The Martin Chronicles realizes on this particular February 2 that Villa Hills is blessed to have its very own “Punxsutawney Phil”. This over-grown rodent’s given name is Mike Martin. He is currently the mayor of the terribly troubled town. What will happen this year on Villa Hills' Gobbler’s Knob?
Much like the1993 Bill Murray movie named after this interesting celebration, Villa Hills finds itself re-living similar problems over and over and over and over again.
· The wanton destruction of the City’s safe by a backhoe was re-lived in a series of complaints to the City’s beleaguered Ethic’s Board.
· The series of complaints to the City’s Ethics Board was re-lived by a shocking admission by the Ethic’s Board that it violated State Open Meeting statutes at a televised council meeting a few months later.
· The hiring of Martin crony Cordelia Schaber to do to the City’s bookkeeping was re-lived in a protracted battle of Martin’s budget proposal that was never passed by council.
· Martin’s much-debated refusal to hire the needed eighth police officer during the protracted budget battle was re-lived in the decimation of the Villa Hills Police Department.
· The decimation of the Villa Hills Police Department-in large part done because Martin professed to prefer paying a little overtime-was re-lived in the shocking January 2012 revelation that Martin’s “a little overtime” equated to a never-passed budget busting $150,000 in squandered taxpayer money.
· The revelations of Martin’s many business and mayoral indiscretions was re-lived in the controversial hiring of Special Counsel Phil Taliaferro.
· Martin’s retaliation against employees who he was unsuccessful in suing was re-lived in the filing of a very serious complaint.
· The very serious complaint filed against Martin was re-lived in further retaliation and the filing of a very serious lawsuit.
· The very serious lawsuit filed against Martin and another crony, Dale Schaber (Cordelia’s husband) was re-lived in the suspicious removal of City computers “stored” at employee work stations.
· The furor caused by the removal of computers stored at employee work stations was re-lived by the expansion of the Special Counsel’s investigation.
· The expansion of the Special Counsel’s investigation was re-lived in the revelation of Martin’s January 5 “City records barbecue”.
· The revelation of the “City records barbecue” was re-lived by the production of a trumped-up document designed to explain away the action.
· The production of the trumped-up document was re-lived by heightened tensions resulting from a councilman’s strong request that Martin resign.
· The problems created by these heightened tensions was re-lived by the filing of a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint against the City.
· The Martin Chronicles is already developing several other stories that will force the City to re-live the results of more of Martin’s malfeasance.
The Martin Chronicles believes that Villa Hills own "Punxsutawney Phil" may have finally caught a glimpse of the shadow of another Phil, namely Special Counsel Phil Taliaferro. Why is that important? Because if so, Villa Hills' long winter of its discontent may finally end in about six weeks.
