LTE – Jeff Ericson – 3-24-2021
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Dear Editor,
When I first moved to Forest in 2007, the first interaction I had with the town Board with Roger Swanepoel as the chairman was when I needed a fire number sign. I had left messages for all three board members multiple times with no response over a few weeks. The St. Croix Zoning office was my next venue, they had to contact the Town of Forest and tell them to do their job!
About a week later, still no one from the town had called, but I did find the sign face down in my ditch and scratched like it had been thrown from a moving vehicle….that was my Welcome to Forest! Over the next few years I had contacted the town about zoning, taxes and the dangers to the community by the proposed wind turbines. I was met with criticism, reluctance and was even laughed at when bringing up concerns. In 2011 these same board members, including Roger Swanepoel, were removed from office by a recall petition and an election by an overwhelming vote by the citizens of Forest. The current town board has implemented transparency in the way the town is run, the books are open and the comprehensive plan has been updated. Forest has adopted the St. Croix County zoning ordinances so that all zoning and building requests are reviewed in a fair and unbiased manner. No more worries about getting denied on a whim because you weren’t in the good graces of the old guard. Now in 2021, Roger and two comrades are challenging the current board in the upcoming April 6th Spring election. We do not need to go backwards after we’ve come this far, please vote for Jamie Junker – Chairman, Todd Ostberg and Laverne Hoitomt for the Town of Forest Board.
Jeff Ericson
Town Of Forest