A Second Trick or Treat This Year In Villa Hills

Today is Halloween. The Martin Chronicles kindly asks all commuters to return home with caution tonight. There will be children running everywhere collecting candy. Filled with Trick or Treat excitement, many of the little ones won't be paying attention to cars when they cross the street-so you have to.

Next Tuesday, November 8 will be the second round of Trick or Treat in Villa Hills. Two excited little fellows will be coming to your door. They won't be hoping for candy. They will be hoping you fall for their baloney yet again and vote to give them more of your hard-earned money.

The two excited little fellows won't be Beavis and Butthead. Although the resemblance is strong. Your visitors will be Mayor Mike Martin and Councilman Mike Pope. Their quest for a treat is a trick on you.

Martin and Pope both promised to eliminate the dreaded $40 per car "sticker tax". We now know the only way they will keep their promise is for the majority of voters to pass a FORTY PER CENT PROPERTY TAX INCREASE on themselves and everyone else. If the voters fall for yet another Martin and Pope con job, it will be the trick of the year.

All but about 200 of the more than 2,500 households in Villa Hills will see their local tax burden increase if the tax initiative is approved. In many cases, the tax increase will be significant. In actual dollars, the total tax increase on the residents will be $315,000. THAT IS AN INCREASE IN CITY REVENUES OF MORE THAN TEN PER CENT.

What kind of job has Martin done with the taxpayers' money so far?

Martin has doubled the number of clerks and spent thousand of dollars to increase the size of the city parking lot. Martin has hired at least two separate computer companies and a consultant simply to help with the city website. Attorney fees are skyrocketing. Martin has squandered your money having the city's civil service commission search for yet another clerk, and he hasn't interviewed a single candidate they have sent him. You are paying a personal friend of Martin $47.50 an hour to mind the city's finances. The result? No credible financial reports have been presented to council for their review in ten months.

Do you really want to give Martin $315,000 more? He fooled you once. You know how the saying goes if you fall for it again.

Just How Far Do "Broad Powers" Extend?

The Martin Chronicles is really looking forward to Mayor Mike Martin's explanation of why he removed computer hardware from the city building after-hours in the midst of a special investigation into his activities. One thing we already know-it will be a doozie. We hope he doesn't let us down by simply saying, "I'm the CEO, it's my decision, we're moving on, get over it." But he might. More on that in a paragraph or two.

We also wonder if Councilman Mike Pope will continue to insist that all of the problems Martin is having-or better written, CREATING-are the fault of the previous administration. Sources tell us that Pope's recent e-mail alleging criminal behavior by the previous administration may have bought him a ticket on "Lawsuit Express". The only defense for libel, defamation and slander is THE TRUTH. It might be fun to hear Pope's version of "the truth" as he is deposed under oath. That testimony may well end up as a case study in the DSM-IV Psychiatric Manual.

Now, why Martin's explanation for removing city property may let us down. The Martin Chronicles is becoming more convinced by the minute that the Villa Hills' city attorney is culpable for Martin's "Third World Dictator" management style.

Several city council members are livid about the city attorney's shoulder-shrugging when asked for his opinion of Martin removing possible evidence from the city building in the middle of an investigation. The city attorney simply said the mayor has "broad powers". That is a defense? "Broad powers"? That is the best the city attorney can come up with? Disgraceful.

The Martin Chronicles wants the sane members of the Villa Hills city council to know that we will be cheering you on at the top of our lungs if you make a full-court press to remove the current, shameful city attorney and look for one who will represent the entire city-not just cover for the questionable behavior of Mike Martin.

Are "The Dots" Starting To Connect?

The Martin Chronicles is working on another unfolding story in the bouquet of unfolding stories in Mayor Mike Martin's Villa Hills. As we have been doing since our launch, we will report to you what we know to date.

Multiple highly credible sources confirm that Martin was observed removing computer hardware from the city building and placing it in his personal vehicle several days ago. The fact that the hardware was removed outside of normal city business hours makes the move more problematic. We cannot confirm the current whereabouts of the city property Martin removed. We can report that several people are concerned about the timing of the removal.

Why? Because one of the issues being reviewed by special counsel Phil Taliaferro is the pervasive inability of the Martin administration to provide records to the city's code enforcement board, city council and other requestors. Why would the mayor be removing computers from the city building in the middle of the investigation? It harkens back to the Mayor Steve Clark days in 2000 when a close Clark ally was discovered removing files from the city building at 2AM - the same night that city council voted to investigate Clark's activities.

The Martin Chronicles has secured several e-mails that thicken the plot. For now, let's take a look at just two topics contained in those e-mails.

• Several council members express concern about the removal of the computer hardware. The issue of removing the hardware without council voting to designate the hardware as surplus city property is raised. In fairness, we are unable to confirm if the hardware has been returned (even if it has been returned, the open question remains the reason for its removal).
• Councilman Mike Pope fights back hard. As has been his pattern, Pope alleges that the previous administration deleted computer files and disposed of city records. Pope also suggests that city property is missing. Pope asks the city attorney to investigate his allegations and asks the city attorney to explore possible criminality.

The timing of Pope's allegations-coming on the heels of Martin's removal of computer hardware from the city building-is quite interesting.

Let's assume we learn that files have been removed from city computers. Now that computer hardware has been taken off-site, how can anyone determine with any certainty when the files were removed? Law enforcement personnel and attorneys describe that as a "chain of custody" problem.

Let's assume we learn that city records have been removed. Given the fact that city contract employees have been regularly seen entering the city building after-hours, how can anyone determine with any certainty when the records were removed?

Lastly, Let's assume we learn that city property is missing. It is now ten full months into the Martin administration. As far as we can determine, the only one seen removing city property from the city building is Martin himself. How can anyone determine with any certainty when the rest of the city property Pope alleges is missing-whatever it is-was removed?

There are a couple of theories being discussed involving the following questions.

• What will suddenly be discovered-or go missing-on the city computers that were removed from the city building?
• Are Mayor Martin and Councilman Pope creating a "smokescreen" to hinder special counsel's investigation? Some are wondering if Pope and Martin intentionally broke chain of custody to provide some level of reasonable doubt about when information and items "walked off".

The Martin Chronicles wants to make it very clear that much is yet to be determined. We hope special counsel Phil Taliaferro is successful in making those determinations.

Mayor's "Emergency Powers" Short-Circuited

The Martin Chronicles is still collecting information on this fast-breaking story. We will report what we currently know because of the impact it will have on the people of Villa Hills.

Several sources tell us that Mayor Mike Martin DOES NOT have the ability to use his "emergency powers" to hire a replacement for the seventh police officer after all. While we are still digging, it appears the city attorney may have dropped the ball when drafting the ordinance in late 2010.

The good news? Martin must now allow the Civil Service Commission to do the job for which it was created last December. The commission will recruit, test and send qualified police officer candidates to Martin. This "happy accident" should lead to a far more qualified seventh officer eventually patrolling the city's streets.

The bad news? There will now be an even greater delay in replacing the seventh officer on an already depleted force. The additional delay is a direct result of the September 29th Martin e-mail to the the civil service board chairman telling him to focus the board's efforts solely on finding (yet another) city clerk. This despite the fact that Martin was aware the seventh officer was leaving well before sending his September 29th e-mail. Already short-handed, the police department will most likely see an increase in the already-skyrocketing overtime expenses. There is also the very real concern that remaining members of the dwindling police department will simply wear out.

If the city attorney inadvertently overlooked an element of the civil service ordinance while hurriedly drafting it last year-everyone makes mistakes. Grandpa always said, "Haste makes waste" after all. This mistake may even contain an unintended silver lining.

Martin's actions may not be so forgivable. It seems the "CEO" may have attempted to do an end-run around the civil service commission-and it blew up in his face. We wouldn't care at all if the failure of his scheme only impacted him. But his failure also impacts the people of Villa Hills.

Grandpa had another expression he would roll out on rare occasions. The Martin Chronicles believes this proud World War Two combat veteran would have used that expression to describe the current state of Villa Hills' city government under the leadership of Mike Martin. In fact, we can hear him saying at is we write.

"Well, my boy, I hate to see it. But that guy Martin has things at city hall completely FUBAR."

The Work of the Special Counsel

As The Martin Chronicles previously reported, city council recently hired attorney Phil Taliaferro to examine several troubling questions raised about Mayor Mike Martin. One of the areas being explored is the concern about Martin's business practices. Martin operates Quality Home Services, a.k.a. Mike Martin Electric.

Several Northern Kentucky residents have indicated that Mr. Martin performed electrical work in their home. Here's the sticking point. Kentucky law (KRS 339.230) requires any person performing electrical work for another to have an electrician's license. In fairness to Villa Hills' "CEO", there are a limited number of exemptions and exceptions. Mr. Taliaferro will have to determine if the work Martin is said to have performed falls under the exemptions or exceptions. In fact, Martin could short circuit this whole line of the investigation by simply producing his electrical license.

Some may be thinking, "What's the big deal?" Well, if a person performs unlicensed electrical work in Kentucky they are committing a misdemeanor that carries with it a $500 to $5,000 fine and/or a 10 to 180 day jail sentence. Again, it has yet to be determined if Martin's work falls under any of the state exemptions or exceptions. Besides, Martin may produce an electrical license. Special counsel Phil Taliaferro is exploring that as The Martin Chronicles writes.

In the yet-to-be confirmed event that Martin has been performing unlicensed electrical work, some still may be thinking, "What's the big deal?"

