Pemberton Township Mayor Matthew Bianchini got up from the administration desk and charged at resident Michael Sawka during Wednesday night's council meeting, shouting threats as others pulled him away and removed him from the room. The confrontation unfolded in front of the full council chamber during a public hearing for a recently fired township official, turning what began as a personnel dispute into a scene of physical chaos caught on video.
According to the Pine Barrens Tribune, Bianchini rushed toward Sawka, a frequent and vocal critic seated in the audience, before several people stepped in to hold him back. Ken Gerber, the township's former police chief and administrator, was reportedly the first to grab the mayor, with Councilman Perry Doyle Jr. also helping restrain him. As he was being escorted out of the chamber, Bianchini pointed at Sawka and shouted, “I am getting you — I am fuc*** getting you!” the outlet reported.
Video of the incident, recorded by Ryan Elmore, shows the mayor running toward Sawka during the meeting, per reporting from 6abc Philadelphia. The outbreak occurred in the middle of a public employment hearing for Gerber, who had been fired roughly two weeks earlier as the township's Community Development director and had chosen to air his case publicly during Wednesday's session, according to the Pine Barrens Tribune.
What Set Off the Confrontation
Bianchini told 6abc that he “just basically snapped,” saying the incident had been building for a long time. He said Sawka had harassed him and his family both online and in person since Bianchini's appointment to the mayoral seat earlier this year, and claimed Sawka had targeted township leaders for years, including previous mayors, and had posted repeated negative claims about him. Bianchini and his family members said Sawka and another resident made rude comments toward his wife and daughter and that they told the two residents to stop, the outlet reported.
A township YouTube video reportedly shows Sawka turning and waving his hands toward a woman in the back of the room, then appearing to give the middle finger after Bianchini got up and shouted, as the mayor charged, according to the Pine Barrens Tribune. The Philadelphia Inquirer similarly reported that one attendee could be seen raising a middle finger toward the mayor before Bianchini approached him. Sawka, for his part, said he remained seated and calm throughout the incident, denied making comments toward the mayor's family, and said he had waved without speaking. He rejected Bianchini's characterization of harassment but claimed that friction between the two had gone both ways.
Bianchini acknowledged to 6abc that his threat was wrong and made in the heat of the moment, but said he would not harm anyone and felt justified reacting to what he saw as an attack on his family. “A good husband and father would have acted as he did,” he said, according to the outlet. He added that he has the township's best interests at heart, that his goal is to improve the community, and that he would help Sawka if he ever needed something.
Sawka Says He Was Trying to Expose Wasteful Spending
Sawka told 6abc his actions at council meetings have aimed to highlight what he considers questionable government spending and to show that township money was being wasted. He also said Bianchini's stepdaughter, stepson and daughter had attacked him online with personal comments. Sawka wants Bianchini to resign and face charges, telling the station he wants the mayor out of office as soon as possible and never involved in politics again.
Per 6abc, Sawka filed a municipal court complaint seeking assault and terroristic-threats charges against Bianchini. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that police had not stated whether they would pursue charges.
A Pattern of Blowups at Township Meetings
Wednesday's eruption was not an isolated event. The Pine Barrens Tribune reported that a meeting several meetings earlier included a separate exchange between Board of Education member Robert “Pete” King and resident Joe Anderson over school funding, and that officers came to the chambers. The Tribune also reported that Bianchini made an obscene gesture toward Sawka at a meeting several meetings earlier.
Bianchini was originally appointed to fill the unexpired term of former Mayor Jack Tompkins after Tompkins resigned, and the outlet reported that Bianchini and Republican Councilman Dan Dewey have been feuding since the start of the year over the mayoral succession, with Dewey mounting a write-in campaign for mayor while also seeking reelection to the council. Bianchini is now seeking a full four-year term in November's election; if he does not retain the seat, he would complete his predecessor's term through the end of the year.
