Sam Zherka: People Love Him, Politicians Hate Him

By B.A. Johnson | Special to the City Journal at November 29, 2023 | 6:50 pm | Print

Residents in New Britain may find themselves hearing more and more about a certain New York man lately as the character in question, Sam Zherka, ramps up his battle against what he sees as the injustices that are occurring in New Britain.

There are a lot of rumors floating around about Zherka – who he is, what he stands for and the things he does. Although he has somewhat of a bad boy reputation, it’s advised that you take what you hear with a grain of salt. As Bertrand Russell, 20th century philosopher and logician once proclaimed, “No one gossips about other people’s virtues.”

Zherka was recently appointed as the Mayors Liaison to the Mount Vernon, NY Police Board by Democratic Mayor Ernest Davis, and to the Charter revision commission for Mount Vernon and Westchester County New York, by members of the legislature. He’s an honorary member of the Fraternal Order of New State Troopers Inc. and a registered member of the Independence party.

Born and raised in Bronx, NY, Zherka also obtained his high school education there. He never went to college because he didn’t need to. He’s a self proclaimed graduate of the Bronx’s gritty “sidewalk university”. The “school of hard knocks” is the best education anyone can get, according to Zherka.

At age 11 he started working at Sal’s Pizza on 206th St. in the Bronx as a dishwasher and by age 15, he was looking to buy his own pizza parlor.

“There is no better education in the world,” said Zherka “than the education you get from the daily grind, and from parents who have experienced so much suffering. It teaches you fairness and respect.”

Zherka remembers his father waking him up late at night to help him carry a torn and dirty couch which was in the garbage several blocks away.

“My father had so much pride that he did not want to be seen picking from the garbage during the day so he waited till late at night,” said Zherka. “I’m not embarrassed about that. I respect what my parents did to survive and it’s what shaped who I am today.”

Zherka is the son for two Albanian immigrants who managed to escape communist torture camps in their country and flee to Italy. There they spent over two years in a refugee camp awaiting an offer of asylum to the United States, which finally came in 1962.

Zherka’s dad, Abraham, turned down asylum offers for relocation from European nations. He abandoned those opportunities because to him, the U.S. was the best place to raise his future family and he refused to settle for anything less. His father set his sight on America because of the U.S. Constitution and its guarantee of freedom. He didn’t want to go anywhere that might have the slightest potential to take on a communist or socialist regime because he wanted to ensure that his future children not have to go through anything like he had. Zherka says that in order for people to know who he is, they must understand that he is his father’s son.

“My father inspired me since I was a kid, he’s my role model. I scorn injustice and I’m passionate when it comes to constitutional rights and free speech because of what my parents went through,” Zherka said. “A lot of people in my father’s village were executed for speaking out. My father spoke out and was tortured and berated everyday for over a decade then was sentenced to death for it.”

To say Zherka is a major advocate for constitutional rights is an understatement. The Constitution is his passion and he says that he looks forward to devoting his entire life to addressing constitutional issues and enforcing the Constitution by fighting corrupt politicians and “dirty governments.”

The First Amendment which guarantees the right to free speech and expression and the right to practice any religion you so desire and the right to peacefully assemble with an American Flag are sacred and must never be attacked by Government and he said that was just what was done on Nov. 14 by Mayor Tim O’Brien and New Britain City Hall.

“The greatest danger in this country is a corrupt government,” Zherka said. “Corrupt politicians are the greatest danger to every man, woman and child living in the United States.”

Zherka’s said his current mission is to offer relief to the residents of New Britain who he says are victims of O’Brien’s unjust practices and unscrupulous administration. Zherka feels that going head-to-head with O’Brien is a good way to win the war against corrupt officials due to the unconstitutional acts and ordinances he puts in place, many of which targets the residents of the city.