KRS 83A.040 allows for the removal of an elected official for three reasons. The reasons are misconduct, inability to perform duties or willful neglect. If it is determined that Martin has been performing unlicensed electrical work, particularly if he has continued to do so while serving as mayor, city council may have grounds for removal because of misconduct.

Martin does have an additional "layer of protection". City council would need a unanimous vote to remove Martin from office. After observing them in action for some time, The Martin Chronicles thinks council may be hard pressed to get the support of councilmen Mike Pope and Jim Noll to vote to remove Martin from office-no matter the amount of evidence that may be presented. Pope in particular has been an ardent apologist for the many foul-ups, bleeps and blunders of the last ten  months.

Let's carry the hypothetical scenario a little further. Suppose Martin survives because Pope and Noll disregard a damning special counsels' report and refuse to remove the mayor from office. The Martin Chronicles fully expects Martin to assume his patented role as "the victim" and claim that he has been "the target of a vicious political witch hunt".

If this hypothetical becomes reality, it will fall on the shoulders of Villa Hills' voters to sort it all out in the 2012 council election and when Martin stands for re-election in 2014.

As Hall-of-Fame sportscaster Dick Enberg used to say, "Oh my!"

Next Time Carry A 5 Gallon Can

The Martin Chronicles shouldn't pick on other media outlets, no matter how inaccurate or passive they are. We shouldn't. But sometimes we do.

We will also cut the Community Recorder a little slack on its coverage of the last Villa Hills' council meeting. They have a new reporter who we are sure covers several beats and has a lot of stories to wrap her hands around. We are sure that the new reporter doesn't know the history of Mike Pope's complete failure to generate accurate financial reports these last ten months. We are sure the new reporter doesn't yet understand the significance of NO SEPTEMBER FINANCIAL REPORT AT ALL. It will take some time.

But we have to have a little fun with this one. The new reporter did deem it necessary to report Mike Pope's odd warning to the women of Villa Hills. You see, Mr. Pope has been told that "strange men" are approaching women, asking them for money for gasoline. He urged women to use extreme caution when being approached by these "strange men seeking gas money". Hey, you never know.

As we chuckle about this, just a few general observations.

• We wonder, did Mr. Pope ever discuss his concerns about this epidemic of "strange men seeking gas money" with the police chief?
• We urge the new reporter to just hang in there. It will start making sense that, well, none of it makes sense, soon enough!
• Finally, and we know our most loyal readers knew this had to be coming, we have a suggestion for Mr. Pope. Mr. Pope, if you want to appear more believable when approaching women to ask them for gas money-carry an empty 5 gallon can with you!!!!

Update on Sexual Harassment Story

The Martin Chronicles has been asking a lot of questions. We have also been carefully listening. Several sources have shed more light on the alleged sexual harassment at city hall. We'll share some of what we have learned so far.

• According to multiple sources, Mayor Martin was made aware of the sexual harassment concerns during the early summer. Not surprisingly, we have found no evidence that Martin did anything to address the concerns at the time.
• Several city employees witnessed what they deemed repeated inappropriate behavior by a council member toward a city employee. It is unclear whether any of those employees reported the inappropriate behavior to Martin.
• The mayor, city attorney, city council and others were made aware of a questionable e-mail the city employee received from the council member a few weeks ago. We are told that the city attorney launched an investigation into the e-mail. He reported back that the councilman's five year old daughter was playing something called "The Wedding Game" with her father's IPhone and the little girl also inadvertently sent an email inviting the employee to play along in the game. [Editor's Note: Anything is possible. Far fewer things are probable.]
• After the e-mail incident, the ball-bearings-in-her-head interim city clerk reportedly told co-workers that the allegedly harassed employee was "bi-polar" and "playing a game". Oddly enough, others report that the uber-dense interim city clerk often spoke of observing the councilman's inappropriate behavior towards the city employee. Fence-straddling, anyone?

So why should you care about this?

The Martin Chronicles doesn't care one wit about the salacious nature of this story. Frankly, given the rapidly deteriorating conditions at city hall, we'd be surprised if something like this wasn't taking place. But we are concerned that, once again, the mayor's lack of professionalism and failure to lead has placed the taxpayers in legal and financial jeopardy.

Finally, the city attorney reminds us of the fellow who pushed a broom behind the elephants in the circus parade. When asked why he didn't quit the dreadful job, the broom-pusher replied, "What?!?! And give up show business?!?!?"

How might the city attorney reply when asked why he doesn't quit following Mayor Martin's parade with his legal broom? "What?!?! And pass up all that EASY MONEY?!?!?"

The Disinformation Age

The Internet is making it harder and harder for fabrications to fly. That is a good thing.

The Martin Chronicles previously reported that the interim city clerk recently sent a letter to open records requestors advising them that none of the records they sought exist. One of the records requested was copies of tickets that had been voided by the mayor or police chief.

We used that darn Internet to watch the September Villa Hills' council meeting available at tbnk.org. During that meeting there was an exchange between Mayor Martin and questioning council members. The mayor acknowledged voiding tickets during that exchange. He even provided a tortuous example of voiding a ticket incorrectly given to visitors from Florida for not displaying the notorious "city sticker".

So where are the copies of the voided tickets?

Are we to conclude that the head-full-of-lead interim city clerk-who is by statute designated "the keeper of the records"-is so disorganized she simply can't locate the voided tickets?

Or has Mayor Martin decided that no matter how many times people request records, he will refuse to provide them?

The city attorney has billed the taxpayers for his time reviewing the open records issues. What did he really find?

Martin will be hard-pressed to blame the previous administration for his administration's persistent inability to find records that have been generated under his watch. But he will anyway.

No answer to these questions will be a good one. We are either dealing with gross incompetence or a wilful disregard for Kentucky Open Records statutes. Or, more likely, a toxic combination of both.

One long-time local resident jokes that maybe all the vanishing information people continue to request was kept in the safe Martin had crushed with the city back hoe. If only the answer was that simple.

Why Not Use The Code Enforcement Board?

Many people in Villa Hills are very upset that Mike Martin walked away from his campaign commitment to repeal the $40 per car license fee. That now-broken promise was the main reason Martin got their vote in the last election. The only way the fee will go away now is if these same voters approve Martin's proposed FORTY PERCENT PROPERTY TAX INCREASE.

That property tax hike will cost you more than the dreaded "sticker tax", unless you are one of a fairly small percentage of residents paying the license fee for more than three cars. The Martin Chronicles did a little homework. Less than 175 of Villa Hills' roughly 2,500 households would see a tax reduction resulting from Martin's proposed property tax hike. The rest will see their local tax burden rise. Many will see a SIGNIFICANT TAX INCREASE.

As always, there is more. Those who have been dodging the license fee now face legal action. Martin has empowered the city attorney to pursue the "free-roaders" in court, including pinning them with additional fines and court costs. While The Martin Chronicles believes everyone should pay the license fee as long as it is in place, we question the way Martin is doing it.

The city has had a Code Enforcement Board for several years. This board could send letters to residents not in compliance. This board has the power to fine people who evade the fee. This board could provide a forum for residents who want to challenge the fee and fines. Put simply, the board could handle the entire enforcement and collection process. THEY COULD DO SO AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO THE TAXPAYERS.

Why is Martin once again generating unnecessary billable hours for the city attorney? Legal fees have risen sharply enough already. Why not use the volunteer board that was created to deal with such matters?

City Website Here We Come. Right Back Where We Started From!

For ten agonizing months we heard Villa Hills Mayor Mike Martin whine about all the problems he "inherited" related to the city website. He described the way it was managed as "sloppy". He squandered taxpayer dollars bringing in at least two computer companies to address that issue.

October's council meeting revealed the darndest thing. After ten months of moaning, Martin announced that the clerk and police officer who were uploading information to the website before his ascendancy to "CEO" will resume doing so. The second darndest thing? The fabulist mayor made that announcement with a straight face.

The Martin Chronicles does have three questions for the city's misleader-in-chief.

1. Why not have your interim city clerk handle the website duties? The taxpayers are shelling out a fortune to employ her. At least we are told she still works there. Many residents say they haven't seen her for months. A couple even suggested putting her face on a milk carton. Is she such a blockhead that she can't be trained to do even a little work?

2. If the interim city clerk is completely untrainable, how about your $47.50 clerk/bookkeeper Cordelia Schaber? No. Never mind. Now we can't keep a straight face.

3. Are you seriously considering spreading out your already-depleted police department even more by giving this officer website responsibilities? The Martin Chronicles has already reported the explosion in overtime for the PD's skeleton crew. Now this?

Keep the faith, readers. It's only going to get worse. You just have to laugh.

Is "Martin Fatigue" Setting In?

Louisville's own Muhammad Ali was one of boxing's all-time greats. Remember his famous tag line? He floats like a butterfly . . . and stings like a bee. Sure, Ali could throw a devastating punch. But the "floating like a butterfly" part of his approach to boxing was often a key to his success. The man once known as Cassius Clay would allow his opponents to wear themselves out, flailing away at an ever-moving Ali.

Is Norwood's own Villa Hills' Mayor Mike Martin employing a similar strategy? Watching council meetings and reading e-mail streams could lead you to that conclusion.

Martin dodges, dips, ducks, dives, and with apologies to the movie Dodgeball, dodges fair question after fair question after fair question from council members, committee chairmen and the public at large.

Assisted by willing accomplices like his city attorney and an interim city clerk whose head could serve as the cornerstone of a 100-story skyscraper, Martin refuses to give straight answers to any questions, provide council with accurate financial data, honor contracts or fill any legitimate open records requests. Martin will blame employees, the previous administration or the fickle winds of fate for these failures. He will always assure questioners that he is doing everything he can.

