The Martin Chronicles knew this was coming. In fact, we were anxiously awaiting it. And it is hilarious. We are beginning to see some wingnuts and benefactors of largesse in the dwindling army of Villa Hills’ Mayor Mike Martin post letters on nky.com whining about the treatment the self-proclaimed “CEO” is getting. Take heart. Be not afraid. In fact, look for it to get far worse. As Martin grows more desperate things are bound to get very ugly. You never know. Kentoncounty1, skittel and meto3130 may even ooze back up to the surface!
The first letter to the editor was a hoot. Written by a former council woman who unsuccessfully ran for mayor in the mid-1990s, she trotted out the same old “Martin apologist” story line. Martin won the election (so does that mean he has free rein to do whatever he wants?).The mean old majority on council just won’t give Mayor Martin a chance. They are ganging up on the little fella. Martin’s problems are the previous administration’s fault (the writer goes so far as to suggest that the previous mayor didn’t even have the First Amendment right to put signs in his yard expressing support for certain council candidates –a very odd view for such a “free spirit”). See the pattern? This will be the final line of defense as Martin’s last stand approaches.
The writer betrayed more than the fact that she is clueless. She also shares Martin’s paranoid belief that everyone is out to get him-including the reporters at the Enquirer and Recorder. So this writer thinks that reporting the fact that Martin has squandered more than$150,000 in unnecessary overtime betrays a bias? So this writer believes that reporting the fact that Martin frequently tells council that all decisions are his alone because he is the “CEO” betrays a bias? So this writer thinks the fact that Martin’s hostility toward a city employee has sparked a very serious lawsuit betrays a bias? So this writer thinks the fact that Martin’s disregard for the City Attorney’s advice on how to deal with sexual harassment allegations has put the City on the brink of another lawsuit betrays a bias?
By the way, the writer oddly indicates that the newspapers somehow imply that Martin wasn’t duly elected. A careful review of every recent article does not turn up even a hint at such a preposterous idea. Nice try, though. The Martin Chronicles does like to tease the newspapers at times. But no one respects the First Amendment more than we do. Just because a newspaper story presents facts that make you uncomfortable does not mean they are biased. Get over it.
We suspect that the newspaper-and now television- reporters couldn’t care less who is serving as mayor and council in any city, including Villa Hills. Their job is to report the facts. That is precisely what they are doing. While we respect the right of anyone to express their opinions, they are far more interesting to read when they are at least remotely based in truth.
Are the current disagreements with the autocratic mayor any different than the disagreements the writer had with the mayor she ran against back in the 1990’s? Well, yes the certainly are. The current mayor’s policies have led to an incredible waste of taxpayer money. The current mayor’s decimation of the police department has led to a sharp spike in crime. The current mayor’s behavior has placed the taxpayer’s in financial risk. The current mayor is also the subject of a very serious investigation that could lead to criminal charges.
A particular response to the former council woman’s editorial is paradoxically both priceless and worthless. It is written by the City’s clerk/bookkeeper Cordelia Schaber (another former council woman as well). If anyone brings a bias to their writing, we think it is fair to say that it is Cordelia Schaber. She is Martin’s $47.50 per hour crony hire after all. She is also the wife of Martin’s co-defendant Dale in a very serious libel and slander lawsuit generated by the dissemination of all manner of later-disproven allegations against a City employee.
Not surprisingly, Cordelia’s screed encourages new people to run for council to support Mayor Martin in the upcoming November election. Someone has to preserve her juicy patronage job, after all. It will be interesting to see how many people are so-inclined to rally to Martin’s support after Special Counsel begins to reveal the findings of his investigation. It may not matter anyway. It is unclear if Martin will still be in office come November 6th. The odds are currently running against the mayor.
As a brief aside, since a taxpayer-funded contract employee of the City of Villa Hills has decided to engage herself in political activity, would the Council now be within their rights to ask her to resign from her $47.50 per hour job? The Martin Chronicles confesses we do not know what, if any, ordinance would apply in this case. But council would be wise to check into that. What’s next, after all? Will the interim City Clerk be wearing a “Save Mike Martin” tee shirt the next time she clerks a Council meeting?
For the purposes of full disclosure, The Martin Chronicles admits we are biased. We are biased in favor of good government. Write what you will to the Letters to the Editor, Martin’s Reign of Error in no way represents good government.
