The Martin Chronicles is convinced that if the majority of city council sits on the mountain of evidence of misconduct by Villa Hills Mayor Mike Martin, the voters will buy into the "infighting" and "bickering" malarkey and punish them at the polls in a mere 148 days. You can already see Martin's strategy taking shape.
Martin's list of excuses we laughingly refer to as his Unahandyman Manifesto paints a mildly compelling, but totally false, picture of all of the challenges he "has had to endure an overcome". In Martin's imaginary world, he has done no wrong. He wasn't even left a Post-IT Note or paper clip. He was strapped with the awesome burden of a Civil Service Commission. He was faced with a council bitter about the results of the last election. Compelling, yes. But a total lie.
Martin's co-defendant Dale Schaber is supposedly recruiting fifteen candidates to run in a Banzai charge against the incumbents. Schaber (and Martin's) real intention? To muddy the waters just enough to get at least three of their fellow venal pinheads elected to make the little man from Norwood bullet proof. If council doesn't act, it may very well work.
You see, Martin has spent much of his life re-writing history. Remember all of his lies. He didn't know he was commiting forgery then, but he knows it now. The bank teller told him to do it. He was a do-gooder, good-government zealot victimized by a massive conspiracy. He was happy to tell the taxpayers he wasn't suing them, but he was. He wasn't operating a criminal business without proper electrical, plumbing and commercial licenses, but he was. The only computers he removed from the City Building after-hours were in storage, but they weren't. He found $30,000. He had no idea who placed the "Pro-Road Tax" flyer in the Voice of Villa Hills. He didn't order the destruction of City records on January 5, but he did. The list of Martin lies goes on and on and on and on.
Still, he might convince a sleeping populace once again that he is an innocent victim. And they could reward him with a council majority that would allow him to do whatever he wants to do.
For those of you who doubt what we say, you do so at your own risk. If you don't think Martin and whatever remains of his hillbilly lynch mob won't be going door-to-door campaigning for their cronies, you're fooling yourself. You'll hear Civic Club cronies talking about the money council wasted investigating Martin. And you will hear all of the venal pinheads from the Civic Club whining about the need to give Martin a council who will allow him to "show what he can really do". A pretty picture.
If you doubt that, look at the signs in people's yards gushingly saying they support "Mayor Martin". Despite the fact that there is solid evidence that Martin is guilty on several counts of official misconduct and the undeniable fact that he has been brazenly operating an illegal business for several years. While his support has undeniably eroded, those that remain are almost fanatical.
The council needs to hold a removal hearing. They need to make Martin answer for everything. The best case for misconduct? Martin's wanton destruction of City records and his after-the-fact, criminal cover-up. But there are several more examples of Martin's complete disregard for the law.
Council needs to stop worrying about the St. Joe's jerks and the Civic Club crooks. Stop caring what the disgraced former chairman of the Ethics Board says. Stop fretting about the hand-wringers and peaceniks. Stop worrying about the drowsy populace. Don't stall because Pope and Noll may not vote for removal. Let those two go on the record in support of glaring misconduct. Move forward with a good-faith attempt clean up Martin's mess.
If the council sits back, overly cautious about law suit implications or how Pope and Noll will vote, they will be playing right into Martin's hands. That will be a huge mistake with serious consequences.