In the end, Martin will land on his pat answer, "I'm the CEO" as his rationale for doing whatever he wants and take comfort that his version of "god" will cover for him. It also helps that the city attorney is more than happy to provide the mayor cover as well. Why not? The worse things get, the more money the city attorney earns in billable hours.

Several sources tell The Martin Chronicles that council is growing weary of Martin's non-stop "rope-a-dope". We are told that one council member said, "What's the point? It won't do any good." when asked why no one made more of an issue out of the fact that Martin and finance chairman Mike Pope provided no financial reporting at the last council meeting. This is not a comforting sign.

In just ten short months Martin's actions have triggered a major lawsuit and the hiring of special counsel Phil Taliaferro. Now there are stories of alleged sexual harassment making their way around town. Martin has been handed three million taxpayer dollars to spend without the restrictions a current budget would provide. Why? Because Martin never got a current fiscal year budget approved by the council. If Mike Pope's odd inability to generate accurate-or any-financial reporting out of his committee continues there will be no way for council to conduct their oversight responsibilities.

But council must bear down. Council members must insist that the "CEO" follow through on his responsibilities. The taxpayers deserve that much.

The Martin Chronicles is also convinced that special counsel Phil Taliaferro will not fall for the "CEO's" "rope-a-dope" routine.

It's Only (Your) Money

It's so much fun watching a Villa Hills council meeting. Mayor (or is it CEO?) Mike Martin is one of the most unintentionally entertaining people The Martin Chronicles has ever observed.

One council member asked Martin if his two new clerks are bonded. That seems like a serious enough question. One is the $47.50 per hour clerk/bookkeeper and the other is the $15 per hour "temporary" clerk who has supposedly been hired to help during the rush time when residents come to the city building to pay their property taxes.

Martin responded in typical fashion, "I've talked to people-we guess another billable hour for the city attorney- I was told they don't have to be bonded because they don't handle money". Is that a fact?

So Martin's $47.50 per hour clerk/bookkeeper never handles money? And the $15 per hour "temporary" clerk helping out with tax payments never handles money? If Martin says so, then it must be true.

So isn't the person hired to help out with the tax payments really helping out with tax payments? We guess not since Martin said so. And when those tax payments that are being handled by someone other than the person hired to handle the tax payments are received, doesn't the bookkeeper do anything with them? Again, we guess not. Why? Because Martin says so. So it must be true.

But that does beg another question. If the person Martin hired to take tax payments isn't taking tax payments and the clerk/bookkeeper isn't doing anything with those tax payments, well, uh why in the wide, wide world of sports are the taxpayers paying these two Martin-hires a combined $62.50 per hour?

The Martin Chronicles is sure that Martin will talk to people to get an answer to that question too. We are equally sure that his answer will be as true as his other answers.

Isn't this fun?

A Public Service Announcement

READ ALL THE BLOG POSTS AND SHARE THE LINK WITH FRIENDS!

The Martin Chronicles is quickly becoming THE news source for the ridiculous goings-on at the Villa Hills city building. Our rise to the top has been driven in part by the abject failure of news sources like the Kentucky Enquirer and cincinnati.com to cover the mess that is being created in that city government by Mayor Mike Martin, the city attorney, Councilman Mike Pope, Clerk/Bookkeeper Cordelia Schaber and a host of other bad actors.

We are proud of THE FACT that we have several investigators hot on the trail and have developed numerous highly reliable sources for information and fact-checking.

If you are new to The Martin Chronicles, we strongly suggest that you read ALL of the blog posts to get up to date on the mess in Villa Hills, Kentucky. If you are a resident of that once fine city, you had better wake up!

READ ALL THE BLOG POSTS AND SHARE THE LINK WITH FRIENDS!

It Gets Even Worse

Prompted by a vague report from another news source, The Martin Chronicles has been digging into another in a long list of problems created by Mike Martin and his lack of coherent leadership. This is as serious as the many others we have reported to you. Martin may have yet again placed the taxpayers in financial jeopardy by his profound unprofessionalism.

Here are the questions we are digging in to:

• Has a councilman been sexually harassing a city employee?
• Was Mayor Martin made aware of the ongoing problem and foolishly dismissed it?
• Did a city employee receive a questionable e-mail from the councilman in question?
• Did the councilman in question try to blame the questionable e-mail on his five year old daughter?
• Has the city attorney engaged in a troubling cover-up, blaming everyone but the councilman in question-including "Chinese hackers"-for the ongoing problem?
• What is the city council doing to address the issue?
• Did the interim city clerk make "actionable" remarks about the employee who is allegedly the target of the harassment?
• Has the inexcusable behavior of the councilman in question AND Mayor Martin set the stage for yet another unnecessary lawsuit against the taxpayers?

Eight Ball or Scew Ball?

Councilman Mike Pope is fond of saying that Mayor Mike Martin took office "behind the eight ball". If Pope was referring to the lawsuit the Martin guaranteed himself and the taxpayers by the LIBELOUS, SLANDEROUS, DEFAMATORY and DISHONEST campaign he ran last year, The Martin Chronicles would actually find itself in the very uncomfortable position of agreeing with Pope. Fortunately, that is NOT the case.

Listening to Martin and Pope try to attribute the woes they have accumulated for themselves over the past ten months to the previous administration is as painful a watching Barack Obama campaigning in swing states, acting as if he hasn't been president for the last three years.

Funniest thing about Mike Pope. For a guy who hates the dreaded $40 sticker tax so much, a review of his previous two years on council shows that he NEVER ONCE PROPOSED repealing the tax. Not a single time.

But wait, there's more. How can Pope say with a straight face that previous budgets were over-spent WHEN HE QUIT THE FINANCE COMMITTEE VERY EARLY ON IN HIS FIRST TERM? Could it be that he really just didn't care that much? Or, is he being dishonest? The correct answer is probably BOTH.

Now Pope is chairman of the city's finance committee. Martin is responsible for the city budget. Pope has been unable to present his fellow council members with accurate financial reports describing Martin's spending now for ten embarrassing months. It has gotten so bad that NO FINANCIAL REPORTS at all were presented to council at the October meeting. Pope was so afraid of the data he presented in council prior to the October debacle that he was unwilling to recommend that his colleagues vote to approve his report and bills for payment.

Is Pope just that incompetent? Is it $47.50 per hour clerk/bookkeeper Cordelia Schaber's fault? Is Martin just that devoid of leadership ability and professionalism that no one can track his actions? The Martin Chronicles suspects it is a combination of those three factors as well as some other troubling things.

Martin and Pope clearly have created and have sole ownership of the mess of the past ten months. When will they have to answer for it?

Where Is The City Attorney In All Of This?

The Martin Chronicles first fully acknowledges that the job of any city attorney is to protect the interests of the city. We also understand that city attorneys can be in a difficult spot because they "serve at the pleasure of the mayor". The question about the Villa Hills' city attorney is just what kind of service is he providing?

Mayor Mike Martin announced that he was going to exercise his "emergency powers" to hire a new police officer for his already-depleted police department. As we previously reported, Martin has known for some time that the officer was leaving. We also reported, despite knowing that, Martin told the chairman of the city's duly enacted Civil Service Commission to focus their search efforts only on finding candidates for the open city clerk position.

We think it is fair to say that Martin is, well, not all that bright. We believe his knowledge of "emergency power" is limited to what he uses on a temporary basis when installing a new 220 hookup at the house of a civic club pal.

So from where did this "emergency powers" scheme to do a highly questionable end-run around the civil service commission come?

Several sources are convinced that this scheme is the brainchild of the city attorney.

I'm The CEO

What's that old saying? "The true test of a man's character is to give him power". Mayor Mike Martin's grade on that account isn't too good. We'll grade easy and give him a solid F.

Martin has taken a real liking to beating his chest at council meetings and reminding anyone who will listen that he is the CEO. Does Martin even understand what that means?

A CEO answers to a Board of Directors. In this case, the Board of Directors is the council. One of the most important jobs council has is oversight. It's very difficult to do that oversight properly when the CEO/mayor refuses to provide them with accurate-or in the case of the last council meeting-any financial information.

A CEO also answers to the shareholders. In Martin's case that is the residents. With the exception of his cronies, Martin doesn't seem all that concerned with his shareholders either.

Martin may also want to remember that the CEO takes the fall when the operation struggles. And its quite clear that city operations are struggling mightily. The Martin Chronicles believes that Martin will throw a city attorney, clerks, police and anyone else he can manage to get overboard long before he agrees to walk the plank.

Martin describes himself as the CEO. But he behaves like a dictator. He would serve himself well looking at the history of what happens to all of them eventually.

I Want What He Is Having

Sometimes reality is harsh. That's why there are days when it would almost be nice to be Mike Pope. Almost. Reality is not an issue for Mr. Pope.

The Martin Chronicles has obtained an e-mail that Pope sent to the city's Civil Service Commission chairman at 9:32am on October 19th. Pope tells the chairman that Mayor Martin has to use "the money for the eighth police officer and road funds" to pay for the activities of the commission. The chairman knows that is completely false. Here's a scary question. Does Pope really believe what he wrote? Because if he does he is crazier than we think. And we told you we already think he is DEAD-NUTS CRAZY.

The truth is that Pope and his ally Mayor Martin have displayed total disregard for the Civil Service ordinance. Martin's trumped up plan to use his "emergency powers" to hire a police officer just to keep the short-handed PD at seven members is the most recent example of that.

The Civil Service Commission has nothing to do with the failure to properly staff the police department. That was Martin's decision. Remember Mr. Pope? Despite deep concern expressed by the police chief, Martin simply said "Its my decision. Get over it. We're movng on."

