By Ann McCreary
The Twisp Town Council has a new member, Alan Caswell, who was appointed last week to fill a seat left vacant when council member Traci Day resigned.
A full-time resident of Twisp for a little over four years, Caswell said he and his wife vacationed frequently in the Methow Valley for 15 years before retiring here.
Caswell was a building contractor in the Monroe area and his wife, Lois, was a teacher in the Monroe school district.
“We were able to escape on school vacations and long weekends. Like so many people, we came for the recreation and stayed for the community,” he said.
“I was fortunate enough to retire early, so it was a no-brainer” to move to Twisp, he said. The couple bought a house in the Painter’s Addition neighborhood.
“Twisp always had a good feel for us. I was raised in a small town in Nebraska and Lois was raised in a small town in Alaska,” Caswell said.
“This is an amazing place and I want to be part of the decision-making process and planning for future growth and development of the town,” he said.
While serving on the town council, Day spearheaded efforts to develop a recreational trail in Twisp and Caswell said he hopes to continue that effort.
“With my construction background I’d like to see completion of the trail system,” he said. He also wants to work toward construction of a new town hall building and a new public works shop.
Caswell attended recent town council meetings to learn about the issues facing the town, and said he was impressed by the way the council functions.
“It was the teamwork of the council and mayor” that helped convince him to apply for a seat on the board.
Caswell said the couple has two grown sons and two grandchildren in Monroe, “so we spend a lot of time on Highway 2.”
Day had announced her intention to seek re-election prior to the November general election and her name was placed on the ballot, but she resigned before the election because she said she did not have adequate time for the work, and said she would not take the seat if elected.
Caswell was appointed to the position by the council at its meeting on Jan. 12, and will serve through 2017.
The council also swore in a returning member, Hans Smith, who served previously on the board and was elected to the seat held by Dwight Filer, who did not seek another term.
