A Chilling Effect

The Martin Chronicles entire staff has watched the replay of malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin’s March council meeting mayhem multiple times. We have also interviewed a number of people who were in attendance. It seems quite clear that the mismanaging Martin’s inexplicable refusal to allow residents who wanted to address their concerns about the little dictator’s SECRET PLAN TO DISBAND THE VILLA HILLS POLICE DEPARTMENT was the-and here is that term again-ROOT CAUSE of the turmoil that erupted.

It was all avoidable. Had Martin allowed everyone three minutes to speak, thanked them for their input and reminded them that public hearings would be held before any final action is taken, nothing would have gone wrong.

But that reasonable course of action requires common sense. And along with character traits like honesty and integrity, policies and procedures that promote transparency and some coherent management style, common sense has never been part of Martin’s Reign of Error.

The reality? Martin was unnerved by the presence of former council members who he incorrectly believed he had rid himself of in last November’s hillbilly tidal wave. His over-the-top overreaction was proof of that. How dare they attend his council meeting? In Martin’s weird world, these former council people had no right to trespass on his turf. But of course they do. Not because we say so. It is because the law says so. In point of fact, it is a great credit to those former councilmembers and everyone else who attended to voice their concerns that they still care about a city that has careened completely off the tracks.

We recognize that Martin presides over council meetings. The Little CEO is under no legal obligation to allow anyone to speak. But Martin took it well beyond that when he began to threaten to remove people who weren’t willing to take his word for it that he had a legitimate process in place. After all, Martin’s dismal track record of failing to tell the truth time and time and time again makes it very hard to take his word for anything.

We are confirming information from several sources that Martin has doubled-down on his disregard for those who dare oppose him. What has the little fella done now? We are working to secure a copy of an Executive Order Martin has just signed requiring a police presence at all meetings-including his SECRET MEETINGS. Seems reasonable. But it goes well beyond that. Martin’s dictum includes definitions of terms like “riot” and “unlawful assembly”.

Martin has brought on his personal attorney Toad McMurtry to serve as the TAXPAYER-FUNDED City Attorney. Attorneys we have talked to say that they believe McMurtry will be Martin’s hatchet man, throwing around all manner of inflammatory allegations such as, oh, accusing a police officer of “planting evidence” and blaming another police officer for not advising Martin that it wasn’t okay to break the law.

These respected attorneys believe that police officers should be allowed discretion on how to handle any incident. But they also believe McMurtry will possess that discretion and provide cover for Martin’s meetings-telling him who can be removed or even arrested at future council meetings. The purpose? To quiet those who dare challenge Martin.

There is a term some of these attorneys used to describe the purpose of Martin’s Executive Order. It related directly to attempts to stifle the Constitutionally protected freedoms of assembly, petition of government for redress of grievances and speech.

The term? A “chilling effect”.