Posted: 10/15/03

Year-old FL election complaint tossed out

Jessica Foster
Staff Writer

The complaint was unfounded and not supported by any tangible evidence. That is the decision by the Washington County Attorneyís office regarding a Forest Lake City Council election complaint, submitted nearly one year ago.

In the Nov. 16, 2002 complaint, Bob Holden Sr., Jim DuFour, Judy Bull, Mike Egger and Rick Ashbach challenged the campaign practices of Forest Lake Action Group on behalf of the remaining candidates Susan Young and Robert Kennedy.

The candidates charged Young and Kennedy accepted in-kind contributions in excess of the $300 limit allowed under state election law from Forest Lake Action Group (FLAG) headed by Eugene Huerstel.

Ashbach and Young won the election to four-year terms and have been serving on the council since January.

Young said the complaint has been a source of questions from constituents. While Young said she knew she had done nothing wrong, it is nice to have the matter officially resolved.

ìTo be honest, Iím really disappointed this was brought up in the first place,î Young said, questioning the campaign practices of some of the complainants. ìItís not worth it to me to file a complaint.î

Young said it would have been nice if the decision had not taken as long as it did.

ìThis is one of the reasons people donít run for office,î she said. ìI wish it hadnít happened but it did.î

The complainants were mailed a brief letter last week by Assistant County Attorney Jennifer S. Bovitz explaining the decision.

Bovitz said the complaint was investigated by Keith Anderson, an investigator with the Washington County Sheriffís Office who found the complaint to be unfounded.

DuFour, while he said there is nothing more he can do, said he was disappointed with the verdict.

ìI still think there was some fault there,î DuFour said. ìFirst they (Washington County Attorneyís Office) dropped the ball on it then they called me back and needed the information again.î

Earlier this summer, DuFour said he was asked to resubmit the complaint because it was lost.

County Attorney Doug Johnson had the option of taking the matter before a grand jury or turning the complaint over to the sheriffís office for investigation. The county attorney is required by law to investigate all election complaints, but has no set time period in which the investigation must be completed.

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