Locals react to Cahill indictment

LYNN – Attorney General Martha Coakley announced on Monday that former Treasurer Timothy Cahill has been indicted in connection with his use of state Lottery resources to support his campaign for governor in 2010.The news of the indictment shocked many North Shore residents.?I?m surprised,” Steven O?Malley said while waiting for the Boston commuter rail in Lynn. “I have never really heard anything bad about him before.”The former treasurer will be charged with conspiracy, public corruption and procurement fraud charges. In 2010, Coakley?s office said they would investigate if Cahill?s campaign illegally arranged with the Treasury to run an advertising campaign to boost Cahill?s image that cost $1.2 million.O?Malley said he had not made up his mind on whether or not he thought Cahill was guilty.?I?m going to have to learn more about it before I make up my mind,” he said. “I will be following this.”In the ads, Cahill?s management style of the lottery were praised. Speculation about Cahill?s treasury staff and his campaign arose when he filed a lawsuit against former campaign advisors who defected to candidate for governor Charles Baker?s campaign. Cahill?s former campaign manager, Adam Meldrum, said that Cahill was trying to silence him from exposing the truth in documents filed in Norfolk Superior Court.Chandra White said she wasn?t surprised about the recent news.?These things happen all the time,” she said while taking a walk along the beach in Swampscott. “This is why no one trusts politicians anymore.”O?Malley agreed with White.?There is definitively a sense of distrust when it comes to politicians nowadays,” he said. “I feel like no one trusts anyone in government.”While many hadn?t quite made a firm opinion on if they thought Cahill was guilty or not, most agreed that if he was he should be charged to the fullest extent of the law.?If he did it then he should be punished for it,” North Shore resident Paul Shorts said. “I couldn?t get away with that if I did anything like that.”White agreed.?I hope he doesn?t get a slap on the wrist if he did do it. This is taxpayers? money we are talking about,” she said.Cahill?s wife, Tina Cahill, has already begun publicly defending her husband.?A good man is being persecuted for challenging the (status) quo. Its not enough to be defeated you need to be destroyed politicly & personally,” she said on Twitter.O?Malley said people need to wait and learn the facts before they jump to conclusions.?There are two sides to every story. We will just have to wait and see what comes from all of this,” he said.Sara Brown can be reached at [email protected].