Estes Park board considers three Housing Authority appointments
Trustees debated whether a proposed term would exceed the five-year limit and whether staggered terms should be adjusted. They discussed voting on nominees before clarifying the term end dates.
At its Sept. 22, 2026, meeting, the Estes Park Town Board considered a motion to appoint Isaiah Johnson, Adam Hostetler and Jelena Yang to the Estes Park Housing Authority Board of Commissioners for terms ending April 30, 2029, 2027 and 2028, respectively.
Trustee Frank Lancaster recommended Isaiah Johnson replace Marty Miranda, Adam Hostetler replace Julia Daley and Jelena Yang replace Ruth Miller for the remainder of their terms. Lancaster said it looked like removing the proposed extension would affect only Hostetler's seat, replacing Daley, whose term was due to expire in April 2027 and was recommended for extension to 2029.
A speaker said the staff report appeared to propose extending a term from five years to five years and two months to stagger board seats, although five years is the maximum term. A speaker said Ordinance 1822, adopted in 2022, provided for staggering by shortening terms, with two ending in 2028, one in 2029, one in 2030, one in 2031 and two in 2032. Lancaster said the proposed terms would not exceed five years. A speaker said, “We definitely can't lengthen the term beyond 5 years.”
Lancaster said 14 people applied, compared with two applicants for two positions the last time he interviewed for the board; one of those applicants did not attend the interview. He said the committee considered applicants’ experience and skills, including varied backgrounds in housing and different areas of community work. A speaker said the applications were reviewed independently, without a meeting to discuss them, and the reviewers' screening results were almost exactly the same. Trustee Mark Igel said he considered applicants’ community representation, professional and life experience, and perspectives already represented on the Housing Authority board.
A speaker said they had not identified exactly what change was needed and that the board might need to reconsider the staggering if it had not taken the 2022 ordinance into account. The speaker said the board could decide on the nominees first, then return to finalize the action and clarify when the terms end. Mayor Gary Hall said he thought the board could consider the nominees and settle the term details later, and guessed candidates would not withdraw over a difference of a few months. A speaker said the Housing Authority could decide whether appointees could sit for the presumably one meeting before the terms returned to the Town Board for clarification.