The Woodland Park City Council voted 3-4 on Feb. 20 against appointing Jason Ledley to a short term on the Downtown Development Authority, leaving the seat vacant through the June 30, 2025, expiration of the previous member’s term.

The council considered Ledley’s application after City Clerk Suzanne (last name not specified in the record) told council the clerk’s office had received a single application from Ledley, owner of Solid Grounds Coffee Shop, which is located inside the DDA district. Ledley spoke to the council, described his family and business background and said he has attended recent DDA meetings and would “lean the direction of sunset” when asked about the DDA’s charter term.

The item mattered because the appointment would fill a DDA board seat left open by a resignation and run only through June 30, 2025. Council members asked Ledley about his knowledge of the DDA’s purpose and the tax-increment financing mechanism that largely supports many DDAs; Ledley said he had not yet researched TIF in detail and that he would review the DDA’s bylaws and foundation plan.

Council discussion focused on two arguments for declining to appoint him: unfamiliarity with tax-increment financing and concerns raised about Ledley’s conduct at a previous council meeting. Multiple council members and public speakers referenced that earlier public meeting when criticizing Ledley’s demeanor, and others in the audience spoke in his favor.

After a motion to appoint Ledley and a second, the council recorded votes: Mayor Case, Mayor Pro Tem Nakai and Council member Jones voted yes; Council members Baldwin, Gere, Harvey and Smith voted no. The motion failed 3-4. The council did not appoint an alternative candidate at the meeting; the seat remains open until the June 30, 2025 term expiration.

Ledley told the council he and his wife moved to Woodland Park six years ago, that he purchased the coffee shop in August (year not specified in the record) and that by day he practices as a licensed professional counselor. He said he had attended two DDA meetings and missed the most recent one because he was out of the country.

The council and staff noted that eligibility to serve on the DDA requires residency, business ownership, or real property ownership inside the downtown development district, or service as an officer or director of a corporation with a place of business in the district; the clerk had determined Ledley met eligibility requirements. The appointment being considered was explicitly to fill the remainder of Tony Perry’s term, which expires June 30, 2025.

Council members invited Ledley to research the DDA’s bylaws and TIF process and encouraged him to reapply; no new motion was taken at the meeting to appoint a different candidate or to extend the vacancy.

For background, the DDA’s work typically focuses on downtown economic vitality and may use tools such as tax-increment financing; council members said they expect prospective board members to understand those mechanisms before appointment.

The council moved on to other agenda items after the vote. No subsequent action to fill the seat was recorded in the Feb. 20 minutes.