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.
