There Is A Lot At Stake

The Martin Chronicles is watching the final days of the election countdown clock melt away. The day of decision will have come and gone before you know it. Sources all over town report that they see Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin campaigning hard for the chief lieutenant of his hillbilly lynchmob, the DEFAMATORY Dale Schaber.

If you are like-to use high-priced whore Toad McMurtry's unfortunate term-the baboons that gather nightly at the Civic Club, you too are pulling for the DEFAMATORY Dale Schaber. He is your guy. He is one of you. He is people of the Earth. Simple folk. You know, he is just like you. He is a moron.

But most of our audience is much brighter than the simple folk. They see Martin for who he really is. It may have taken awhile, but they finally get it. They now know Martin isn't that charitable, golfing elf some of our readers voted for in 2010. Most of our readers now understand that Martin is a corrupt and incompetent clown who has done great damage to the City.

But still, many of these readers are upset. We have heard the comments. "Martin isn't on the ballot this year. But the council is. We are going to take our frustrations out on them and vote them all out."

Sure. It's been embarrassing. You have had to listen to Martin and his loudmouth wife Janet's wacky conspiracy theories and non-stop lies. You've had to witness hillbillies come to council meetings and issue thinly-veiled threats of gun violence from the podium. You've had to suffer through the bilious blowhard County Boss Steve Arlinghaus' factless pronouncements. You've seen once-universally respected senior members of the community be caught in lies to the police and then reduced to childishly taunting long-serving councilmembers at meetings. You have had to watch neighbor literally turn against neighbor. And for what? A dispute about Mike Martin? Really? Seriously? Mike Martin? Yes, we agree. It's a pathetic mess.

Now the voters face a choice. There are many ways to break down the choice. Our staff has been debating it now for many weeks. Here is the closest we can come to some form of consensus.

The voters are facing a choice between two world views. Here they are:

You can reward the malfeasant Martin because he "got away with it" yet again. Ignore the misconduct and neglect of duty you have seen with your own eyes these past two years and trust the Civic Club baboons when they assure you just how great Martin will be when he is surrounded by "people who will work with him". You know, people like Dale Schaber, Mary Koenig, Holly B. Menninger-Isenhour and Brian Wischer.

Or, you can elect a council who will cautiously try to work with the corrupt and incompetent Martin to get something-anything-done while still doing their level best to make sure Martin plays by the same rules everyone else has to.

The voters are facing this stark choice in less than a week. The Martin Chronicles still cannot predict which path the voters will take.

We Tried To Warn You

The Martin Chronicles continues to follow the foul fallout from Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's misconduct and neglect of duty. Martin's incompetence and corruption have now placed everyone's wallet at major risk.

How so? Well, inside sources tell us that the Kentucky League of Cities (KLC)-who has provided insurance protection for the City now for many, many years-has finally said, "Enough is ENOUGH!!!"

The last straw? That came courtesy of the malicious Martin and his high-priced whore Toad McMurtry's October 3 lawsuit filed against Councilmembers Bruns, Kilburn, Noll, Pope, Ringo and Sogar. In a brief aside, it is not without great irony that the mean-spirited Martin is suing Noll and Pope even after they made their secret agreement to vote against Shorty's removal no matter the evidence. It now looks like Interim City Clerk Sue Bree isn't the only loyal toadie who is ending up with bus tire tracks across her back.

Our sources at the KLC's headquarters in Lexington tell us that they have informed Martin and others that they will not provide insurance coverage for the cost of Martin and Toad McMurtry's lawsuit or the various and sundry legal actions triggered by the misstepping Martin's ongoing mayhem. That clearly explains why Martin is now trying to BLACKMAIL the council into using your money to pay for McMurtry.

The Martin Chronicles-and most of you-know exactly what happened. The mendacious Martin stalled, stone-walled and evaded the truth for more than a year, running up much-larger-than-necessary legal bills. Despite all of Martin's tortuous tap-dancing, he was finally found GUILTY on seven of the nine charges preferred against him. No matter what Martin's hillbilly lynchmob claims, Martin is the one who caused this expense.

Martin is trying to make it worse. He wants you to pay for his high-priced whoreToad McMurtry as well.

By the way, before you cast a vote for council candidates Dale Schaber, Mary Koenig, Brian Wischer or Holly B. Menninger-Isenhour you had better realize that THOSE FOUR WILL MOST ASSUREDLY VOTE TO USE YOUR MONEY TO PAY MCMURTRY.

Phil Taliaferro had it exactly right when he described Jim Noll and Mike Pope's secret deal to ignore the evidence of Martin's misconduct and neglect of duty as, "unleashing the lawlessness of Mike Martin".

Now you are going to pay dearly for it.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: October, 2012 has been the best month in the short but storied history of The Martin Chronicles. We have welcomed nearly TWELVE THOUSAND VISTORS just since October 1. Sadly, we owe it all to the misconduct and neglecty of duty of the guy who is truly giving you exactly what you voted for. Or so he says. Thanks Shorty!]

BREAKING NEWS: It Didn't Take Long!

The Martin Chronicles reported in our last post that a local pundit predicted Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin would soon do "something crazy". We have come to expect the unexpected from the malevolent Martin. But the speed at which the outrage we are about to report to you happened admittedly even surprised us at least a little bit.

Martin has announced-through his high-priced whore Toad McMurtry-that he will not pay Special Counsel Phil Taliaferro for the many months Martin himself dragged out the investigation into his mayoral misconduct. Martin and Toad McMurtry hold that the Municipal Order passed by City Council more than a year ago is not the correct legal mechanism to allow for payment. Just hearing this probably has Martin's hillbilly lynchmob and-to use high-priced whore Toad McMurtry's phrase-the baboons at the Civic Club jumping for joy.

Well, as they say in the infomercials, "But wait. There's more!" You see, this has nothing to do with a "principled" stand against the Special Counsel investigation taken by the malfeasant Martin and his high-priced whore McMurtry. If it did, Martin would never have paid any of Special Counsel's bills. But of course he has.

So what is this really all about? Martin is ham-handedly trying to BLACKMAIL the City Council into forcing the taxpayers into footing his high-priced whore's legal fees. Sources tell us that they believe Martin is pulling this stunt under the direction of McMurtry-who simply wants to cash his check as soon as possible. Given McMurtry's shameless behavior at the removal hearing, we are inclined to suspect our sources are exactly right.

It is important to note that it was City Attorney Mike Duncan who advised the City Council to use the Municipal Order as the correct mechanism to hire Special Counsel. Suppose Martin and Toad McMurtry are correct about the Municipal Order. Then, it should be Ziegler & Schneider-and not the taxpayers-who should be obligated to pay Special Counsel's bills.

Still, no one but Martin should pay the legal bills of his high-priced whore. Hey, why don't the baboons at the Civic Club hold a fundraiser to help Shorty? How great would that be?

It's a good thing that both Mike Duncan and Ziegler & Schneider have Errors & Omissions insurance. They just might need it.

