The Martin Chronicles knows it has to be tough. We watch the council meetings. They are dreadful. Sitting there at the council table has got to be many times worse. But this is not the time for the council members who are trying to keep the Villa Hills' city government from going over the cliff to begin to go after each other.
That is why we were bothered to see one solid councilman lose his temper and launch into an inexplicable tirade at another solid council member who was guilty of nothing more than asking questions about the wisdom of giving blanket emergency powers to an out-of-control mayor at the last meeting. Be careful. If you think Mayor Martin won't try to exploit any divisions between you to his advantage, you had better reach for the smelling salts.
We can only guess that some council members hear the "high-minded" critics who complain they are so tired of the "bickering" at city council meetings. Keep in mind that most of the critics are standing safely on the sidelines. While you are in the trenches wrangling with a Third World dictator mayor, wing nuts like Mike Pope and a shockingly disinterested city attorney, they are waiting for Jeeves to bring their car around after an evening of chablis and brie at the Vanderbilt estate.
Council, you see what's going on. You know what the score is. You know which way the wind is blowing. The growing mess is only going to get far larger at a far faster rate if you don't stand together and stand up against what's going on. Cronyism, a complete lack of transparency, no accurate financial reporting, a total disregard for city ordinances and state statutes, ethical "lapses", lawsuits. The list goes on.
Things are not going well. Next year is stacking up to be much worse. As the special counsel begins to lay out his findings the mud will be flying like a rainy night at the demolition derby. All of you are going to get hit. It's the "Mike Martin way".
Martin will want you to cut and run. But by then it will be far too late. In fact, it already is. This is not the time to form a circular firing squad.