And road work? Its not the Civil Service Commission's problem that Martin is devoid of leadership and planning skills. Perhaps your finance committee should have expressed some concern when Martin decided to use road money to construct a new concrete parking lot at the city building? Or maybe you should have suggested that Martin not hire two of his cronies and pay them a combined hourly rate of $62.50 and add the eighth officer instead?

But of course you did not.

Oh, that closing comment in your e-mail to the commission chairman. How did you put it? Oh yeah, "Hope that clears up the idea there's no budget this year". You are too clever by half, Mr. Pope. There is no NEW budget this year. Why? Because the mayor and finance committee FAILED to produce one that made any sense.

Now what do we have? We have a mayor that has THREE MILLION TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO DO WITH WHATEVER HE PLEASES. And, thanks to your ineptitude as finance committee chairman, council doesn't even get the opportunity to review and approve monthly financials.

Now you don't think the council has the right to oversee how the mayor is spending the money?

NO Finance Report All All?!?!

This couldn't be happening to two nicer guys.

Mayor Mike Martin and his close ally councilman Mike Pope have made a career out of moving themselves ahead by slinging mud and hurling harsh criticism at others. Give those boys credit. It got them where they wanted to go. What's the old saying though? "Be careful what you ask for"? Now those two are running Villa Hills. Running it right into the ground that is.

As we have been reporting, Martin, Pope and their $47.50 per hour clerk/bookkeeper/crony Cordelia Schaber have made a jumbled mess of the city financial records. We have told you that the financial records are in such disarray that council has been unable to make any sense at all out of them. It is a major reason why Mike Martin was incapable of offering a credible new budget to council for their approval for the current fiscal year.

It does appear that Martin and Pope have landed on a solution to the financial chaos they have created. No, they didn't hire that pesky guy "Mayhem" from the Allstate commercials to straighten out the city books. Instead, well, uh, umm-they simply don't produce any financial reports at all!!!! 

The shocking announcement that there are NO financial reports for the month of September went almost unnoticed at the council meeting. Unnoticed by everyone but The Martin Chronicles that is.

Do Martin and Pope simply want us to believe they made the mistake of hiring a bookkeeper who is even more addle-brained than Its A Wonderful Life's Uncle Billy? Because if that is their strategy, they better re-consult their book of excuses.

Something is very rotten in the city of Villa Hills.

Mike Martin As Elliott Ness

Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey once described Bill Clinton as "a remarkably skilled liar". While all but his family and few remaining friends would agree that Mayor Mike Martin is also a legendary liar, The Martin Chronicles thinks he isn't remarkably skilled at it.

Yes, we will explain. Martin told the audience at the October 19th council meeting that he was committed to quickly hiring a replacement for the police officer who is leaving. Martin desperately tried to portray himself as Elliott Ness-like in his support for safety. With high drama, Martin declared that he would use his "emergency powers" to hire someone for safety's sake.

Ah, ah, ah Mr. Martin. Not so fast there big fella. The Martin Chronicles has an e-mail you sent to the Chairman of the City's Civil Service Commission at 8:54PM on September29th telling him not to bother searching for police officer candidates. You wanted city clerk candidates. But nothing else.

But wait, there's more. The Chronicles also has an e-mail you received from the police chief several weeks before advising you that an officer was leaving. It appears to us that the only emergency here is one you created. And it appears you created this phony emergency on purpose. We think you may very well have trumped up this so-called emergency in order to circumvent the civil service ordinance-yet again.

The Martin Chronicles is still digging to see if the city attorney is complicit in Martin's end-run around the city ordinance. If so, that is another disgrace.

You would think that all the practice Martin has had at lying would make him a little better at it.

The Wheels of The Bus Will Go Round and Round

Filling open records requests is not optional. Kentucky State statutes are very clear on the legal requirement for government agencies to provide requested information in their possession in a timely manner. There is a growing concern that the City of Villa Hills is not following the Open Records statutes.

As previously reported, the chairman of Villa Hills' Code Enforcement Board has been requesting information he needs in order for his board to operate effectively. He has e-mailed numerous inquiries to Mayor Mike Martin, the interim city clerk and the city attorney. Council members have been copied on these e-mails and are well aware of the Code Enforcement Board's concern and frustration.

The chairman just received a letter from the interim city clerk advising him that the city does not have the information he requested. Let's set aside the PROBLEM the absence of those records would present regarding State and Federal requirements for records retention for the moment. Let's also disregard the organizational PROBLEMS betrayed by the absence of those records.

Instead, let's play a little game of "WHAT IF".

What if those records are in the possession of the City of Villa Hills? Several sources tell The Martin Chronicles that they absolutely are.

What if the interim city clerk knows the records are there? What if the city attorney knows the records are there? And, of course, what if Mayor Martin knows the records are there? What possible reason could any of them have for refusing to provide records they know they have?

What if special counsel Phil Taliaferro asks the interim city clerk about this turn of events under oath? What will she say if irrefutable evidence is provided to her that not only did the city have the requested records in their possession at the time of the request-but that she knew it and sent the letter to the code enforcement board chairman anyway?

What if the city attorney is placed in the same box? How will he justify the billable hours he charged the taxpayers of Villa Hills to supposedly attempt to track down the requested information?

What if Mayor Martin is faced with the same irrefutable evidence that it was known that the requested records were in the city's possession? Will he fall back on his tried and true, "I didn't know that then, but I know that now" excuse? And exactly how long will it take Martin to throw the interim city clerk under the spinning wheels of the bus? She was the one who signed and sent the letter after all.

"The Wheels of the Bus" is a child's song. But willful refusal to fill records requests is not a child's game. It is a very serious matter. Those serious matters certainly seem to be piling up.

Watch The October Council Meeting

The Villa Hills Council meeting will be broadcast LIVE on Insight Channel 16 Wednesday, October 19th beginning at 7PM.

Why should you watch?

• How will Mayor Mike Martin justify the taxpayers approving a $500,000 tax increase on themselves? Should voters accept a FORTY PER CENT PROPERTY TAX INCREASE to provide Martin a huge chunk of additional revenue when he has been unable to provide council with a legitimate reason to approve his FY2012 proposed city budget? A new budget should have been approved nearly THREE MONTHS AGO.
• Will Finance Chairman Mike Pope have intelligible financial reports available for council to review and approve? Pope and Martin have been heaping praise on the efforts of $47.50 per hour clerk/bookkeeper Cordelia Schaber since she was hired in February. The sad state of the the city financials tell a far different story.
• Will Martin and/or Pope provide a reasonable explanation for why the $120,000 surplus-a surplus that was "locked in" by the FACT that a 2011 budgeted police officer and city clerk have been dropped from the city payroll-has mysteriously EVAPORATED?
• Now that another police officer has given notice, will Martin lay out a credible plan to at least keep the police department at its current depleted staffing level? Or will we soon see another Martin crony cruising around town with a gun strapped to his hip? This is Martin's "commitment to safety"?
• Will any discussion of the open records and records retention problems the city is experiencing be discussed? We will have more on that growing scandal in future reports.
• Will the taxpayers hear why Martin hired yet another computer company and will he provide an explanation why the city website is still "under construction" nearly ten full months after he took office?

Besides, its just a whole lot of fun watching Martin shuck and jive his way through his answers to legitimate questions asked by council. The Martin Chronicles believes that Martin is convinced he can prattle his way out of any jam. It is unlikely he will have much success with special counsel Phil Taliaferro.

As a wise man once said, "Its not whether the man is corrupt, or simply inept. He is a full measure of both!"

Et tu Mike Pope?

Sources have confided to The Martin Chronicles that councilman Mike Pope is privately-and frequently-critical of his ally Mayor Mike Martin. We aren't surprised by the private criticism. But a recent public criticism did come as a surprise.

We have obtained a copy of an e-mail exchange from the chairman of the city's Code Enforcement Board sent to Martin, council and the city attorney. In the e-mails, the board chairman is expressing concern and frustration that he has been unable to obtain requested information his board needs to operate effectively.

Pope injected himself into the e-mail stream and also expressed dissatisfaction with Martin's inability-or unwillingness-to establish an effective process for filling open records requests. Pope went so far as to suggest that the chairman take his grievance to the Kentucky Attorney General's office. Pope even included a link to the AG's site.

The Martin Chronicles wonders if Pope sees the handwriting on the wall and is trying to distance himself from the many messes Martin has created. He may be aware-as we are-that special counsel Phil Taliaferro is taking a very close look at Martin's open records problems.

Will the REAL MIke Pope Please Stand Up?

For years Mike Pope has been bitterly complaining that the residents should have a vote on how street repair and replacement should be funded. He has railed incessantly against what he thought was the inherent unfairness of the $40 "sticker tax" passed by a six-member city council. His alternate-reality website harshly criticized the previous mayor and council members for enacting the "sticker tax" time and time again.

Pope was so convinced that a voter-approved property tax increase to fund street repair was the only "fair" way to go that he even proposed offering the voters the chance to transfer what they are paying in insurance premium tax to increased property tax. The transfer-driven increase would be earmarked for street repair.

That was then. This is now.

The voters will have the opportunity to vote themselves a FORTY PERCENT property tax increase on November 8th. The $500,000 in additional tax revenue would go to street repair. The Martin Chronicles strongly opposes the ballot initiative for many reasons. But all of Pope's prior comments and actions led us to believe that he would be a strong supporter of the new tax.

What were we thinking? It is Mike Pope after all.

There was a hilarious moment at the recent lightly-attended public hearing on the proposed street tax. First-year Councilman Jim Noll gave a sobering analysis of the city's streets and the dire need for the passage of the ballot initiative. Noll went so far as to say council was unanimous in its support of the tax.

