By Mike LaBella
mlabella@eagletribune.com
July 02, 2009 01:44 am HAVERHILL — Some people say they got what they deserved. Others insist it wasn't enough. A day after James and Kevin Flaherty were sentenced in one of the biggest scandals to rock Haverhill in recent history, their punishment was the talk of the town in coffee shops, luncheonettes and on the Internet. People also talked yesterday about what the case means to Haverhill — some saying it has shaken residents' confidence in city government and city departments. Haverhill resident Theresa Brown, 43, a board member of the Hilldale Cemetery Association, said the Flaherty case should be considered a wake-up call to the mayor and other top city officials to be vigilant about what may be going on under their noses. "It may have taught the city a lesson on how to keep better tabs on what's happening in each department," she said. James Flaherty, 67, retired longtime Haverhill highway superintendent, and his son Kevin Flaherty, 37, a fired official of the Highway Department, were sentenced Tuesday to jail terms after their conviction by a jury June 2 of using their city jobs for personal gain. James Flaherty was sentenced to two years in jail on a charge of larceny over $250, six months of which will be house arrest at his home, with the remaining 18 months spent on probation. On three tax charges, he was sentenced to probation for three and a half years. He must pay taxes on $89,000 worth of income from his private company that he failed to claim with the government. Kevin Flaherty was sentenced to two years in jail for larceny over $250, with four months to be served in the Middleton jail. On a false claim charge, he was sentenced to probation for three years and ordered to pay $856 restitution to the city. As part of his probation, he must serve 200 hours of community service. City Councilor David Hall frequents local coffee shops to learn what people are thinking. He said the chatter yesterday was how the Flahertys got what they deserved and that the legal system did its job. "From what I'm hearing, Haverhill's reputation isn't tarnished," Hall said, reacting to some people's observations that the city looks bad in the eyes of outsiders because the Flahertys cheated Haverhill. "If there was any bad image given to city workers down at that Highway Department, it was because of the superintendent and his son," he said, referring to James and Kevin Flaherty. Well-known local blues musician Paul Prue said he continues to have confidence in Haverhill's leadership and city departments. "The Flaherty thing was an isolated situation," he said. "I don't have any complaints about city government." City Council President Michael Hart said there are some people in Haverhill who are feeling that the Flahertys were not punished enough for their crimes. "I can't imagine what they'd want for punishment," he said. "It's impossible for anyone to completely recover from something like this,'' he said of the Flahertys' jail time, hurt reputation and financial loss, which may include James Flaherty's city pension of nearly $70,000 a year taken from him. What the Flaherty case may have done was to empower cynics to be even more skeptical about city government, Hart said. "There are skeptics out there, and regardless of who is in office they're going to think the worst," he said. "That's just who they are. I think it's already behind us (the Flaherty case) and this is not what Haverhill is about." The public's faith in government, whether at the federal, state or local level was already on shaky ground, said Mayor James Fiorentini. The conviction and sentencing of the Flahertys only added to the mistrust, he said. "I think public employees are under enormous scrutiny right now, and not just because of the Flaherty case, but everything that's been happening in Boston and everywhere else," Fiorentini said yesterday. "Confidence in government is at an all-time low. I hear it everywhere." Fiorentini said the mood in City Hall yesterday was more of concern about possible layoffs and furloughs than what lasting effect the Flaherty case will have on the city. "I think we need to put the whole thing behind us," Fiorentini said. "The public needs to be reassured that we have an excellent work force that I'm very proud of. They work very hard and get a lot accomplished. If things don't get done it's because of budget cuts." Fiorentini said city workers in Haverhill are under more scrutiny by the public than ever. He said that in the last few months his office has received reports such as work being done on a person's driveway, but after investigating he learned it was a public curb that was being worked on. He also received a report about city employees delivering mulch to a private garden. He said that complaint was investigated and showed it was public property, not private. "We don't have 100 percent satisfaction, but when we find problems we try to correct them," Fiorentini said. "People see the trial (of the Flahertys), what went on, what was alleged and now they are calling us. "When I'm leaving City Hall at 6 on a Friday and there are still employees here, who are not on overtime but are doing their job, the public doesn't see it,'' he said. "The public doesn't see that after the city clerk's office closes at 4 and someone knocks on the door that she lets them in. People don't see these sorts of things." ÔÇæÔÇæÔÇæ Join the discussion. To comment on stories and see what others are saying, log on to eagletribune.com.
—
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.