Do you think maybe, just maybe, Martin's $47.50 per hour, taxpayer-funded, crony-hire, in-over-her-head- clerk/bookkeeper, wife-of-council-candidate-Dale, Cordelia Schaber should consider getting Errors & Omissions insurance too?

Out Amongst 'Em

The Martin Chronicles entire staff was "out amongst 'em" this past weekend. Our mission? To gauge public reaction to Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin being found GUILTY on seven of the nine charges preferred against him. We also spent time digesting news reportage and gauging "the spin" being offered by Martin and others about the seven GUILTY verdicts. We also heard a lot of feedback about outgoing Councilmen Mike Pope and Jim Noll's obvious disregrard for the law.

Interestingly enough, many people clearly understand the significance of the fact that there were 5 GUILTY verdicts on the three most serious charges against Martin. How so?

• Despite the fact that Janet Martin is actively assisting Jim Noll's State Senate campaign, even Noll has a threshold he won't cross. Noll voted GUILY on three of the charges. That is meaningful because many people now see that the last year was simply not a witchhunt. It wasn't about four councilpeople who just don't like Martin. Instead, these four councilpeople-and in three cases Jim Noll- care more about the law.
• Most people saw Mike Pope's behavior and votes for exactly what they are-obstructionism. The first big give-a-way? Pope didn't even want to go in to executive session to discuss the evidence that was presented.
• Oddly, Pope would have done the malfeasant Martin a huge favor by voting GUILTY on just one of the charges. Why? Because fair-minded people now clearly understand that the fix was in.

Here are more of the other opinions we overheard.

• Why doesn't everybody realize that the fault for the cost of this investigation rests squarely with Martin? Why didn't he just answer all of these questions when they first came up?
• So is (Interim City Clerk) Sue Bree the "exceptional employee" Martin said she was under oath? Or is she the incompetent chucklehead that Martin wrote up for her Open Records and Document Destruction failures? It can't be both.
• If Martin has proof that one police officer is "lying" to him, another is "planting evidence" and a clerk "has it out" for him-why doesn't he just fire them? The Civil Service Board wouldn't over-turn any of his decisions-if Martin had any proof at all.
• So MARY HARDMAN was hired just to clean up the City Clerk's desk? Martin let her decide what documents could be destroyed because she read some "Clerk For Dummies" book? Maybe Martin should have let her spend the night at a Holiday Inn Express too.
• What EXACTLY does Martin do? Everything that went wrong is the fault of City Council, The Civil Service Board, Sue Bree, Kim Robbins, Derrick Yelton, MARY HARDMAN and everybody and anybody else but Martin himself. He's been mayor for almost two years for God sake. Is he that stupid?
• Martin says it's time to move on. But he won't. How do I know that? What did he do when he beat his forgery rap? He sued the police and the taxpayers. Look for Martin to do something really crazy. And look for him to do it really soon.
• (Martin's attorney) Todd McMurtry is a (EXPLETIVE), (EXPLETIVE), (EXPLETIVE), (EXPLETIVE) JERK!

It's only eight days until the election. Candidates like Brian Wischer and Holly B. Menninger-Isenhour are busy trying to distance themeselves from Martin in order to fool the public into casting a vote for them. Will it work?
[EDITOR'S NOTE: We'll be offering our views on the looming election in upcoming posts.]

What Say YOU, Toad?

The Martin Chronicles understands that Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's attorney Toad McMurtry had to take cheap shots at and make wild allegations about people vastly superior to his client in order to save the sinister Shorty. That's what high-priced whores like Toad McMurtry do.

But did Police Chief Dan Goodenough really deserve to be called "a liar" and "unethical" after twenty-six years of exemplary service to Villa Hills? Did Detective Joe Schutzman really deserve to be called "a baboon" and be accused of the heinous crime of "planting evidence" after sixteen years of sacrifice and hard work? Did Clerk Kim Robbins really deserve to have her personal problems aired in public just to discredit and embarrass her? Did Councilmen Bruns, Kilburn, Ringo and Sogar really deserve to have their very real concerns about Martin's misconduct and neglect of duty falsely portrayed as petty politics? No, of course not. But Toad McMurtry won't lose one second of sleep for what he did. He'll just cash his check. Again, that's what high-priced whores like Toad McMurtry do.

Circling back to high-priced whore Toad McMurtry's attack of Chief Goodenough's ethics and Toad's construction of the "conflict of interest" straw man, that leads to a series of questions for Toad.

1. Toad, you asked if Detective Schutzman investigated your slack-jawed client three separate times. Yes, he did. Do you know why? Because Shorty was suspected of serious illegal activity those three separate times. You probably aren't aware of this Toad, but four different judges had absolutely no problem with Detective Schutzman's investigation of your slack-jawed client. So, why do you Toad?
2. While we are also on the subject of "conflicts of interest" Toad, do you think it is a "conflict of interest" for a mayor to be suing his employees and the taxpayers? What say you, Toad? C'mon, buddy. Tell us what you really think. Don't worry. You'll still get paid.
3. By the way Toad, what do you think the police officers in Ft. Wright think of your high-priced whore attack on police officers? Yes, we know. You are just going to cash the check.

Look, we get it. To use Toad McMurtry's insulting description, the "baboons" at the civic club love hearing lies about others. Why? Because it makes them feel better about their own miserable lives. How else would you describe a life that involves spending virtually every night in a rundown bar giggling about the breast size of some other guy's wife?

But let's look at the bigger picture. Let's look at the way the malfeasant Martin and his loud-mouthed wife Janet take great glee in damaging the reputations of so many around them. Why do they do that? It's very easy to understand. Martin is essentially a talentless street thug who has next-to-nothing to offer. Instead, Martin "elevates" himself  by falsely tearing down others.

A whole lot of people now "get it". They have seen that Martin has proposed nothing of value to benefit the residents over these past two years . Martin is simply the self-proclaimed and self-absorbed "CEO" who is enjoying his ultimately brief moment in the sun after toiling in obscurity for years as an itinerant handyman.

We learned a lot over the three-day removal hearing. We learned that Martin has no managerial skills. We learned that Martin has no people skills. We learned that Martin is not the least bit bright. We learned that Martin will throw even his most loyal toadies "under the bus" to save himself. Most of all, we learned that Martin wouldn't recognize the truth if it jumped up and chewed out the seat of his pants.

Martin did have the high-priced whore Toad McMurty to serve as his hatchet man. Lucky for Shorty. But better than that? Martin had struck improper deals with outgoing Councilmembers Mike Pope and Jim Noll to ignore the evidence and the law.

Don't you agree that it is most fitting that Martin's temporary reprieve was delivered-in part-by a State Senate candidate who was seen dressed in only his underwear in an elementary school parking lot while running forty minutes late for the removal hearing? We certainly do.

Twelve days until the election. How much worse is it going to get? Our prediction? A whole lot worse.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The Martin Chronicles has now welcomed far more than 70,000 unique visits. Given the upcoming council election and what will surely be a tumultuous next two years, the sky is the limit.]

DAY THREE: Collusion Wins The Day

The Martin Chronicles is fairly sure you were not surprised by last night's results. Despite the fact that Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin was found GUILTY on virtually all of the charges preferred against him, he was not removed from office. Why? Because the deals he cut with Councilmen Mike Pope and Jim Noll held.