Noll concluded. Then Pope said, "I DON'T support the street tax. I believe ASSESSMENTS are the only fair way to go". You could have knocked Noll over with a feather. The only one who wasn't surprised was Mayor Martin. Why? Because he wants to assess you as well.

So after all these years of supporting the voter's voice, Pope has flip-flopped. He now wants YOU to pay the ENTIRE COST to fix your street directly out of your pocket. You will have no say on when your street is fixed. You will have no say on how much it will cost you. No voice. No shared sacrifice. Just be prepared for Pope and Martin to dig deep into YOUR WALLET.

Some say Pope is a contrarian. Some say Pope likes to think outside the proverbial box. The Martin Chronicles says Pope is just DEAD-NUTS CRAZY.

Why the COVER UP at cincinnati.com?

Several cincinnati.com posters have been offering the link to The Martin Chronicles. Sadly, cincinnati.com has been taking the link down a quickly as it can.

Following in the footsteps of the wonderful Whistleblower Newswire, The Martin Chronicles has been bringing you the sordid TRUTH about Villa Hills Mayor Mike Martin. As ugly as it truly is. For some reason, Gannett, the Kentucky Enquirer and cincinnati.com just can't seem to handle the truth.

But The Martin Chronicles won't quit working. The people deserve the truth about Mike Martin. No matter what Gannett . . . the Kentucky Enquirer . . . and cincinnati.com do . . . The Martin Chronicles will continue to bring you the TRUTH about that little tin pot dictator in Villa Hills!!!

Whose Lie Is It Anyway?

The main thrust of Mike Martin's 2010 mayoral campaign was MUDSLINGING. The current mayor was bad. The police department that arrested him for forgery was bad. The council-with the exception of his buddy Mike Pope-was bad.

Add to that the now-broken promise from Martin to repeal the dreaded $40 license fee.

With a huge assist from the knuckle-dragging pinheads from the Villa Hills Civic Club, Martin was able to bamboozle a slim majority of voters into believing he was telling the truth. Martin was elected. In short order he immediately began recklessly driving the city government right off the cliff.

The TRUTH? The only way residents can get rid of the license fee? Vote themselves A FORTY PERCENT PROPERTY TAX INCREASE. They need to vote a ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY PERCENT INCREASE IN OVERALL LOCAL TAXATION. And, according to Martin crony Mike Pope, residents will still pay an assessment for the repair of their own street.

The TRUTH? Two courts resoundingly ruled that Martin was being less than truthful about the Villa Hills Police Department and his predecessor.

Somebody has been lying. Whose lie is it anyway? The answer is plain and simple. The lie belongs to Mike Martin. Now the residents of Villa Hills have to pay the price for that lie.

And now it's up to special counsel Phil Taliaferro to drain Martin's odious swamp.

The Watchdog With Lipstick?

Mayor Mike Martin has been in office a less than ten months. He has made many inexplicable decisions in that relatively short time. Many observers say the most inexplicable decision Martin has made is the hiring of former council member Cordelia Schaber to serve as the city's $47.50 per hour clerk/bookkeeper.

It is fair to say that Schaber's tenure in that important role has been an unmitigated disaster. Martin, finance committee chairman Mike Pope and Schaber have yet to produce an intelligible finance report for council to review since those three have assumed their current roles. Why is that so important? Because one of council's most important responsibilities is to oversee the financial operations of the city. And yet the city's books are so garbled that there is no way council can even begin to discern what Martin, Pope and Schaber are up to.

Anyone who observed Schaber's three unremarkable years on council isn't surprised. Shortly after being appointed to council to finish the term of a councilperson who moved out of the city, Schaber disgracefully announced to the world before God and the television cameras that she would not serve on any committees.

In her defense, she didn't ask for much. She is remembered for only three things in that respect.

• She made clear that she hoped every council meeting ended quickly so she could return home in time to watch Dancing With The Stars.
• She insisted that her $125 council check be ready for her to collect on the first day of each month.
• She was the sole vote against establishing quarterly caucus meetings for the council to focus on important planning because she she didn't want to be bothered with attending "another meeting".

So what about the "Watchdog With Lipstick"? That is how she described herself at the October, 2008 candidate forum at the Villa Hills Civic Club. Schaber portrayed herself as a watchdog who looked out for the residents. Within minutes of making that proclamation, Schaber bolted out of the civic club, refusing to answer any questions from those aforementioned pesky residents.

But before you think Martin's decision to place Schaber in that critical position was just another stupid move-think again. Martin has a nasty habit of blaming everyone else for his voluminous shortcomings and failures. Many are convinced that Martin really believes Cordelia Schaber will fit quite nicely under the spinning wheels of the speeding bus that flies by when the bright lights of Phil Taliaferro's investigation begins to scrutinize the total disarray that is the City of Villa Hills financial statements.

At this moment, hillbillies like Martin and Schaber are the Villa Hills powers-that-be. But as the slaves reminded their Roman conquerors in ancient times - ALL GLORY IS FLEETING.

And Then There Were Six

The Martin Chronicles has confirmed that another officer has resigned from the Villa Hills Police Department, privately citing disgust with Mayor Mike Martin's poor management style.

Responding to a question from Councilman Greg Kilburn, Martin promised to keep seven police officers on staff at the last council meeting. The Martin Chronicles has secured an email that Martin sent to the chairman of the city's civil service commission that shows Martin actually has different plans.

In the email exchange, the civil service commission chairman advised Martin that a search was underway to find candidates for the police officer and clerk positions. Martin's response? He told the commission chairman to cease the search for a police officer. Martin just wants clerk candidates. Is that right? More clerks? We can only guess that Martin has decided FOUR CLERKS ISN'T ENOUGH.

It has become clear that Martin  has a full-court press underway to undermine the Villa Hills Police Department. Want more evidence? Separate sources confirm that Crescent Springs Public Works Director George Ripberger and Erlanger Police Double-Dipper Mike Jansing have kept Martin up-to-date on the whereabouts of Villa Hills police officers when they dare to eat their meals beyond the outskirts of Villa Hills. Never mind that there are no restaurants in Villa Hills.

Martin couldn't win a lawsuit against the Villa Hills police department. But now he is in the position to completely destroy it.

Finance Meeting Cancellation: UPDATE

The Martin Chronicles has talked with multiple sources who confirm that councilman Mike Pope abruptly cancelled last week's Villa Hills finance committee meeting because the city's books are in total disarray. These same sources tell us that the two clerks Mayor Martin hired are largely responsible for the financial chaos. This despite the shocking fact that the taxpayers are on the hook for a combined $62.50 per hour for these two inept Martin cronies.

Just how bad is it? We have dispatched a couple of folks to keep an eye on the Villa Hills city building to see if Pope, Martin and $47.50 per hour bookkeeper Cordelia Schaber conduct a secret finance meeting in a desperate attempt to patch some kind of jury-rigged financial report together to present at the upcoming council meeting.

The Martin and Pope promise to the council and taxpayers that the financial reporting would be as simple as "pushing a button" by August 1, 2011 seems like a very distant memory. So does the time when the people in Villa Hills heard the truth from their city government.

Assessments More Fair?

After pushing for an increase in property tax to fund street repair since 2007, Councilman Mike Pope has suddenly changed his position. Pope now believes assessments are a "more fair" way to pay for the ONE MILLION DOLLARS OF STREET REPAIR he now believes is needed. Judging by his admiring silence at the recent lightly-attended public hearing on the Martin property tax increase, it is clear Mayor Martin agrees with Pope about the need for assessments.

How are assessments more fair? Is it more fair to allow all the Villa Hills residents who live back in Prospect Point and in the Loft Apartments to get a FREE PASS on paying for street repairs despite the fact that literally hundreds of cars stream out of those communities daily?

What about the main traffic arteries in the city? Is it more fair for the folks who live along heavily-travelled Valley Trails to pay all the cost to repair the road that is also frequently used by residents who live on Niewahner, Timberline, Dry Creek and other streets?

What about streets that aren't "dedicated"? People who live on Collins Road, Buttermilk and parts of Amsterdam Road who don't live on "city streets" but live within the boundaries of the city will also get the Pope and Martin FREE PASS.

Pope had been whining for years that the city needs to crack down on people who don't buy their city stickers. Pope criticized what he portrayed a a lack of enforcement by the previous administration and police department. My how times have changed for Mr. Pope.

With the Pope and Martin ASSESSMENT, several areas of the city will become city codified "tax-free" zones. A smaller percentage of the taxpayers will be forced to pay for repairing the streets that are TRAVELLED BY EVERYONE.

Is that Fair, Mr. Pope?

Pope Keeps Pushing Assessments!

Councilman Mike Pope and Mayor Martin really want to dig into YOUR wallet. And they want to DIG DEEP! Pope re-stated his strong support for assessing residents for repairing their streets at a recent lightly-attended public hearing on Martin's proposed road tax. And as he has done before, Martin sat silent while Pope did the pushing.

Think about what this means to you. You may absolutely hate the dreaded $40 sticker tax. But how many cars are you paying for? Because unless its TEN OR MORE CARS, the Pope/Martin assessment plan is going to cost you more! Maybe a whole lot more.

Pope and Martin now say that they need ONE MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR FOR STREET REPAIR. This despite the fact that Martin DID NO STREET REPAIR THIS YEAR. Let's say somehow they are right about the million dollars.You do the math. There are approximately 2,500 homes in Villa Hills. The average annual cost per household for the Pope/Martin assessments to get to their million dollars will be FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!!

