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Woodside Town Manager Jason Ledbetter was placed on paid administrative leave after he released a 14-page whistleblower report alleging that the mayor and mayor pro tempore pressured him to delay housing projects. On Thursday, Feb. 19, shortly after he sent the document to a reporter, Woodside’s town clerk released a statement claiming that Ledbetter demanded the town pay him more than $400,000 to keep the report from going public.
At 8:45 a.m. on Thursday, The Almanac received a copy of the complaint from Ledbetter alleging that three members of the Town Council created a hostile workplace “built on corruption, abuse and dishonesty.” This report was shared to other members of the town staff and committee members, according to the town clerk’s statement.
Ledbetter’s report accuses Mayor Brian Dombkowski and Mayor Pro-Tem Paul Goeld of manipulation, violating the state’s open meeting law and gender and racial discrimination toward Council members Jenn Wall and Hassan Aburish. He also claims that Wall has bullied him for being male, in violation of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA).
When reached for comment, Dombkowski and Wall denied all allegations made in the report. This news organization has reached out to the remaining council members and Ledbetter for comment.
“This shocked everyone involved. I have never seen anything like it,” Dombkowski said. “I tried my best to support (Ledbetter) and do whatever I could so he could succeed. It’s very hard for everyone to put aside their personal reactions but our primary goal is to protect the town.”
Ledbetter was hired by the town in April 2025, prior to the retirement of former Town Manager Kevin Bryant. He officially took over the reins in May, and has over 25 years of experience in project management and local government.
The council was made aware of the whistleblower report on Tuesday, Feb. 17. According to Town Clerk Jennifer Li, Ledbetter contacted Town Attorney Jean Savaree shortly thereafter and demanded that the town pay him than “over $400,000 no later than midnight on Sunday, Feb. 22,” or Ledbetter would release the report to the public. On Wednesday, Feb. 18, he allegedly shortened the timeline and demanded that the money be paid by Friday, Feb. 20, according to the statement from the town.
Also on Wednesday, the town council held a special meeting in closed session to discuss a performance review of the town manager. The council rejected Ledbetter’s demands, according to the town’s statement.
“Although the Town does not believe that Mr. Ledbetter drafted and released this report in good faith, the Town is now determining the proper steps to take to ensure that an impartial investigation of its allegations, as well as Mr. Ledbetter’s demands, is completed,” the statement said.
On Thursday afternoon, the town announced that Assistant Town Manager Melissa Cardinale was appointed the acting town manager.
This is a developing story and will continue to be updated.