Sources close to the situation tell us that it was certainly no slam dunk. Noll agreed that Martin was GUILTY on the three most serious charges. Multiple sources also tell us that Pope expressed deep disgust with Martin's thuggish handling of Interim City Clerk Sue Bree. But in the final analysis, both Noll and Pope held their noses and voted "no" to removal.

Do we believe our sources? Yes, we certainly do. Why? Because both Pope and Noll have revealed their total lack of faith in the malfeasant Martin and his corrupt agenda by doing what? Walking away. It is the ultimate sign that they both have had more than enough of Martin's misdeeds.

For those of you who either attended or watched last night's wrap-up, you know it got off to an "unusual", forty-minute-late start. Jim Noll was a "no-show". A sheriff was dispatched to round up the now-State Senate candidate. Noll was seen in the River Ridge Elementary parking lot dressed only in his underwear. For clarification, he was changing his clothes. Someone should have told him they have a bathroom inside the building.

Phil Taliaferro did a solid job throughout the three-day hearing. The facts he laid before the jury were devastating. The testimony he elicited from witnesses was shocking. Who would have guessed that Interim City Clerk Sue Bree would say that Martin threw her "under the bus" with his two-months-late reprimand?

But we always knew the outcome because the fix was in. The good news? Residents have now heard more than Martin's phony version of events. He was found GUILTY of MISCONDUCT and NEGLECT OF DUTY. But as they had agreed weeks ago, Pope and Noll delivered on their promise to ignore the evidence and verdicts.

Martin's attorney Toad McMurtry egged Martin on into making wild claims that Chief Dan Goodenough  is "a liar", Detective Joe Schutzman "planted evidence", Clerk Kim Robbins "has it out" for Shorty, the Civil Service Board is to blame for Martin's abject inability to hire a competent City Clerk and that four councilpeople were simply "out to get" the malfeasant mayor. His corruption and incompetence were irrelevant.

So what happens next? We suspect that as soon as today Martin and his obese hillbilly lynchmob will be tramping door-to-door campaigning for Dale Schaber, Mary Koenig, Holly B. Isenhour-Menninger, Brian Wischer and perhaps even Jim Cahill. But unlike their 2010 disgrace, these hayseeds should be prepared for their lies to be pushed back hard.

We also expect that-to use Toad McMurtry's rude and inappropriate term-the baboons from the civic club will be telling anyone and everyone who will listen that Martin is "da man". Our sources will be listening to the hillbilly banter of Dead Pecker's Row and provide us with full reports. It will be priceless.

But the pre-determined decisions of Pope and Noll will also have serious consequences for the residents of Villa Hills. Their collusion has unleashed the lawlessness of the Little Man from Norwood.

We will be watching.

DAY TWO: It's The ACCESS, Stupid!

The Martin Chronicles watched Day Two of malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's removal hearing with great interest. Man oh man oh man. So much to report. So little time.

Where to begin? Let's first take on the mendacious Martin and his attorney Toad McMurtry's obviously-coming claim that the Villa Hills police and Shorty's enemies on council "planted" evidence in the burned and shredded documents.

That wacky theory was blown to pieces last night. How so?

First, Public Works Director Derrick Yelton provided unchallenged testimony that only Martin, Sue Bree, MARY HARDMAN and Cordelia Schaber have ACCESS to the City file room, Sue Bree's office, Martin's office and the City Clerk's office. You read that right. Only THOSE four have keys-and therefore access- to the rooms where the records are kept.

Second, Special Counsel submitted Open Records requests for several documents that had been recovered from the January 5, 2012 "records barbecue". Special Counsel received a letter from Sue Bree a few days later stating that "the City does not have those documents in its possession". So what does that mean? It means that those documents recovered from the fire were originals. And, it means that they were originals that nobody but Martin, Sue Bree, MARY HARDMAN and Cordelia Schaber had access to.

Are you still with us? If so, you now understand that nobody is setting up Shorty. It means that there absolutely were original documents illegally destroyed on January 5, 2012. It also means that only Martin, Sue Bree, MARY HARDMAN and/or Cordelia Schaber can be responsible for the illegal destruction of those documents. No one else. Only them. QED.

Speaking of Interim City Clerk Sue Bree, what a performance last night. She went from smug resentment to weepy terror in a matter of about twenty minutes. It is rare when an employee learns of the details of her reprimand on live television. But that was Sue Bree's fate last night.

Here is that timeline. Martin was charged with neglect of duty for failing to reprimand Sue Bree for her various shortcomings and failures. Martin dropped a reprimand on Bree a few days after being charged. Sue Bree testified that she refused to read and sign her reprimand. She further testified that Martin told her the reprimand was for her July "personal" document shred.

Boy, was Bree surprised when Special Counsel read her reprimand into the record. She was reprimanded for far more than her "personal" document shred. Want an example? Bree was reprimanded for "repeatedly" violating Martin's directives to obey the State Open Records statutes.

Bree was obviously shocked by the extreme-and previously unknown-details of her reprimand. She went so far as to testify that she believes that Martin "threw her under the bus".  

All of this begs yet another, related discussion. Let's see if we have this straight. Martin suspends Clerk Kim Robbins for two weeks without pay AND publicly humiliates her with a press release detailing her PERSONAL PROBLEMS. Social network postings even indicate that Martin improperly shared the details of this employees' PERSONAL PROBLEMS with loyal members of his hillbilly lynchmob. So far, so good?

Then last night we learned that Martin sheepishly slipped a reprimand into Sue Bree's file-that he didn't make her read or sign-FOR WHAT SHORTY DESCRIBED AS "REPEATED" VIOLATIONS OF STATE LAW. Does anybody outside of the BABOONS-to use Toad McMurtry's insulting description of a Villa Hills police officer- at the Civic Club think that makes the remotest bit of sense?

No matter that Martin claims to have secured the support of Councilmen Mike Pope and Jim Noll even before any evidence was presented or testimony heard. No matter what happens, Martin is a PROVEN corrupt and incompetent clown.

DAY ONE: Who's Tweeting That?

The Martin Chronicles watched the first night of Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's removal hearing with great interest. With the exception of a smattering of Martin's hillbilly lynchmob who were in attendance, the audience was paying close attention to the proceedings. Here is some of what they saw.

The malfeasant Martin is either one of the dumbest people on the planet or the most corrupt mayor in Kentucky's storied history of corrupt mayors. The Martin Chronicles chooses "C"-All of the above. In the grand tradition of the Watergate burglars, Martin repeatedly claimed he didn't recall key elements of his misconduct and neglect of duty. It also became quite clear that Martin has little or no interest in real governance or leadership but instead focuses on petty, vindictive politics. His face turned so red at one point that an attendee called for "a bus".

