Posted: 8/6/03

FL election issue may go before grand jury

Jessica Foster
Staff Writer

A Washington County grand jury this week is considering an election complaint surrounding the Forest Lake city council election.

Washington County Attorney Doug Johnson said a grand jury in Stillwater is hearing cases Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week but hesitated to give details.

ìThe grand jury is very secretive,î Johnson said, saying he was hesitant to give details should it affect the case. ìThey will be hearing a number of cases.î

Once the grand jury hears the issue, a decision should come relatively quickly, Johnson said. Once a decision is reached, it becomes public information.

ìI can talk to you next week,î Johnson said.

The complaint was filed in November by six candidates for the Forest Lake City Council including Rick Ashbach, Judy Bull, Mike Egger, Jim DuFour, Robert Holden Sr. and Marco Swanson.

The candidates challenged the campaign practices of the remaining candidates Susan Young and Robert Kennedy. Ashbach and Young won the seats in Nov. 5 election and have been serving the city since being sworn in last January.

At issue is spending, as the candidates charge Young and Kennedy accepted in-kind contributions in excess of the $300 limit allowed under the state election law from Forest Lake Action Group (F.L.A.G.), headed by Eugene Huerstel. Too, the candidates question where the money came from to pay for the signs.

ìWe believe full financial disclosure of the FLAG organization, its income sources and expenses, is pertinent and relevant to an investigation,î the request to the county attorney read.

ìThe campaign financial report on file for FLAG appears incomplete and does not reflect the activity level witnessed in the communityÖIf a third party actually paid for the signs, or gave FLAG hundreds of dollars in ëloaní to purchase the signs, it should be public record.î

DuFour said while the issue has aged since first filed, he still has hopes for repercussions.

ìI would like to see something come down where Eugene Huerstel at least has to make a public apology,î he said.

Those who had signed the complaint wondered if anything would ever come of it, considering the complaint was filed nine months ago.

Johnson credited staff changes at the attorneyís office, an influx of election complaints and the busy holiday season for the delay.

DuFour said he was contacted by Johnson earlier this summer and asked to resend the complaint if the complainants still wished to pursue the matter.

The grand jury is also expected to hear an election complaint against District 52B Rep. Rebecca Otto who won a special election to replace Republican Rep. Mark Holsten in February.

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