Tag: Transparency

Showing 17 articles.


The $300,000 Deception: Inside Sherman's Municipal Shell Game

Monday, May 18, 2026

How do you overspend a $14,000 routine maintenance budget by 2,000 percent? By quietly turning it into a slush fund to hide the escalating costs and delays of a $50 million school renovation bond.

Got a Tip? Send important information confidentially

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Sherman CT News is dedicated to municipal transparency, but we cannot be everywhere at once. We rely on the community to help hold the local political establishment accountable. Learn how to securely submit story ideas, official documents, and news tips to our editors using our new encrypted channels.

The Dog Without Discipline: Inside Sherman's Uniparty

Sunday, May 10, 2026

Faced with a $50 million debt, Sherman's political establishment has merged into a single untamed faction. With the traditional Republican opposition acting as cheerleaders for the administration's spending, independent journalism remains the only check on municipal power.

The Architecture of Oversight: When the Auditor Works for the Architect

Thursday, May 7, 2026

A forensic review of Sherman’s public records reveals a closed-loop financial ecosystem where the Board of Education Chairman is privately employing the Selectman tasked with auditing his $50 million school project.

Sherman's Phantom Opposition: How Sherman’s Republican Party Surrendered the Town

Friday, April 24, 2026

Faced with a looming $50 million debt and blatant FOIA violations by the town administration, Sherman’s local GOP has quietly laid down its arms and merged with the establishment.

Obfuscate, Spend, and Stonewall: administration's desperate, illegal scramble to hide the public ledgers

Saturday, April 18, 2026

With an $18 million budget referendum looming, the Sherman administration is actively stonewalling state FOIA requests to conceal the reality of a $50 million debt bomb. Inside the $1.16 million fiscal shell game, disappearing cyber-insurance, and a decade-long executive salary surge.

The 7% Selectman: What Sherman’s Glossy Budget Mailer Didn't Tell You

Saturday, April 11, 2026

A forensic look at the town ledgers reveals hidden executive raises, phantom funds masking explosive debt, and a $1.16 million illusion designed to kick Sherman’s financial reckoning down the road.

$50 Million Ghost Ship: A Megaproject Without a Paper Trail, and a First Selectman’s Panic

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

As the Sherman School project balloons to a staggering $50 million, FOIA requests reveal a terrifying void of daily logs and oversight. When Sherman CT News pointed a camera at the site, Town Hall responded with police intimidation and a literal corridor

The Illusion of Stewardship: Bankruptcies, Budgets, and Sherman’s $42.8M Trap

Saturday, March 14, 2026

A local administration manufactured a public safety panic over a drone. The real threat, however, lies in the town ledgers—where years of deferred maintenance and a hidden $2.3 million surplus quietly laid the groundwork for a generational tax burden.

A Tale of Two Snowstorms: Transparency, Steel, and Sherman’s Missing Construction Logs

Friday, March 6, 2026

First Selectman Don Lowe uses winter weather to boast of construction progress to the press while simultaneously citing it as a legal defense to withhold public records from the state.

Taxpayers Are Not ATMs: Why a $42.8 Million Community Investment Demands Respect

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Sherman taxpayers understand the value of a good school, whether we have children enrolled or not. We are all on the same side. But when we ask to see the ledgers for a historic $42.8 million bill, the administration treats us like outsiders whose only job is to write the check.

The Cost of Denial: Bankruptcy, Blue Tarps, and a $42.8M Crisis

Tuesday, February 17, 2026

It began with officials denying obvious safety hazards. It escalated to crews frantically hanging blue tarps on a federal holiday. Now, as the $42.8 million Sherman School project demands more oversight, we uncover a troubling financial baseline: the First Selectman’s personal bankruptcy filing just weeks before his first election.

Intimidation at the Driveway: Weaponizing 911 in Sherman

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

It started with a drone photographing an exposed $42.8 million roof. It ended with a State Trooper parked in a private driveway. Sherman News reveals how town officials huddled at Town Hall to dispatch law enforcement and file baseless FAA complaints in a desperate attempt to silence transparency.

The Sherman Paradox: A $50M Crisis and a 55% Raise

Monday, February 9, 2026

A $50 million town asset left exposed to freezing winds. A residential neighborhood flooded with industrial light. And a First Selectman whose salary climbed 55% while the construction budget spiraled. We investigate the "White Lantern" anomaly and the fight for accountability on Sawmill Road.

Town Members Claim BOS Malfeasance

Friday, August 1, 2025

Sherman officials approved $4.3 million in school renovation spending at a hastily warned meeting, despite an $8 million budget gap and no voter approval. Critics call the move reckless, citing a lack of transparency, safety concerns, and legal violations. With the project already over budget and behind schedule, residents fear the town is beyond the point of no return—raising serious questions about oversight and public trust.

A 60% Raise: How the First Selectman’s Salary Outpaced Inflation

Thursday, April 3, 2025

Since taking office in November 2017, First Selectman Don Lowe’s salary has quietly climbed from $52,000 to $83,000. We break down the math behind this staggering 60% pay increase—a massive hike that completely detaches from the rate of inflation and leaves taxpayers footing the bill.

Sherman has a Dock Rumors Problem

Friday, March 28, 2025

Sherman is planning a modest expansion of its Town Beach dock slips—from 53 to around 65—but misinformation has clouded public understanding. Rumors claiming the town is building 107 slips have spread within the Holiday Point community, sparking concerns about lake congestion and road safety. The situation highlights how fast rumors can spread—and how important facts and transparency are to Sherman’s decision-making process.