It turns out, words matter.
The August defamation decision and settlement against Buckingham Township Supervisor Jon Forest calls for a public apology and a $65,000 restitution settlement for false statements he made against Froehlich’s Farm.
“I am glad that Jon has publicly corrected the record regarding
the 2023 election. The truth matters, particularly in a small community where words can have a lasting impact on our neighbors and their reputations,” said Buckingham Township supervisor Mike Bateman.
According to the U.S. Census in 2025, Buckingham has an estimated population of about 20,757 residents.
Calls are growing on the Buckingham Democrats Facebook page for Forest to resign from all elected township positions.
In addition to his role as vice chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Forest is also a Buckingham constable. Buckingham Democrats are urging residents to attend an August 26 township supervisors meeting.
On August 10, Forest issued a public apology as part of the defamation lawsuit settlement brought by Chip Froehlich of Froehlich’s Farm & Garden Inc. and Brian Stover, a longtime resident, and farmer.
Forest is also required to pay $65,000 as part of the settlement agreement. Bateman was not a party to the defamation lawsuit. The Forest flyer, according to Bateman, was also aimed at discrediting him. The two must work together on the board of supervisors.
The defamation suit began in 2024, after the 2023 election cycle over a flyer Forest admitted he created and circulated to township voters. According to Bateman, the case was settled and did not go to court.
An effort to reach Forest for comment was unsuccessful.
The 2023 flier was mailed to about 135 Republican households. As part of the settlement, Forest must also redress the original GOP households who received the flier with the updated public apology.
Among other social media websites, Forest’s public apology was also posted to Reddit and on Facebook.
The 2023 flier included falsehoods and so-called “quid pro quo” conversations between Bateman and Froehlich, which never took place.
From the Forest public apology:
“As some of you may know, in or around October 2023, I published a Flyer titled: “Update: Froehlich’s Illegal Mulching Operation An Unfortunate Political Turn.” In that Flyer, I made several claims about Froehlich’s Farm, and by extension Chip Froehlich and Brian Stover, that were factually untrue.
I erroneously accused Froehlich’s Farm of engaging in corruption and quid pro quo behavior. This accusation was based on conversations that never happened. I falsely stated that Mr. Bateman attended the August 31 hearing to support Froehlich’s Farm and offered to defend them in exchange for their electoral support.
Neither Mr. Bateman nor anyone from Froehlich’s Farm ever made statements to that effect. I wrongly claimed that at the October 5 hearing, a conversation took place in which Mr. Bateman and a representative of
Froehlich’s Farm were overheard saying: ‘we just have to wait for this election to be over and all of this will go away.’ However, this statement was never said to or by Mr. Bateman, let alone by Mr. Stover and Mr. Froehlich.”
Froehlich’s Farm and Buckingham Township have a contentious land use battle over Froehlich’s occasional festivals, mulching and composting operation. In 2024, a judge issued a ban over the activities.
In April 2024, Patch reported Judge Richard Lewis of Dauphin County was brought in to handle the case “because every Bucks County judge recused themselves because a member of the Froehlich family works for the court system.”
While Bateman lost to Forest in 2023, he ultimately won last year’s contest against two-term incumbent Republican Paul Calderaio.
According to Bateman, Calderaio’s re-election campaign sent “a massive text message in 2025, accusing me of wanting to raise taxes 30%, which I did not want to do.”
Forest has been a Buckingham supervisor since 2006, the township’s Instagram account noted.
In Buckingham, supervisors serve an elected term of six years.
Terms are staggered so seats become open during elections every two years.
Forest is a co-owner of Buckingham Valley Vineyards, a long-time family owned and operated winery, among the largest and oldest wineries in Pennsylvania.
“This statement makes clear that the accusations made by Jon were not true. I take no pleasure in the circumstances, but I am grateful the truth is now part of the public record. In the end, honesty and integrity matter. This statement makes clear that the accusations made by Jon were not true. I take no pleasure in the circumstances, but I am grateful the truth is now part of the public record. In the end, honesty and integrity matter,” Bateman said.