Defense attorney Toad McMurtry clearly knows he has been dealt a horrible hand representing the malfeasant Martin. He was also shockingly ill-prepared. Other observations? It is clear that Special Counsel Phil Taliaferro's style gets under McMurtry's skin. It is equally clear that McMurtry plans to roll out that tired, old Martin defense of the massive conspiracy to "get Shorty". Here is the key question. How can any reasonable person believe that police officers who have decades of experience and councilpeople with professional backgrounds would risk their careers, reputations, pensions and even freedom in some clandestine attempt to discredit an unintelligent, itinerant, "shoddy-at-best" handyman? It makes no sense. No "reasonable doubt" is created by such a ridiculous claim. None whatsoever.

Special Counsel Phil Taliaferro was superb. While some in Martin's hillbilly lynchmob found Taliaferro's performance "hilarious", there is nothing "hilarious" about the mess that the malfeasant Martin has created in Villa Hills through his misconduct and neglect of duty. After strutting to the witness stand giving "test pilot" thumbs-ups and winks, Martin became visibly upset as Taliaferro's questions closed a tight circle around Shorty. In the end, the megalomaniacal Martin had clearly "crashed and burned".

Temporary Clerk MARY HARDMAN is one scary dude. The malfeasant Martin has been claiming for months that MARY HARDMAN was brought in to assist with tax season. MARY HARDMAN exposed that Martin LIE, testifying that Shorty brought her in to spend several months organizing the paper piles on the unattended City Clerk's desk. Then she decided to defy Kentucky statute by illegally burning and shredding documents. MARY HARDMAN's justification? She read a book that told her absolutely every possible thing she could ever want to know about being a City Clerk that said it was okay. That begs a question. Has Interim City Clerk Sue Bree ever even bothered to page through that book?

Public Works employee Scott Smith's testimony about a mountain of shredded documents was devastating to Martin and Bree's wild claim that the Interim City Clerk was simply shredding outdated copies of her Atkin's Diet recipes.

Potentially the most explosive news? Witnesses say Jim Noll was busy inattentively playing with his hand-held device all night long. FOX 19 News has also broken a story that a Villa Hills councilman posted a tweet that he would not vote to remove Martin no matter how damning the evidence. If Noll did indeed post such a tweet, Taliaferro, McMurtry and Judge Foellger need to have a serious discussion before tonight's proceeding begins.

Here's Our Questions

The Martin Chronicles suspects that malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's removal hearing will actually begin tonight. We are told that Martin will be the first witness. The staff has an over/under going on what percentage of the questions Martin will answer truthfully. Our regular readers will know that our staff doesn't expect much in the way of anything resembling the truth from Martin tonight. Or ever.

Just for fun we thought we'd ask some questions of our own.

For Mike Martin: You were quoted in the media this morning saying that "there are two sides to every story". So then why have you waited so long to tell your story? How do you justify the tens of thousands of dollars you have wasted by your year-long stone-walling and delay?

For Janet Martin: You have become infamous for pushing all kinds of wacky conspiracy theories and filing false police reports. Does your husband fill your head with all of his paranoid nonsense or do you come up with the mean-spirited nuttiness all on your own? In short, are you another victim of your husband's endless lies or just another dishonest perpetrator?

For Cordelia Schaber: You have continued to collect $47.50 per hour of taxpayer money for almost a year since you say you resigned as Martin's crony-hire clerk/bookkeeper. Do you really believe you are that hard to replace or is this just another taxpayer-funded Martin rip-off?

For council candidate Jim Cahill: Our sources tell us that you called others to warn about and apologize for your name being included in a "We support Martin's malfeasance so vote for us" flyer that was circulated this past weekend. Why didn't you just tell the organizers of the "We support Martin's malfeasance so vote for us" flyer not to use your name. Do you support Martin's malfeasance? Or, are you just too gutless to take a stand?

For Commonwealth Attorney Rob Sanders: Our court house snitches tell us that you are running like a scalded cat from the legal problems of two Kenton County mayors. We read your silly, chest-beating "I'm a tough-guy lawman" e-mail every week and it begs an obvious question. Why don't you pursue elected officials with the same vigor as you smack around helpless eighteen year-old African-American crack addicts?

For Martin's attorney Toad McMurtry: Oddly, we run in some of the same circles as you do Toad. We know that you have privately expressed concern about the person you will be defending tonight. So, how does it feel to be a high-priced whore?

For council candidate Dale Schaber: For those who don't know, you are Martin's co-defendant in a SLANDER, LIBEL and DEFAMATION lawsuit because you foolishly accused a City employee of theft in writing. Is there any truth to the rumor that you are running for council in hopes that the taxpayers will have to pick up the tab for the cost of your high-priced attorney Steve Wolnitzek?

For council candidate Mary Koening: We watched you toss rancid red meat to the hillbillies at the rig-job Civic Club candidate forum last week. You do realize that a city council-even one overflowing with members of Martin's hillbilly lynchmob-has no authority to pass an ordinance that is in direct violation of Kentucky Revised Statutes, don't you?

For outgoing (Thank the Great Spirit) councilmembers Mike Pope and Jim Noll: Mike Martin, Mary Koening and others have been quite forceful about what they claim is a fact that there are not six votes to remove Shorty. One can safely assume they are referring to you. What secret deals have you made with Martin in exchange for your "no" vote to removal no-matter-the-evidence?

Yes, we know. These ne'er-do-wells and gutless pinheads will never answer the preceding questions. But we just had to ask them.

Send Lawyers, Guns And Money

The Martin Chronicles has been receiving all manner of information from its wide net of sources as the clock ticks down to the beginning of Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's removal hearing that begins Monday evening. We thought we would share some of these morsels as we head in to what may be a wild weekend.

Many observers believe Martin has at least one more outrageous stunt to pull to prevent the start of the hearing. The top prediction? That either Martin announces he has fired attorney Toad McMurtry or Toad McMurtry announces that he has resigned as Martin's attorney. If either one of those things happen Shorty will plead for more time. The long shot prediction? A few believe that Martin may fake his own death and move to Eastern Kentucky to earn a living as an itinerant handyman.

Local pundits are concerned that Special Counsel Phil Taliaferro will deliver another way-too-folksy performance at the removal hearing. The strong evidence of Martin's misconduct swamped Taliaferro's "aw shucks" April 30 presentation. How do we know that? The media reports revealed Martin for the corrupt, incompetent clown that he is.

But the removal hearing is different. Toad McMurtry-assuming he is still representing Shorty on Monday-will throw bucket fulls of nonsense against the wall in an attempt to deflect attention away from Martin's misconduct and neglect of duty. Talaiferro needs to avoid any more pointless trips down memory lane, recounting how Shorty once sent him a love letter. Nobody cares that Martin goes to Haiti or left church early to unclog some pinhead's toilet. This is serious stuff. Talaferro needs to treat it that way. Because Toad McMurtry certainly will.

Our sources in Frankfort report that Martin is continuing his intimidation of witnesses. His latest gambit? Shorty has advised the employees that he will not pay them for their time at the removal hearing.  The Kentucky Labor Board takes a drastically different view. Shorty will most likely be hearing from them-yet again-very soon.

