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.
