself to public service and helping to support thriving communities. I began my professional career as a Police Officer and Police Detective, and I put myself through both college and law school at night while working full time. I served as a Deputy District Attorney, and the head of the sexual assault and child abuse units, as well as the supervising attorney for a large city police department. I have also had a small business where I served as an attorney for other small and large cities, and I worked as the Director of Moral Character for the State Bar of California.

That progression – from police officer, to prosecutor, to attorney working with local governments, to small-business owner – has given me the opportunity to see government from many different perspectives. I know how important good government can be, and I also know how frustrating government can become when it stops working well for the people it is supposed to serve.

That is an important reason I am running for the South Lake Tahoe City Council.

During my years here, I have seen our community at its best and have also experienced many of the same challenges as my neighbors. I have dealt with parking problems, neighborhood crime, difficult vacation rentals and other quality-of-life concerns. I have cleaned up trash left behind in our neighborhood. Like many residents, I experienced the extraordinary pressures that came with the increase in tourism during the pandemic. And during the Caldor Fire, my husband and I evacuated along with an elderly neighbor, not knowing what we would find when we returned. Experiences like these remind me that the decisions made by our City Council are not abstract. They affect our neighborhoods, our safety, our businesses, our homes and our daily lives.

In addition to my professional background, I also spent many years as a volunteer on a Homeowner’s Board, Victim of Crimes Council, and a Police Advisory and Review Board, which functioned as an appellate board for citizen’s complaints. I understand the important role the City Council plays in establishing priorities, allocating resources, and working collaboratively with other local agencies, boards and commissions. My goal is to bring experienced, professional, and common-sense leadership to the Council while making decisions that strengthen our community and support those who protect it.

I believe South Lake Tahoe is at an important time of transition. This is a time for experienced, professional and trustworthy leadership. I want to help restore faith and confidence in our city government by focusing on competent decision-making, respectful leadership, transparency and the basic responsibility of making City government work well for the people who live here.

My priorities begin with the fundamentals. Residents should be able to depend on strong police and fire services, continued improvement in wildfire preparedness and evacuation planning, and steady attention to our roads and other basic infrastructure. We also need a healthy local economy. Our small businesses are part of the character of South Lake Tahoe, and City government should be a constructive partner in helping good businesses succeed while making sure economic development benefits the people who live here.

And as a community that depends on tourism, we need to manage its benefits and its impacts thoughtfully. We can support a strong visitor economy while still protecting our neighborhoods, our environment and the quality of life that makes people want to call South Lake Tahoe home.

I am not running because I believe one person has all the answers. Good local government requires listening, asking difficult questions, examining evidence and working with people who may not always agree.

I am running because I believe my experience can be useful to this community at an important moment, and because after more than two decades here, I care deeply about what South Lake Tahoe will be like in the years ahead.

Over the coming months, I look forward to meeting more of you, hearing what you believe our city is doing well, and learning where you believe it can do better. I hope to earn your confidence by listening carefully, doing my homework and bringing experience, professionalism, integrity and common sense to the work ahead.

Kelly O’Haire
Candidate for South Lake Tahoe City Council
www.Kelly4SLT.com