Given the loudmouth Janet Martin's penchant for pushing all manner of off-the-wall conspiracy theory to explain away her corrupt husband's misconduct, look for some more wingnut, black helicopter stuff. One source who's predictions have been right on the money throughout Martin's Reign of Error is convinced that Martin and Toad McMurtry will claim that the Villa Hills police and Shorty's enemies on council faked the entire document destruction charge.

That wild claim will prove interesting. Why? Because Martin has already blamed MARY HARDMAN for the January records roast and claims Sue Bree was simply shredding her old Atkin's Diet recipes back in July. So now the story changes to a massive conspiracy to once again get Shorty?  Martin now maintains that the records destruction charge is "slander that hasn't been proven yet". He's partially right. It hasn't been proven yet.

We also hear that residents become quite upset when they learn that Shorty has yet another lawsuit against the taxpayers. You remember that Martin, through attorney Toad McMurtry, filed a suit against you a couple of weeks ago.

One wag quipped that he guesses that's what the hayseeds and ridge-runners mean when they place a "Mayor Martin We Support You" sign in their front yard. Our quipster laughed, "They support Shorty alright. They are paying for the cost of defending Martin's lawsuits against them. They are paying for the cost of attorney Bobby Winters and Martin's DEFAMATION of and RETALIATION against a City employee. Heck, Martin even wants the taxpayers to support him by paying for attorney Toad McMurtry. The problem is that all of us are being forced to support Shorty".

Whether we want to or not.

He Wouldn't Survive Voir Dire

The Martin Chronicles laughs when we hear all of the various and sundry bizarre conspiracy theories being pushed by Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin, his mouthy wife Janet and the rest of Shorty's hillbilly lynchmob. All of their lunatic fringe ramblings begin with the false premise that the looming removal hearing is nothing more than the culmination of two years of councilmembers upset that Martin won the election. These wingnuts gloss over the FACT that the removal hearing IS the direct result of all of the Martin misconduct and neglect of duty that took place AFTER the election. That is why so many other people are now unhappy that Shorty won the election.

A REAL conspiracy was finally openly discussed at last night's monthly council meeting. A resident finally publicly addressed the FACT that the mouthy Janet Martin IS assisting councilmember Jim Noll's State Senate campaign. Noll and Mr. and Mrs. Shorty were stone-faced.

Sources have confirmed that Noll admits to Mrs. Shorty's door-to-door assistance in an e-mail. His admission wouldn't matter anyway. Our entire staff has watched the video that provides clear evidence of the mouthy Janet Martin delivering Noll's campaign propaganda.

Here's the problem. Jim Noll will be sitting on a jury charged with evaluating evidence against the mouthy Janet Martin's husband beginning this coming Monday night. Jim Noll is totally compromised. Jim Noll is completely conflicted out. Any decision Jim Noll makes during the upcoming removal hearing is suspect forevermore.

Remember, the malfeasant Martin unsuccessfully sued the taxpayers of Villa Hills to stop the removal hearing. Judge Patricia Summe made it abundantly clear to Martin and his attorney Todd McMurtry that city council's plan for the removal hearing was more than fair. Judge Summe advised Martin and McMurty that the proceeding had the full weight and legitimacy of any other court.

Would any other court allow someone to sit on the jury if that "someone" was working with the mouthy wife of the defendant? Especially if that mouthy wife was providing an important service to the potential juror? Of course not. It wouldn't even be a close call.

The residents of Villa Hills are becoming increasingly aware of Jim Nolls' horrible judgment. Noll should take himself out of the removal hearing. If he doesn't, the judge should remove him from the jury.

You are getting EXACTLY what you voted for.

No Surprises

The Martin Chronicles had it right on the money. As we predicted Monday, last night's Villa Hills Civic Club "candidate forum" was nothing more than a redneck rally for malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin. We won't know until Tuesday, November 6 if the stacked deck that was Tuesday's audience comes close to representing the majority view of voters.

There were some really juicy moments. Mrs. Martin asked a question that reveals she is completely consumed with nutty paranoia. We are going to save an entire post for her latest wingnut conspiracy theory. Wait? Do you hear that? The black helicopters are here! Run!!!

Snout-in-the-trough, $47.50-per-hour-crony-hire, still-clerk/bookkeeper-even-though-she-says-she-resigned-a-year-ago, wife-of-hillbilly-council-candidate-Dale Cordelia Schaber once again entertained the thumb-sucking throng with her pointless, multi-part questions. The best part? This is the same pinhead who refused to answer any questions when she ran for council in 2008. Hilarious.

One attendee began questioning the "character" of the incumbent council members. We wonder if this questioner has any qualms about Martin's perpetual LYING, property destruction, records destruction, witness intimidation, contempt of court, jury tampering, evidence tampering and obstruction of justice? No, we really don't wonder.

We also love the fact that people questioned the cost of the investigation. But we wonder if they will ever figure out that the current councilmembers are not responsible for that cost. Martin could have ended this more than a year ago by simply answering the legitimate questions that have been raised. It is Martin's stone-walling that has cost the taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars. Why can't he simply tell the truth? The answer to that should be obvious.

Not surprisingly, Martin's step-daughter once again falsely pawned herself off as a Villa Hills resident to ask her loaded questions. So dishonest. So pernicious. So phony. So Martin.

One of the best moments? Former council viper Mary Koening offered up a proposal that caused the ridge-runners and rubes to burst into applause. So what did the Rhine Maiden who brought us Steve Clark and the firing of Corky Brown propose this time? She is going to push for an ordinance that prohibits any future investigations of the mayor.

One small problem with Fraulein Koenig's proposal. City ordinances cannot supersede Kentucky Revised Statutes. That would be illegal. That would also be perfectly fine with Martin and his entourage.

Thank God it's over.

For Immediate Release?

The Martin Chronicles has known that Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin is both dim-witted and corrupt for a long time. There are now signs that we can add unstable to that already dreadful description.

How else can one explain the bizarre press release Martin sent out on October 11? In it, Martin recklessly reveals confidential employee information that has either already been dispensed with in the courts or has yet to be adjudicated. This foolhardy-and actionable-release of information could-in fact, should-precipitate yet another lawsuit.

We will allow Martin's weird words to speak for themselves first, including his endless run-on sentences, misspellings and-more dangerous to the taxpayers-his endless run-on mouth. Then we'll offer a few observations.

Brace yourself.

 __________________________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Press Release

October 11, 2012

From the Office of the Mayor of Villa Hills, Kentucky

I was alarmed to learn that the Kenton County Police recently arrested one of our City employees. The arrest occurred right in front of the Villa Hills City Building. The charge pending against this employee is serious, involves an allegation of fraud against the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and is subject to further proceedings in the court system.  After the arrest, I investigated the matter and learned about another matter that occurred over the summer, where the same employee was charged with terroristic threatening, among other charges, after telling a Kenton County police officer that there was a bullet waiting for him. The employee, likewise, on several occasions in the course of that encounter, attempted to use her position with the City of Villa Hills with the Kenton County Police Officer to get out of the situation she was in, including informing the Officer that she worked for the Mayor of Villa Hills and Police Chief Dan Goodenough.  After reviewing all of the evidence, I felt it warranted further review by the Villa Hills Civil Service Commission. My responsibility as Mayor is to ensure that the City operations and assets which are entrusted daily to this employee, are appropriately safeguarded. Based upon my investigation, I suspended this employee without pay pending review by the Commission.

