Santa Rosa council members swap seats after spat

The Santa Rosa City Council engaged in a little musical chairs Tuesday following last week’s spat between two council members.

Mayor Scott Bartley changed seating assignments after Councilman Jake Ours requested to no longer sit next to Councilman Gary Wysocky.

“He said he didn’t want to be sitting next to Mr. Wysocky anymore, in no uncertain terms,” Bartley said.

Bartley instructed city staff to swap the seating assignments for Wysocky and Ernesto Olivares. That put Wysocky on the opposite side of the dais from Ours, between Vice Mayor Robin Swinth and Erin Carlstrom.

Council members settled into their new assignments without comment Tuesday. Relationships on the council remain raw following the vote three months ago to censure Wysocky for what his colleagues called abusive behavior toward city staff.

During a lengthy discussion last week about a controversial proposed subdivision in Rincon Valley, Ours became frustrated when Councilwoman Julie Combs asked a follow-up question of the project’s traffic engineer.

Ours, who said he had expected to be next to speak, leaned over and said something to Bartley. Soon thereafter Ours could be heard saying from the dais “God damn it!”

Ours later said he was jokingly chiding Bartley about the way he was running the meeting.

Wysocky, believing Ours had made the remark in reference to Combs, turned to Ours, pointed his finger at him and said sternly “That’s inappropriate!”

Bartley said he also heard Wysocky call Ours an “ass,” which Wysocky denies.

After last week’s meeting, as they were leaving the council chambers, Ours said Wysocky “confronted” him and was “yelling” at him. Wysocky denies he raised his voice, saying he merely suggested to Ours that he apologize to Combs.

On Tuesday, Wysocky said he found it sad that he was being singled out as the cause of the problem “when they’re the ones cursing and they’re the ones belittling a colleague.” He has previously said some members of the council were “rolling their eyes” when Combs spoke.

“Please. Let’s move forward,” he said.

Bartley said he didn’t buy Wysocky’s previous claims that his colleagues mistake his passion for anger. “He’s using passion as a defense for his angry outbursts. There’s a difference,” Bartley said.

Combs, who had jury duty and did not attend Tuesday’s meeting, wouldn’t say whether she thinks she is owed an apology. She did say some of her council colleagues have been “difficult to work with.”

“I believe Gary was being chivalrous toward me and I appreciated it,” she said.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @srcitybeat.