When asked what is it that he would like to say to Mayor O’Brien, he responded by saying “The tenants are angry, the veterans are angry, the property owners are angry but most importantly savenewbritain.com is angry. And Mayor O’Brien and others should ready themselves by packing their bags to vacate City Hall because it’s coming.”

One example of such an act occurred in October of this year when the city passed a housing ordinance that Zherka calls outrageous. The new law imposes licensing fees on out-of-town landlords that don’t live in the buildings they own. Numerous landlords that are now facing these fines are being forced to pass the expense on to their tenants. Zherka deems the new ordinance unconstitutional because the Constitution guarantees equal protection under the law.

“With 13.1 percent unemployment, New Britain is a town full of poor, hard-working people, many of whom struggle day-by-day just to get by,” he said. “For the city to impose these fines, which then have to be imposed upon the tenants is an outright disaster.”

“What Mayor O’Brien has done will hurt the City’s economy, hurt home prices, hurt tenants, students, destroy overall business and create blight and we’re not having it,” said Zherka. “We’d rather fight the city, the dirty politicians that run the city before we allow that. It’s hard enough with prices of everything from fuel, to maintenance supplies going up to maintain low rents. What’s most insulting is when your elected officials lie to you and think everyone is dumb enough to believe it.”

Zherka says he has fought many politicians in the past and he will fight an unconstitutional act until it is deemed unconstitutional and gets repealed. He also maintains that with the passing of these and other ordinances, O’Brien is failing to fix important problems in the community.

“He can’t spin the truth this time, though, because savenewbritain.com is in town and it’s here to stay,” said Zherka.

Savenewbritain.com is a newly formed entity that is made up of hundreds of tenants, property owners, homeowners, business people and people from all walks of life who have joined together in a collaborative effort to make it known to politicians like O’Brien and 11 City Aldermen that New Britain is their town and they’re hell-bent on saving it. It’s a movement which is gaining momentum and wants to take back the City.

Zherka’s message to the residents of New Britain is that it could be a great city, on par with Stamford, but the city first needs politicians in office who really have their best interest at heart. He’s calling on New Britain residents to “chase guys like O’Brien right out of office” because he deems “these guys” the greatest threat to the city of New Britain and “guys like him” the greatest threat to the citizens of this country. A man elected to lead a city to success must first be successful in his personal life.

“It’s like hiring a thief to manage your money. It does not work and only leads to disaster,” said Zherka.

This constitutional crusader’s devotion to his wife and 8 children and their future is what drives him.

“I love my kids and my family and respect my father more than anything in the world,” said Zherka. “They are why I work 18 hours a day.”

Zherka also publishes the Westchester Guardian weekly newspaper, the largest weekly in Westchester County NY. The Westchester Guardian has been known to pummel politicians, Democrat or Republican, that it deems to be corrupt. His newspaper was responsible for winning an $8 million dollar first amendment verdict in October 2010, against the City of Yonkers New York, which is the 4th largest city in the state of NY.

“These are the kind of victories against corrupt government that create case law and protect the public’s right to speak out,” said Zherka. “That victory was a victory for every American in this country and not just those living in New York.”

Fighting politicians and telling the truth is no easy task. He has been falsely targeted with bogus investigations, labeled a political bully and a gangster all in an attempt to tarnish his name. In 2008, Zherka brought a lawsuit against the Westchester County District Attorney after she falsely labeled him a gangster in retaliation for an article Zherka published about corrupt activity the District Attorney’s husband was allegedly involved in. In September of 2012, Zherka filed two additional lawsuits on behalf of the tax payers against the Westchester DA and her Chief of Investigations for stealing taxpayer funds.

“Our government officials and politicians believe the law does not apply to them, but they are wrong.” said Zherka. “We must hold their feet to the fire!”

When asked if he is or has ever been involved with any mob, Zherka replied, “My 8 kids are my mob.”

“My name and the man my kids call dad are the most important assets I have and I will protect them with every thing I have,” Zherka concluded.

 

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