After conducting a hearing and hearing the evidence, the Civil Service Commission unanimously agreed with my assessment. The Commission suspended the employee for two weeks without pay. I fully support the decision.

America is a place of second chances and so is the City of Villa Hills. We will move forward. However, my political opponents, through their attorney, apparently seek t turn this straightforward employment decision into a political issue. It is not. My governing philosophy has been and will be to run the City of Villa Hills for the benefit of our citizens. I initiated this employment action out of concern for our citizens, and with good cause. In any City, I would expect action to be taken. The Civil Service Commission confirmed the good cause and dispensed justice. We should put this behind us and move forward.
__________________________________________________________________________

Whoa, Nellie! No mental problems there. What possible good could be accomplished by sending out such a peculiar press release? Is Martin trying to goad the employee into suing? Good grief.

For the record, the "fraud against the Commonwealth" that Martin recklessly writes about deals with the receipt of about $900 in unemployment checks after the employee started working for the City. Our sources tell us that an arrest is "extremely rare" for such an-as yet unproven-offense. That is why several suspect that someone in the highest levels of Kenton County government is assisting Martin in his ruthless vendetta against the suspended employee. We bet you can guess which bilious blowhard our sources suspect.

When will Martin send out a press release condemning now-State Senate Candidate Jim Noll for his failure to report the income he was receiving from his home-based business, as a Villa Hills councilman and as a high school sports referee all while collecting unemployment compensation? The Unemployment Office sent inquiries to the Villa Hills City Building about Noll's-to use Martin's own words-"fraudulent" receipt of unemployment checks. Will a Kenton County police officer arrest Jim Noll? Insiders now suspect that these Unemployment Office inquiries were among the reams of documents illegally burned and shredded by Martin.

Yes, we know. Martin still has some use for Noll. Remember the suspected jury tampering? Nothing will happen until after the removal hearing. Perhaps we may now know one of the reasons Shorty is confident when he says, "They don't have the votes!"

It is also important to note that the Civil Service Board did not agree with Martin. Not surprisingly, Martin is LYING about that. Martin-through his taxpayer-funded attorney Bobby Winters-said they wanted "TERMINATION". If this employee is as dangerous as Martin defames-er, uh-describes-in his pernicious press release, how can she possibly be allowed to return to work-EVER?

Look at the crazy picture the malevolent Martin has painted. According to Shorty, this depraved employee was arrested "right in front of the City Building". Does that somehow make the arrest worse? Would it have been better if law enforcement had contacted her and advised her a warrant had been issued? You know, like what happened when Chief Goodenough extended that courtesy to Martin when he had an arrest warrant issued against him for forgery?

He has an employee he claims threatened a law enforcement officer with gun violence. A two-week suspension? Seriously? What would have happened if the employee had actually brandished a gun at the officer? A three-week suspension? Suppose she had detonated a low-yield nuclear bomb. Maybe Martin would really crack down then with a full 30-day suspension. C'mon man.

Sources tell us that Martin "ran the letter past three attorneys" before he sent it out. Really? Who were they? Larry, Curly and Moe? If they endorsed Martin's latest insanity they should stop practicing law. We do know of one attorney who knew nothing about the press release. That would be City Attorney Mike Duncan.

There is also the serious matter of the ridge-running hillbillies who have been posting the particulars of the employee's problems on Facebook. How did they know? Who told them? The Martin Chronicles has learned that these half-baked hayseeds are going to get the opportunity to reveal the source of that information-under oath. What will their answer be? "Mayor Martin-We Support You"? We'll see soon enough.  

FOX19's news site ran with Martin's story on October 11. Not surprisingly, our "10 O'Clock News" friends incorrectly reported that the employee was arrested that day. Now that it has been posted forever more on the Internet, the employee has been severely damaged by the mendacious Martin. But hey, he left church early one day to unclog someone's toilet. And he goes to Haiti.

Consider this. Martin's DEFAMATION makes it extremely difficult for this poor employee to find another job. Thirty more years of work at, say, $40-$50K a year plus the cost of benefits plus punitive damages. Martin's foolish press release has created yet another seven-figure exposure for the taxpayers.

You are getting what you voted for.

Candidate Forum Sham?

The Martin Chronicles can see it coming from a thousand miles away. The redneck rodeo laughingly called a “Candidate Forum” will be held tomorrow night at that rat’s nest equally laughingly referred to as a “civic club”.

Look, we understand. There are a number of people who keep trying-in vain-to make the Villa Hills Civic Club what it used to be. What it should be. But plunging membership rolls and the return of red flags that were waving before their huge embezzlement scandal of a few years ago serve notice that those good people’s efforts have been largely unsuccessful.

Why? Because the low-life members of what is derisively referred to as “Dead Pecker’s Row” park their wide bottoms and flat heads at the bar virtually every night. They make others feel extremely unwelcome and uncomfortable. That is unless these “newbies” are willing to swear a blood oath to Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin.

So Tuesday night will be a hayseed hoedown overstocked with fanatical members of Martin’s now-infamous hillbilly lynchmob. They will cheer Martin’s chief lieutenant-and co-defendant in a LIBEL, SLANDER and DEFAMATION lawsuit-Dale Schaber when he makes phony calls for “civility. They will erupt in applause when the dreadful Mary Koenig complains about the money spent on the Special Counsel investigation. This despite the fact that the cost is entirely Martin’s fault. Brian Wischer and Jim Cahill will both do their best imitation of Rodney King, cloyingly asking why everyone can't just get along. Heck, these hillbillies will most likely cheer when Holly B. Isenhour-Menninger once again calls the Villa Hills police “a bunch of Nazis”.

How will we know if the audience is not a set-up? What clues would reveal that this event is more than a phony rally for the mendacious Martin? When council candidates are asked if they "support Martin", the correct answer should be that they "SUPPORT GETTING THE TRUTH".

More clues of a true forum? Perhaps if we heard some questions like this.

·         What do you think of Martin’s illegal destruction of City property?

·         What do you think of Martin’s illegal-and ongoing-destruction of City records?

·         What do you think of Martin’s unethical misuse of City personnel and resources?

·         Does it bother you that Martin did nothing to stop the persistent sexual harassment of a City employee by now-State Senate candidate Jim Noll?

·         What do you think of Martin’s witness intimidation evidenced by his enraged phone call to Special Counsel and his unconstitutional executive order?

·         What do you think of Martin’s contempt for a court order to stop destroying City records handed out by Judge Patricia Summe?

·         What do you think of Martin’s overt jury tampering?

·         What do you think of Martin’s reckless release of a press statement designed to defame a City employee who has dared to tell the truth?

