The Martin Chronicles continues to look into the ethics complaint that has just been filed against Mayor Mike Martin and Councilman Jim Noll regarding the use of public resources and personnel to distribute the "Vote 'YES' To Repeal The License Fee" flyer that was distributed in the most recent edition of the Voice of Villa Hills.
Given the previously reported harsh comments by the departing Ethics Board Chairman, there is concern that the Ethics Board may not do a thorough review of the current complaint.
There have been previous ethics inquiries presented to the board over the last several months. In each case, the board has dismissed the inquiries. Their stated reason for doing so raises more questions.
How so? The board announced that they discussed the issues with the mayor-prior to the public hearing-and the mayor provided what they considered "satisfactory explanations". Perhaps it might have been better to have the mayor provide his explanation at the public hearing.
We understand that the board members are volunteers. It's a tough assignment. But a thorough review of ethics complaints that includes examining all the facts will raise public confidence that the board is handling their tough assignment well.
The Martin Chronicles has learned that there are multiple witnesses to verify what is contained in the current complaint. We have every confidence that the Ethic Board members will not simply rely on the mayor's account of how the flyer got into the local paper but will talk to the witnesses as well.
