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.
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".