That's $400 a year you aren't paying now. But if Martin and Pope get their way YOU WILL!!!

Why No Finance Meeting?

Multiple sources confirm that the October finance meeting was cancelled for some reason. However, no one can confirm whether Finance Committee chairman Mike Pope sent out advance notice that the regularly scheduled meeting was cancelled. These sources tell The Martin Chronicles that the cancellation was a bit of a disappointment to an attorney and cameraman who showed up prepared to ask a few questions. What is some of the information they are looking for?

• A year-over-year comparison of the monthly cost of using the Von Lehman accounting firm vs. $47.50 per hour bookkeeper/clerk Cordelia Schaber.
• A year-over-year comparison of the monthly legal fees from City Attorney Mike Duncan.
• A year-over-year comparison of spending for street repair and replacement.

Under normal circumstances this type of information could be easily gathered by filing an Open Records request. But The City of Villa Hills has developed a terrible reputation over the past ten months for its inability-or unwillingness-to fill such requests.

Oh well, there is always next month.

Why ISN'T There A Surplus?!?!

Mike Martin claimed he was a "budget hawk" during his campaign. Results prove quite another thing. Keep in mind that Martin took office in January of this year with a surplus of nearly $120,000 GUARANTEED!! How could that be? Because there was one less police officer and no city clerk when Martin took his oath of office. The combined savings in salary, benefits and retirement total that $120,000 in "locked-in" savings. Martin has still not replaced the police officer or the city clerk. Despite the fact that the cost of both positions was included in last year's city budget.

Finance chairman Mike Pope shocked the council at the recent caucus meeting when he announced there was NO SURPLUS for the last fiscal year. None. Zip. Nothing. Living in his own reality, Pope took the standard hack politician approach of blaming the previous administration.

We suspect that the Von Lehman accounting firm who kept track of the city's books and the Van Gorder Walker firm that audited them prior to the arrival of Martin, Pope and bookkeeper Cordelia Schaber will take strong exception to Pope's claim.

Oh, by the way. Martin and Pope always claimed to be big on "transparency". But guess what? You would never know about the huge waste of your money if we didn't report it to you. Why? Because Martin no longer allows the caucus meetings to be televised. Add to that the fact that the Kentucky Enquirer and Community Recorder are asleep at the switch-so Martin, Pope and Schaber get to operate in the dark. We guess when a minimum of $120,000 of YOUR money simply evaporates-we understand why.

SO WHERE HAS YOUR MONEY GONE?????

A Big New Tax and MORE For You!

In many circles Mike Martin is now being derisively referred to as Mayor MarTAX. There is a good reason for that tag. Martin ran for mayor promising to repeal the $40 sticker tax. Now that he is mayor his plan is certainly quite different.

He has walked away from his solemn pledge to repeal the tax. Instead, he is holding a gun to the head of Villa Hills voters. How? They have to vote themselves a HUGE PROPERTY TAX INCREASE to get rid of the tax. How big of an increase? If approved, this property tax will take 150% MORE OUT OF THE FINANCIAL HIDES OF VILLA HILLS RESIDENTS!

It gets worse. Martin's right-hand man Mike Pope revealed their plans to spend ONE MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR on street repair. How will MarTAX and PopeTAX collect the money? By ASSESSING homeowners for the cost of repairing their streets. What does that mean? Homeowners will have the cost of fixing their streets ADDED TO THEIR PROPERTY TAX BILL. This after you approve their massive proposed tax increase!!

What makes it more outrageous is that Martin has been on a ridiculous spending spree!

• Martin has hired two more clerks, who happen to be friends of his, bringing the total to four. The two new clerks make a combined hourly rate of $62.50 per hour!
• Martin has hired two computer companies and a company just to manage the city website!
• Martin's decision to reduce the size of the police department has led to an explosion of OVERTIME. Sources say that some officers are working more than TWENTY HOURS OF OVERTIME A WEEK!!
• INSTEAD OF FIXING YOUR STREET THIS YEAR, Martin wasted thousands of dollars of YOUR MONEY to build a concrete parking lot at the city building!
• Martin and Pope paid the city engineer a fortune in YOUR MONEY to do a street repair plan stretching to the year 2200! This despite the fact they did no street repair this year!!
• Martin's ineptitude has led to a HUGE INCREASE IN A WASTE OF YOUR MONEY in legal fees!!
• Martin is funneling YOUR MONEY to his cronies for city contracts for all kinds of things including fire extinguishers!
• Pope and even Martin voted to use YOUR MONEY to hire a mediator. Why? To try to gloss over Martin's unprofessionalism and abject lack of leadership ability!

                     THIS RIDICULOUS TAXING AND SPENDING HAS TO STOP!!!!!

Whose Reality Is It Anyway?

Echoing the words of the great empiricist George Berkeley, Mayor Mike Martin announced at a council meeting, "Perception is reality". Martin takes that view very seriously and seems to live his life by it. Just consider his attack on a long-serving member of the Villa Hills police department.

Martin has spent a great deal of time trying to destroy the reputation of this police officer since being elected to council in 2004. We now know that he launched a one-man investigation of the officer soon after joining council. Despite the inconvenient truth that the City Attorney was later quoted in the newspaper saying there was absolutely no evidence of any problems, Martin continued his assault.

Martin was arrested for forgery in 2007. The charges were dismissed a few months later. Not satisfied with avoiding a felony conviction, Martin filed a $1.5 million lawsuit that named this police officer as one of the defendants. Many think the lawsuit was designed to paint Martin as a victim of some sinister conspiracy. Here is where it gets interesting.

Martin accused the police officer of committing perjury. The seriousness of a charge like that can't be understated. An accusation of false testimony under oath is severely damaging to the reputation of a police officer.

Martin went so far as to circulate campaign literature door-to-door containing his allegation of perjury. After taking office in January, Martin was asked about his claim. He declined an opportunity to walk back that damaging accusation and instead told the reporter he stood by his charge.

Martin's $1.5 million lawsuit has been tossed out of two courts. His claims of conspiracy and unlawful arrest were pronounced baseless. Now Martin finds himself in the role of defendant in a LIBEL, SLANDER and DEFAMATION lawsuit filed by the police officer he targeted for years.

Martin will now get the opportunity to prove his claims that the police officer committed perjury. He may find that perception is not always reality. In this case, that frustrating, inconvenient truth is reality. And for Martin, reality may bite.

Is Simplicity a Defense?

Villa Hills special counsel Phil Taliaferro is following several disturbing trails in his investigation of Mayor Mike Martin. It may have only taken nine months for Martin to create a real mess and put the taxpayers in tremendous liability.

Here's the question. Will Martin be able to use his "I didn't know then but I know now" card again? Transcripts of depositions show that tactic worked very well for Martin when he was dealing with his forgery charge a few years ago. Remember? The charge that precipitated a $1.505 million lawsuit by Martin against the taxpayers of Villa Hills and two police officers.

While two courts ruled that Martin's lawsuit was baseless, his forgery charges were dropped. Next he weaved a tremendous, and totally false, story of victimhood that propelled him to the mayor's office.

Will Martin plead victimhood again when the facts are presented to the public? The mayor's wife already began to lay out that defense at the last council meeting. Martin actually had to gavel his wife quiet during an outburst when she claimed that there is a conspiracy underway to "get" her husband.

No one has ever confused Mike Martin with Albert Einstein. But does simplicity offer a free pass to disregard doing what is right? We will learn the answer to that question soon enough

A Mediator?

The Martin Chronicles is sure that first-year councilman Jim Noll is a fine fellow. We do, however, think his push to have a mediator work with Mayor Martin and the council is wrong-headed. Why? Because the current problems at city meetings aren't about PROCESS. The problems come from legitimate disagreements about POLICY.

• Doesn't council have the right to question the mayor's still-inarticulated decision to reduce the size of the police department?
• Doesn't council have the right to exercise their oversight by reviewing coherent monthly financial statements?
• Doesn't council have the right to question the mayor's hiring of two new clerks at excessively high rates of pay?
• Doesn't council have the right to ask why the mayor didn't even bother to interview the four candidates found in a search by the city's Civil Service Commission?
• Doesn't council have the right to question the mayor's decision to disregard the elements of a contract he himself signed?

There are many more areas of LEGITIMATE disagreement. None of them fall into the realm of mediation.

So Contracts Don't Matter?

A shocking exchange took place at a recent Villa Hills council meeting.

Councilman George Bruns asked Mayor Mike Martin why $47.50/hour clerk/bookkeeper Cordelia Schaber didn't have the very important Errors & Omissions insurance that would protect the taxpayers in the event of a Schaber screw-up.

Taking his authority a little too seriously, Martin brushed it off by saying, "That's my decision". Bruns pointed out that the contract signed by Schaber and Martin himself said Schaber SHALL - meaning MUST in legalese - have Errors & Omissions insurance.

Martin's Al Capone-like response? "I'll just have her sign another contract", replied the corner-cutting mayor.

It makes you wonder just how many corners Martin is cutting. Phil Taliaferro has a lot of digging to do.

Where In the World is Quality Home Services?

Villa Hills special counsel Phil Taliaferro is hot on the trail. Back in April, 2010 Mike Martin decided to change the name of Mike Martin Electric to Quality Home Services. A prelude to his run for mayor perhaps? Why? Maybe even Martin realizes he shouldn't be doing all that perhaps-unlicensed electrical work in Kentucky?

So where is Quality Home Services? Angie's List says it's based out of Martin's Villa Hills residence. Business filings in the State of Ohio says it's based at 10 1/2 Anna Street in Reading, Ohio. What the heck?