But we won’t hear those questions. No, it will be phony whining about witch hunts and a council that is sore because Martin won the election. It will be Martin's relatives FALSELY portraying themselves as residents of Villa Hills-as they did in the 2010 sham. Why is that? Because Martin and his hillbilly entourage only know dirtbag, Norwood-style “justice”. They also know that Martin cannot allow the removal hearing to be held before the council election.

Welcome to Martinville.

How DOES He Do It?

The Martin Chronicles has been listening to Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin LIE, LIE, LIE, LIE, LIE and then LIE some more about virtually every issue that surfaces. For those who have known Martin for a long time, Shorty's non-stop LYING is no surprise. For the uninitiated, it has obviously been a little tough to wrap their heads around.

Our publisher had lunch with an old friend a couple of days ago. While this friend lives far away from Villa Hills, he has seen almost all of the recent news reports. And, it was very easy for him to come to the obvious conclusion that Martin is both incompetent and corrupt. Our publisher says his friend was amazed that in virtually every media report he has seen at least one Villa Hills resident says, "I just don't see what the big deal is." The friend went so far as to ask our publisher if Martin is putting a hallucinogenic in the City's water supply. Hmmmm.

Martin has been caught in yet another LIE (this has become far easier than shooting fish in a barrel). What has Shorty LIED about this time? Well, Martin's thick-headed stone-walling has delayed the Special Counsel's investigation for many, many, many unnecessary months. Martin's stalling has cost the taxpayers a fortune.

Martin has been LYING to council and Special Counsel, often telling them all that his attorney had advised him to make no statements. We have now learned that was another Martin LIE. Why? Because Martin didn't have an attorney.

So how do we know this? That's easy. The attorney he finally hired-Todd McMurtry-told us so himself in a recent news article. In case you have forgotten, Martin and McMurtry also want YOU to pick up his legal bills. How about that?

We have another question before we sign off. Did you read the Community Recorder article about Martin's alleged retaliation against an employee who is cooperating with Special Counsel? If you haven't, you certainly should.

Remember, Martin made several charges against the employee. The employee then requested a Civil Service Board hearing. Martin used YOUR money to hire yet another City Attorney-Bobby Winters- to handle the hearing. And then? Martin decided to deny the employee due process by ducking the Civil Service Board hearing. 

So here is our question. We read that Martin was in the council chambers to set up before the Civil Service Board hearing. We read that Martin was in the council chambers to clean up after the Civil Service Board hearing.

So then why couldn't Martin stay during the meeting to allow the employee her constitutionally-guaranteed right to face her accuser?

Even More Friday Fallout

The Martin Chronicles almost feels sorry for Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's attorney Todd McMurtry. Almost. But not quite. Yes, he has picked up a real sack of (EXPLETIVE) client in Martin. But putting that sack of (EXPLETIVE) into his basket of clients was McMurtry's own decision.

So what else did we learn from Friday's court hearing? You know. Martin and McMurtry's failed attempt to derail Shorty's removal hearing. We learned that Judge Summe is very displeased with Martin's flagrant disregard for her April 26 order to cease destroying City records.

Getting tossed in the clink for contempt of court would be bad for Martin. Being charged with tampering with physical evidence would be far worse. When did that happen? Perhaps we should look at the governing Kentucky Revised Statute.

524.100 Tampering with physical evidence.
(1) A person is guilty of tampering with physical evidence when, believing that an official proceeding is pending or may be instituted, he:
(a) destroys, mutilates, conceals, removes or alters physical evidence which he believes is about to be produced or used in the official proceeding with intent to impair its verity or availability in the official proceeding.

Let's take this one first. When might this have happened? How about January 5, 2012? That was the day when a truck load of City records was burned. Well, at least most of that truck load. Some documents were recovered. Suppose some of those documents were related to a pending court case that was entering the discovery phase? Why, that sounds a lot like KRS 524.100 (1) (a).

Let's look at more of the statute.

(b) Fabricates any physical evidence with intent that it be introduced in the official proceeding or offers any physical evidence, knowing it to be fabricated or altered.

Hello? What's this? Suppose a witness is prepared to come forward testifying that they were part of a January 6, 2012 meeting that also included the mayor, the interim city clerk and the temporary clerk? What if a document was cooked up at that meeting that falsely claimed to list all of the City records that were burned the day before? Suppose the mayor presented that document at a public meeting as the official listing of the City records that were burned on January 5? Why that sounds a whole lot like what's being described in KRS 524.100 (1) (b).

Yeah. We know. Some pinhead will say, "What's the big deal about burning some papers?" We would say that KRS 524.100 (2) explains what the big deal is.

(2) Tampering with physical evidence is a Class D felony.

Yup. 1 to 5 years in prison. Now that is a big (EXPLETIVE) deal.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The Martin Chronicles is developing a list of Kenton County City Attorneys Martin HAS NOT hired with YOUR MONEY. The list keeps getting shorter every day.]

Norwood "Justice"

The Martin Chronicles sometimes isn't entirely sure whether we are reporting on events in malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's Villa Hills or Fidel Castro's Cuba. Both "superiors" clearly believe that the rules apply to everyone else-but not to them.

Even if you just consider Martin's recent foray into witness intimidation, it should be enough to shock you. Unconstitutional executive orders. Threatening employee's livelihoods for doing nothing more than cooperating with a duly-authorized investigation. Dreadful stuff.

But wait. There's more. There was a Civil Service Board hearing in Villa Hills last night. Why? An employee was challenging Martin's unpaid suspension and looming termination. Martin made several charges against the employee. We will let you decide whether or not the fact that this employee is scheduled to testify at Shorty's upcoming removal hearing is in any way relevant.

Here's the worst part. One of the basic principles of the American justice system is found in the Sixth Amendment to the US Constitution. And that is? We all have the right to face our accusers.

Why is that relevant to last night's Civil Service Board hearing? Because Martin didn't even bother to show up. He didn't have the decency to offer proof of the charges he has made against the employee. No, Park Hills' City Attorney Bobby Winters was there allegedly representing Martin-at the taxpayers' expense. But not "the superior". We aren't sure where Shorty was. But we do know where he should have been.

Social media provides more evidence of Martin's brand of redneck retaliation. Gun-toting wingnuts are posting specifics about the charges against the employee. Here is a great question. How in the (EXPLETIVE) do these vine-swinging hayseeds know anything about the details of the charges? Employee matters are confidential. Who is breaching that confidentiality? Sources tell us these posting hillbillies will have the chance to answer that question-under oath.

Then there is a possible appearance of jury tampering. What's that all about? Well, Shorty's wife Janet has been seen by dozens of people going door-to-door passing out "Jim Noll For State Senate" literature. Yes, the same Jim Noll who will soon be sitting on the jury evaluating the evidence against Janet Martin's husband. Man, oh man.

At the very least this potential conflict of interest reveals Noll's very, very poor judgment. It also reveals that Noll is oblivious to the fact that Janet Martin values the State Senate candidate roughly as much as she values a wad of toilet paper. Much like the toilet paper, once Noll has served the Martins-he will be flushed.

NEWS FLASH: How Many Attorneys Should You Be Paying For?

