Back in November we reported that despite meeting all the legal requirements the town of Henniker had cited Stephen Forster of Forster’s Christmas Tree Farm with the illegal use of his property.
Typically, when such nonsense erupts it is to either punish a landowner for some perceived slight, or to help an abutter (or the town) get something they want.
Somebody still wants something. And it appears to have escalated. We’ve received reports that an intimidation campaign is underway against Dr. Bruce Trivellini who serves on the towns zoning board (ZBA).
Insiders tell us that there may be an effort to kick him off the ZBA because of his familiarity with Stephen Forster, and presumably his support for his (as far as we know) legal use of his property. My sense is that Trivellini’s support in Forster’s case has incited an organized effort to discredit him, and perhaps intimidate him. That would make this a classic small town pissing contest, with all the biggest pissers being the self-proclaimed aristocracy of the town. They decide how things go, sometimes enlist a local sheriff to lean on the offender (or who looks the other way when other members of town take to shouting, intimidation, or vandalism).
Yes. This does happen in small town New Hampshire. More often than you want to believe. People are still people. They want what they want.
I don’t know the extent of this particular situation. I am not implying that there has been any vandalism but we know from sources that “pressure” is being brought to bear. I am still digging up contact info for follow ups but we know it is centered on Stephen Forster trying to legally expand his business, the local aristocracy taking umbrage, and the small-town enforcers bringing some leverage to bear on those who might oppose them.
We’ll call it “developing” and get back to you when we know more.
