The Martin Chronicles is following up on the shocking story it broke last night. In case you missed it, Mayor Martin approved the burning of public documents yesterday afternoon. This inexplicable move has completely eroded the city’s position as it tries to defend a lawsuit filed against Mayor Martin by a city employee.
Why? We have obtained e-mails showing that just a few days before “the bonfire” the city employee filed an Open Records request to secure documents in an attempt to explain why he has been denied information needed for the proper performance of his duties. The theory is that Mayor Martin and others have taken the conscious decision to withhold information from this employee as part of a conspiracy to discredit him and to ruin this employee’s reputation.
How can the city now mount a defense against this theory? How can the city hope to prove that the documents burned in the fire pit would have provided solid evidence disproving the plaintiff’s theory? How can the city now prove-or refute-anything?
If Martin says the allegedly-temporary clerk hired to cover the tax season that ended November 30, 2011 ordered the documents to be burned, remember that the allegedly-temporary clerk is a close, civic club friend of the mayor. What records-retention training has the allegedly temporary clerk received? Other than being a personal friend of Martin possessed of minimal bookkeeping skills, what qualifications does the allegedly-temporary clerk possess to make a determination that any records can be destroyed in the middle of serious litigation?
Martin may say that the public works crew took it upon themselves to burn the documents. Remember that The Martin Chronicles has confirmed through multiple sources that the public works director spoke to the mayor on the phone yesterday and was ordered by the mayor to proceed.
Isn’t Mayor Martin well aware of the intricacies of litigation against a municipality? Didn’t Martin’s own attorney (according to several sources) try to play the bogus card that the city was destroying evidence in Martin’s $1.505 million lawsuit against the taxpayers? So now Martin orders the destruction of documents in the middle of litigation? With photographic evidence proving Martin’s act beyond any doubt, reasonable or otherwise? Martin’s stupid move on January 5, 2012 has left the city that he constantly reminds he rules over as its “CEO” totally defenseless?
Now Martin’s removal of computers from the city building is completely back in play. Despite Martin’s unbelievable claim that the computers he took from employees’ work stations were “in storage”. Add to that the fact that Martin took the computers off-site “after hours”. Not just “after-hours” for the city building. But “after-hours” for the computer company that was to examine the hard drives. What was done to the computers between the time Martin removed them and when the computers were delivered to that company?
Villa Hills’ taxpayers should be livid. Martin’s actions have placed the city in a very precarious position. Martin’s actions are a slam-dunk example of official misconduct. At the very least, the fire pit used to burn the documents should be surrounded by “Crime Scene” tape. City Council should strongly consider asking the VHPD Chief of Police to call the Kentucky State Police to begin an inquiry. If the council does nothing, they make themselves as liable as Mayor Martin.
Is Villa Hills burning?