Funny thing is that officials in the City of Reading aren't even aware that a 10 1/2 Anna Street exists in their city. And guess what? Despite the fact they collect a business tax in their town they say they haven't heard of Quality Home Services.

Is Quality Home Services paying tax in Ohio? How about in the City of Reading? Or maybe Villa Hills is collecting tax? Surely a business operated by a sitting mayor in a city like Villa Hills would be taking care of that, right?

Sources say Quality Home Services is doing quite a bit of work in Villa Hills. Strangely, Mr. Taliaferro can't find building permits for any of the work. Is that the fault of the Villa Hills homeowners? Or has Mr. Taliaferro stumbled on to some kind of interesting pattern of behavior by a local contractor?

Looks like Phil Taliaferro has a great deal of investigating to do.

NostraPOPEus

It's easy to fall into the trap of believing Villa Hills councilman Mike Pope is just your garden variety crackpot. But he is no piker when it comes to wing-nuttiness! After observing Pope in action and reading his "other city website" for some time, we have concluded that this guy isn't just nuts, he thinks he can see the future!

We first started to wonder about Pope when he presented his LOG (Pope's misspelling, not ours) TERM PLAN FOR VILLA HILLS at the 2010 candidate's forum. Pope taped a huge visual aid to the speaker's podium. Then he commenced to ignore it. Much to the displeasure of the City Engineer who provides a monthly update on the progress of the long-standing city road plan at every council meeting, Pope then explained to the crowd that they would have to check his "alternate reality" website for the only Villa Hills road plan in existence.

There were a few details Pope failed to share with the crowd. Like the fact that he and soon-to-be mayor Mike Martin were going to force you to vote yourself a FORTY PER CENT PROPERTY TAX INCREASE in order to get rid of the dreaded $40 license fee. He also forgot to tell you that he was going to waste a bunch of your money having a road plan prepared stretching out to the year 2200! And, oh yes, even if you make that bad choice and vote yourself a huge tax increase . . . Pope and Martin are still going to make you pay for any repair to your street out of your own pocket through ASSESSMENTS!

Pope was able to discern one thing correctly when he stared into his murky crystal ball that night. He understands that no matter how bizarre he behaves, the voters of Villa Hills will continue to re-elect him. Proving once again that voters get the government they deserve.

Cheers!

There is a funny little story making the rounds at the Villa Hills Civic Club. We applaud any council person who comes to a meeting prepared. But, if the civic club story is true, the preparation they describe may be a little extreme.

So here's the story. They say the top vote-getter in last year's council race stopped by the civic club to get an adult beverage before a recent council meeting. He decided to take it in a "GO" cup. Fair enough. But it gets better. Evidently the meeting was going a little too long. The council member must have been getting a little bored. Or maybe just a little dry. Why? Because he came back for a refill during the meeting.

We have to admit we understand. How many times can you listen to Mayor Martin mangle the English language after all? And who can sit through yet another half hour Mike Pope dissertation on his MILLION DOLLAR ROAD PLAN?

Maybe Martin shouldn't be wasting taxpayer money building a concrete parking lot at the city building. Perhaps the meetings would go more smoothly if he spent that money installing a wet bar in the council chambers instead.

Faith, Hope and . . . CHARITY?

Funny how easy it is to connect the dots. The Martin Chronicles supports charitable giving. We far prefer people decide what causes they use there money to support over government taxing and then "spreading the wealth around". But some charities require a little more FAITH to support than others.

The current investigation by special counsel Phil Taliaferro has discovered that there is more connecting LIBEL, SLANDER and DEFAMATION LAWSUIT co-defendants Mayor Mike Martin and Dale Schaber. Yes, more than the lawsuit. Even more than the fact that Martin is paying Schaber's wife Cordelia a whopping $47.50 an hour of taxpayer money to be one of the city's FOUR clerks.

No, those connections aren't the whole story. It seems Martin and his wife are working with the Schabers on two charities. Again, charity is a noble endeavor. The world is a better place for acts of selfless philanthropy.

But here's the unanswered question about the two charities the Martins and Schabers operate. Is it really a good idea for the charitable donations to be mailed to the Schaber's home? Even the United Way fell prey to the lure of easy money a few years back. Wouldn't PO boxes raise the comfort level of donors and others who have expressed concern? No one has made an accusation of wrong-doing. With the notable exception of the accusations Martin and Schaber have made that got them both sued that is.

We HOPE Phil Taliaferro clears up any concerns about the current charitable arrangement between the Martins and Schabers.

A Real Numbers Guy

Mike Pope likes to portray himself as an accounting genius. He's a real "numbers guy". Got a budget problem? Old Mike Pope can fix it. He'll tell you he can train A CHIMP to use QuickBooks in an hour! Need to see a real road plan? Just check out Mike Pope's "other city website"! We don't need no steenkin' $40 license fee. Yeah, when it comes to numbers, Pope considers himself the "go-to guy".

Then Mike Martin was elected mayor. And Mike Pope became the chairman of the finance committee. Now, he is the "go-to" guy. When it comes to city finances, he's the top dog. The head honcho. The big cheese. Numero uno. 

So how's that workin' out? Well, the city council hasn't received a decipherable financial report since Martin took office. Pope assures everyone that he can find "the five things an accountant looks for in these kinds of reports" at every meeting. But the darndest thing. He never tells anyone what those five things are. And, oh yes, he sees no need for council to approve the financial report and bills for payment. Hmmmmmm.

How about this year's budget? Oh, wait. There isn't one. How did that happen? Well, Pope's finance committee never seemed to get one together where the numbers actually, well, uh, you know, added up!So Martin is operating without the constraints of a current budget. Not a comforting thought.

And when exactly was that darn license fee finally repealed? Hold on. Why, it never was! In fact, Martin and Pope wasted tax dollars to have the City Engineer do a road plan to the year 2200. You read that right, 2200! Now Pope says he needs ONE MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR FOR STREETS!!!! How's he gonna get it? BY ASSESSING YOU FOR THE REPAIR OF YOUR STREET!!!!

Finally, Mike Pope: The QuickBooks Trainer Genius. He may want to see if Martin can track down a relative of J. Fred Muggs. Or maybe Bonzo. Perhaps Curious George. Why? Because while Pope professes to be able to train A CHIMP to use QuickBooks, HE'S HAVING ABSOLUTELY NO LUCK AT ALL WITH CORDELIA SCHABER.

You Dropped What?

The appellate courts' decision was released on the same date as the 49th anniversary of Villa Hills' incorporation - June 7th. June 7th is also the date that Tom Braun, Villa Hills first mayor, passed away.

Yes, Mike Martin's baseless $1.505 MILLION lawsuit against the taxpayers and two long-serving employees was truly laughed out of court on June 7th, 2011. In fact, one judge even embarrassingly commented that Martin was "barking up the wrong tree" with his allegations. Another judge wrote that the actions Martin took leading to his arrest fit the very definition of FORGERY.

Never bothered by REALITY, Martin told the Kentucky Enquirer that he decided to DROP HIS LAWSUIT! How about this instead? Martin's baseless lawsuit was DROP-KICKED OUT OF TWO COURTS!

Martin's comments got worse. He cloyingly told the Kentucky Enquirer that he and his wife were going to go "pray about their decision".  Does anybody really believe that someone as vindictive and mean-spirited as Martin did anything but weigh his financial exposure before taking a pass on a ridiculous appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States?

R.I.P. Haunted Trail

You have to go way back to 1997 for the first ever Villa Hills Haunted Trail. Thousands of people of all ages have been gathering at this great community event over the past fourteen years to ride the hay wagons through the mildly scary haunted trails and to enjoy the camaraderie of a community gathered just for fun. 

In a not-so-small bit of irony, now-councilman Mike Pope and his wife Brenda won the very first Haunted Trail pumpkin decorating contest way back in 1997. My how Mike Pope's sense of community has changed.

In recent years the gathering has also become an important fundraising opportunity for the Villa Hills Adopt-A-Unit effort and the River Ridge Elementary Community Resource Center. These efforts helped out both soldiers serving overseas and local underprivileged children. Can you think of two better causes?

Enter Mayor Mike Martin. At best, his abject lack of leadership destroyed this year's Haunted Trail. At worst, he destroyed the event using a bizarre combination of vindictiveness and neglect. Either way, Martin is to blame.

Martin's most brazen lie? He was asked at the September council meeting why he cancelled this year's Haunted Trail. Martin vehemently denied doing so. Instead, he claimed that he thought the Police Chief was taking care of it.

That doesn't pass the smell test even in Martin's World of Whoppers! Is this the same Police Chief whom Martin doesn't even trust enough to fill out the monthly police schedule? Is this the same Police Chief whom Martin doesn't believe when the Chief says an eighth officer is necessary to effectively operate the police department? Is this the same Chief whom Martin was suing? Does anybody really believe Martin's lie this time?

By the way, the only reason Mike and Brenda Pope won the Halloween decorating contest back in 1997 was, well, uh, they were the only entrants.

Four Little Words

Mayor Mike Martin is being sued for LIBEL, SLANDER and DEFAMATION. Martin co-defendant Dale Schaber wrote what many believe is a highly libelous and defamatory letter in support of Martin during the last mayoral campaign. Four little words in that letter go a long way to explaining exactly why Mr. Schaber is bobbing in the same bowl of legal soup with Martin. Those words? "It is a fact".

You see, Mr. Schaber wrote that "It is a fact" that the plaintiff - a long-serving employee of the City of Villa Hills - broke the law. What was Schaber trying to accomplish? A reasonable person would conclude that Schaber intentionally wanted to damage the reputation of the now-plaintiff. Is there more? Did Schaber also intentionally want to damage the reputations of anyone associated with that employee? Perhaps more litigation is forthcoming.

