$25,000 Reward Brings a Lot of Discussion
By Robin Vinci at January 31, 2024 | 8:00 pm | Print
Whether or not you think a $25,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of Mayor Tim O’Brien or Phil Sherwood, his deputy chief of staff, are warranted, it has been the talk of the town. Everywhere you turn residents have been discussing the reasons this has come about.
Sam Zherka, who put out the reward, said it was brought about because of the mayor’s $100,000 no bid contract, the misappropriation of funds and taking funds from the water department.
Over the last month it has been reported that O’Brien hired a political campaign PR firm for $100,000 using taxpayer money to help get word out about 911 calls.
It was recently brought to light that residents and officials were told by the mayor that the community organizer position was paid through HUD (Housing and Urban Development) funds, when the $47,000 position was really being paid by taxpayer dollars.
It has also been verified by sources that $5.6 million was taken this month from the water department. Various other money had been taken out of that special account previously by this mayor. Sources also say the Mayor is seriously looking at selling the water department.
Still, feelings about the reward are mixed.
“I certainly understand Sam’s motivation and his frustration. Mayor O’Brien has been involved in many highly questionable activities and he and his department heads refuse to meet with or return calls or emails from concerned citizens. Because the mayor has a supermajority on the Council, he is never questioned about his activities or his decisions by other elected officials. Additionally, the local daily newspaper is either in fear of him or beholden to him so they never seem to hold the mayor accountable - they just print anything he gives them, whether it is true or not,” said Dwight Blint, Republican Party Chairman. “So I get it, Sam is looking for answers; we’re all looking for answers, but I think this reward is not the right way to do it. I think by continuing to educate the public and by bringing like minded people together, we can remove this mayor and elect one that is responsive to the needs of the community and not one that only seems interested in enriching his friends and political allies.”
Democratic Town Chairman John McNamara had many comments in a recent edition of the New Britain Herald on the reward, but most of the comment were targeted at the New Britain City Journal rather than Zherka and the issue of the reward.
McNamara calls the City Journal Sam Zherka’s “vanity newspaper” in New Britain. He also calls Zherka the organizer of a Tea Party demonstration.
“The fact that an administration would be so offended over someone who is trying to clean out corruption speaks loudly and clearly at what’s going on there,” said Zherka. “I am not, nor have I ever been a right wing conservative or am I a Republican. I’m an Independent, and a Libertarian who believes in the constitution and keeping politicians in check and holding their feet to the fire. The Herald is a political mouth piece for the mayor and has been paid for it and still gets paid for it on a daily and weekly basis. Part of the $100k that the mayor stole went right into the bank account of the Herald and now that speaks volumes. The people of New Britain can not expect to get any truth from a media that has been bought off by corrupt government.”
Democratic Alderman Carlo Carlozzi said he was not happy to hear about the reward and wished Zherka found another way.
“It’s the most outrageous thing I ever heard,” said Carlozzi. “You can disagree with the policy, and file a lawsuit, but let the courts deal with it. It’s a new low. And quite frankly, I’m disgusted.”
But perhaps the most bizarre comment came from the Facebook Page of Phil Sherwood himself.
“I’m a little disappointed and hurt actually, as Zherka previously offered $100,000 for info leading to the arrest of a DA in NY when confronted on corruption himself,” said Sherwood. “I have no doubt some of my friends will sell me out if the $ was right - but I hope not for just $25,000.”