The Martin Chronicles is going to need a scorecard to keep up with all of the attorneys Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin has hired-at your expense. Add to that the whopping Special Counsel legal bill that Martin's "dodge, dip, duck, dive and dodge" has created and the taxpayers are stuck with a way-past-six-figure-fiasco.

First, we have veteran Villa Hills City Attorney Mike Duncan. Martin has used the heck out of Duncan. In fact, the City Attorney is about 700% OVER BUDGET.

Then Martin hired Ft. Wright City Attorney Todd McMurtry to represent him in his failed attempt to derail Shorty's removal hearing. Martin and McMurtry are pushing hard to stick the taxpayers with that bill.

Now Martin has hired Park Hills City Attorney Bobby Winters to represent him in a Civil Service matter. Our sources tell us that Martin has mishandled the termination of an employee so badly that a Federal lawsuit is coming.

We have also heard that City employees are strongly considering filing a Class Action lawsuit against Martin and others. Outgoing Counciljerk Mike Pope may want to re-listen to his Civil Service diatribe from last month's council meeting. They may turn out to be the costliest words he has ever spoken.

Further Friday Fallout

The Martin Chronicles heads in to its second year of blogging about the most corrupt mayoral administration in Northern Kentucky history under a full head of steam. The fallout from Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike "the superior" Martin and his attorney Todd McMurtry's failed attempt to derail the much-needed removal hearing continues to rain down.

Martin was told that he could be arrested for contempt of court at any moment. Why? Because Shorty recklessly thumbed his nose at the April 26 order from Judge Patricia Summe not to destroy any more City records. The good news is that no arrest is likely to occur until after the removal hearing that begins on Monday, October 22. The public has the right to know the truth. An arrest of Martin before the hearing would delay that truth.

Martin and McMurtry were also dead wrong about the validity of City Council's subpoenas. If Martin, Bree and/or Hardman fail to comply with the subpoenas, they will be in contempt of court. All three could be arrested. We are told that Interim City Clerk Sue Bree was informed about the judge's ruling on the subpoenas on Friday afternoon. We are also told Bree called in sick Monday.

Hey, we know. Martin, Bree and Hardman will all likely invoke their Fifth Amendment rights. That's okay. It will be hilarious to see all three launch in to the "On the advice of my attorney, I respectfully decline to answer any questions on the grounds that I may incriminate myself".

What will the gum-chomping gun-toters and other psychos say then? Let's guess. A witch hunt? Council is just upset because their guy didn't win the election? Look at all the money that has been spent (leaving out the part that the cost is ALL MARTIN'S FAULT)? Even poor Todd McMurtry tried trotting out those worn-out ditties at the Friday's hearing. Poor McMurtry. He grabbed the (EXPLETIVE) end of the stick when he took on Martin as a client.

Friday brought more shocking turns of event. We wonder. When was the last time a judge informed City employees that they could file charges against their mayor for Intimidating a participant in a legal process (KRS 524.040)? Our guess is very rarely. Sources tell us that these charges will be filed at the conclusion of the removal hearing. Only in Martinville.

By the way, thanks to all our readers who have e-mailed and called asking about the penalty for a Class D felony. A conviction for Intimidating a participant in a legal process could lead to a prison sentence of 1 to 5 years.

We've saved the best for last. Martin and McMurtry's failed attempt to derail Shorty's removal hearing probably guaranteed that any potential affirmative vote to remove Martin from office is now virtually "appeal-proof". Why? Because Martin and McMurtry got a legal review and approval of the removal hearing process IN ADVANCE.

What did those two guys in the old Guiness commercials used to say? BRILLIANT!!!!

[EDITOR'S NOTE: 28 days until the election. Martin is banking on the voters electing Dale Schaber, Mary Koening, Holly B. Isenhour-Menninger, Brian Wischer and Jim Cahill to save his sizzling bacon. Will the voters fall for Martin's mendacity yet again? We'll know soon enough.]

Martin Knows EXACTLY What He Is Doing

The Martin Chronicles isn't buying Todd McMurtry's bizarre excuse. His client, Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin, did not have what McMurtry oddly described as a "Mitt Romney moment". If the menacing Martin had any sort of "moment", it was a "Norwood gang banger moment". You see, gang bangers live-and die-by the motto, "if you snitch, I'll kill ya".
 
So what does this all mean? At Friday's hearing,  the judge was none to pleased with Martin's October 3 Executive Order which stated that ". . . no employee . . . shall attend that hearing (Martin's removal hearing) . . . Any employee violating this order will be ordered arrested for trespassing by the Kenton County Sheriff's office".
 
No elected official-even one who routinely describes himself as "the CEO" and "the superior"-has the authority to suspend either the US Constitution or the Kentucky Revised Statutes. It certainly appears that Martin's unconstitutional executive order is designed to scare off the employees who are scheduled to testify at his October 22 removal hearing. And why wouldn't the employees be frightened? One employee has already been arrested while on the job.
 
Layer on to this the comments that have surfaced from Martin's heated exchange with Special Counsel Phil Taliaferro. Taliaferro was at the City Building to talk to the employees as part of the duly-authorized investigation into Mayor Martin's conduct. Remember what Martin said?
 
"No!!! If my employees do not go back to work, and you have told them that, then they will reap the consequences of disobeying a direct order from the superior. Do YOU understand that?
 
Let me just tell you, my employees had better get back to work. I have told one employee already to tell the others to go back to work. And if they do not then we are going to have a mayor issue.
 
No, I am giving them an ultimatum they listen to me and not to you, because you don't run the City."
 
Okay. We get it. Todd McMurtry has stepped in to a pile of dog (EXPLETIVE) taking on Martin as a client. He has to say and do everything he can to save his client. Why else do you think McMurtry and Martin tried so desperately to derail the looming removal hearing?
 
It seems Martin will do anything to keep the truth hidden away. Perhaps even witness intimidation. Let's take a look at the relevant parts of the governing Kentucky Revised Statute.
 
524.040 Intimidating a participant in a legal process.
 
(1) A person is guilty of intimidating a participant in a legal process when, by use of physical force or a threat directed to a person he believes a participant in the legal process, he or she:
(a) Influences, or attempts to influence, the testimony, vote, decision, or opinion of that person;
(b) Induces, or attempts to induce, that person to avoid legal process summoning him or her to testify;
(c) Induces, or attempts to induce, that person to absent himself or herself from an official proceeding to which he has been legally summoned;
(d) Induces, or attempts to induce, that person to withhold a record, document, or other object from an official proceeding;
(e) Induces, or attempts to induce, that person to alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal an object with the intent to impair the object's integrity or availability for use in an official proceeding

McMurty and Martin might claim that-because of their failed attempt to get an injunction-there was no official proceeding set prior to Martin's unconstitutional executive order and phone threats. It matters not.

Why? Because 524.040 (2) (a) goes on to say an official proceeding need not be pending or about to be instituted at the time of the offense.
 
There is one other thing in the statute Martin should remember. 524.040 (3) states Intimidating a participant in the legal process is a Class D felony.
[PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Thank you to all of the readers who have called and written today to congratulate The Martin Chronicles on our FIRST ANNIVERSARY.]