Here is the beauty of the jam in which Mr. Schaber currently finds himself. He will be afforded every opportunity to prove his assertions.

Are Street Assessments Coming?

Numerous Villa Hills residents bitterly complain that they voted for Mike Martin because of his promise to repeal the city's $40 per car license fee, or sticker tax. They are angry that Martin has broken that campaign pledge.

Worse yet, Martin now wants those once-bitten residents to vote themselves a FORTY PER CENT REAL ESTATE TAX HIKE in November. Why? Because Martin says he needs EVEN MORE of their money to repair their streets. His promise this time? The license fee will be repealed AFTER the property tax hike is approved. Quite a choice.

As the infomercial pitchman might say, "BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!" Residents should watch a replay of the September council meeting to see what else Martin has in store for them.

The subject was broached by Martin's colleague Mike Pope. He explained that while the City Engineer believes the city needs roughly $650,000 a year for street repair - the true annual number is ONE MILLION DOLLARS! If you watch the meeting-and you should-you will see that Martin never once contradicts Pope's MILLION DOLLAR assertion.

So how do Pope and Martin plans to raise the extra money? The answer was provided at the September meeting. Pope recommended assessing the residents for repairs to their streets. In case you aren't sure what that means-the cost of repairing your street WOULD BE ADDED TO YOUR ANNUAL PROPERTY TAX BILL.

So here is what Martin and Pope want. If you want to get rid of the $40 license fee, you will have to vote yourself A FORTY PER CENT PROPERTY TAX INCREASE AND STILL PAY OUT-OF-POCKET FOR THE COST OF REPAIRING YOUR OWN STREET!

A "FRESH START" to be sure.

You Can't Have Too Many Clerks!

There was a time when Councilman Mike Pope opined that Villa Hills could effectively operate with "one and a half" clerks in the city building. Now Pope's friend Mike Martin is running the city. And now Pope is also oddly silent about "how many clerks it takes to screw in a light bulb".

Why the silence? After all, there are now FOUR clerks. Yes, that's right, FOUR clerks! One of these clerks is earning a shocking $47.50 per hour. Another part-time clerk earns an amazing $15 per hour. Part-time employees started at $10 per hour in Villa Hills prior to January, 2011.

So why has Pope gone mute? Some suspect that he knows Martin is paying back some of his cronies with taxpayer money.  Former council member Cordelia Schaber is the $47.50 per hour clerk. Does the last name ring any bells? Cordelia is the wife of Dale Schaber. The same Dale Schaber who is the co-defendant in the LIBEL, DEFAMATION and SLANDER lawsuit a long-serving Villa Hills' employee recently filed against Mayor Martin.

What has Cordelia Schaber been hired to do? We are told that she is serving as the city's bookkeeper. But then Martin told us she was a CPA as well. Mike Pope embarrassingly disabused Martin - and the taxpayers - of that notion at the September council meeting. Since Cordelia has taken on this important job council has yet to receive an intelligible financial report to review. Martin's actions have once again made council's oversight responsibility more difficult.

Why should you care about four clerks? Think of it this way. There are now more clerks on staff than public works crew on staff to plow the first heavy snow. There are now more clerks on staff than police officers on duty at any time during any day of the week.

Is this just another example of poor leadership by Martin? Or is it something else? Phil Taliaferro is going to be busy, isn't he?

So Where Are the Records?

Facts are stubborn things.

Several committee chair people and council members have been requesting information from the city since January, 2011. Many of these requests have gone unfilled. In certain cases committees have had a difficult time functioning without the requested information. Furthermore, council has the responsibility of oversight. They cannot properly exercise this responsibility if they don't have access to needed information.

We have secured e-mails where Councilman Mike Pope defends the inability to fill records requests, claiming that "Mayor Martin inherited a sloppy records system". No big deal. Every new administration blames its predecessors for problems they "inherited". But the facts don't support Pope's claim.

We did our own checking. Prior to January, 2011, no committee chair complained of an inability to get the records they needed to perform their duties. And with the exception of the aforementioned Councilman Pope, no councilman ever expressed concern about records access. There has only been one official Open Records complaint to the Attorney General's office in the last fifteen years. That was in 2004. And the Attorney General ruled in favor of the City of Villa Hills. Kind of odd, huh?

Why is this happening now? It could be a simple case of ineptitude. It could be a case of a stubborn mayor who resents anyone questioning his actions or authority. Or, it could be a case of information deemed embarrassing, or worse, being intentionally withheld. We aren't sure. Special Counsel Phil Taliaferro will get to the bottom of that.

While the mayor of a City of the Fourth Class in Kentucky wields a great deal of power, that power has limits. One of the limiting factors is the Kentucky Open Records statutes. The statutes are clear. What should a city do when they receive a records request? That's easy. If the city has that information in their possession they are required to provide it.

Villa Hills will soon be receiving its annual Auditor's report. Some wonder if the auditors were provided access to ALL of the city's records while they conducted their audit. We expect that is another matter for Phil Taliaferro's investigation.

Were The Police Computers Hacked?

Lest we think that the "safe-cracking" incident was an isolated act of stupidity . . .

The company who had been servicing Villa Hills' computer system for many years was dismissed shortly after Martin took office. This was not a cost-saving measure. Why? Because Martin immediately brought in another company. No big deal, right? After all, Martin is the mayor and has that right. But subsequent events raise questions about Martin's real motivations.

Sources say that on-duty police officers witnessed someone remotely manipulating their computers at least three times. We have also been advised that the Chief of Police made an official request to the City Attorney to investigate the reason for the remote accessing of their computers. The police computer files contain highly sensitive information after all. It is also our understanding that to date no official response has been received by the Chief.

So what was taking place? There are several theories. One theory holds that someone may have been assisting Martin in a search for information. Remember, Martin had an active lawsuit against two police officers and the taxpayers at that time. So, as this first theory goes, Martin might have been looking for a "smoking gun" that would help him make his case.

Another theory is more shocking. Some suggest that Martin wasn't looking for information. Instead, he may have had someone attempting to plant bogus information. Once again, the motivation would be finding a cooked-up "smoking gun" that would lead to lawsuit victory.

So who would this "someone" helping Martin be? That we don't know. What we do know is that at least one Martin-hire contract employee has a key to the city building and has been seen entering the city building after hours on several occasions.

We expect special counsel Phil Taliaferro to get to the bottom of this as well.

That Safe That Wasn't Safe

The general public got its first clue about Martin's problem solving ability several months ago. Perhaps you remember? Martin was dying to know what was contained in the now-departed city safe. A person with a triple-digit IQ would probably contact a number of people to seek out the combination. Or maybe contact a locksmith who could open it in a matter of minutes. But Martin chose his own path. He had the public works crew CRUSH IT OPEN WITH A BACKHOE!!!! Kinda makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Taking heat from council for destroying city property, Martin went to the local Home Depot to purchase a much smaller, cheaper safe. He claims he used his own money. He claims he "donated" the replacement safe to the city. If his claims are true, why did he use the city Tax ID to avoid paying sales tax on the purchase? That kinda makes you wonder too.

Martin was quoted in the Kentucky Enquirer that "I weighed my options. I feel good about my decision (to crush the safe open with a backhoe)". Martin has also told others that City Attorney Mike Duncan advised him it was okay to skirt the state guidelines requiring that council vote to declare city property surplus before it is disposed of. Gee, that kinda makes you wonder too.

Here's is another odd twist in the safe story. The city Ethics Board held a meeting a few months ago. Board members told meeting attendees that Martin advised them HE DID NOT TELL THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR TO CRUSH OPEN THE SAFE WITH A BACKHOE. If you weren't wondering before, you must be wondering now!

So Martin sought advice from the city attorney and commented to the newspaper ON AN ACTION HE DIDN'T EVEN TAKE? The Martin Chronicles doubt that we are the only ones who believe Martin was having more than a little trouble with the truth on this disaster.

This is just the beginning.

A Fresh Start Indeed

Mike Martin was elected mayor of Villa Hills November 2, 2010. His campaign offered "A Fresh Start" and promised to bring Martin's version of "Truth and Integrity" to the position. Martin deftly avoided debating the real issues and instead spent his time defaming his opponent and two police officers who had arrested him on a forgery charge a few years earlier. A slim majority of voters bought his con game. Now in office more than 9 months, it is becoming very clear that Martin's vision of "truth and integrity" is a very strange one.

Despite the fact that Martin's lawsuit against the two arresting police officers was laughed out of court . . . TWICE . . . he continues to retaliate against these two long-serving city employees. It has gotten so bad that one of the police officers now has a lawsuit AGAINST Martin including charges of LIBEL, SLANDER and DEFAMATION. Even the normally sedentary Villa Hills City attorney has expressed deep concern over the jeopardy Martin has created for the city.

It has gotten so bad that city council has hired a special counsel to investigate Martin. Renowned attorney Phil Taliaferro is looking into Martin's corrupt business practices, cronyism, misuse of city equipment and facilities, violations of state open records and bid laws and many, many other troubling issues. Martin beat his forgery charge mostly by convincing the judge that he is just isn't too bright. While few would disagree that Martin is a dullard, it is unlikely that this type of defense will work with Phil Taliaferro. 

Many more issues are starting to bubble to the surface. It is going to get far worse. But from The Martin Chronicles perspective it will be great fun to watch. Let's face it. Who doesn't like watching a hypocrite like Martin take it in the shorts. We'll be there reporting it all!!!