WEEKENDER: Nice To See They're All Getting Along

The Martin Chronicles feels vindicated. We predicted that there would be absolutely no improvement in malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's Villa Hills after the election of six new council people last fall. The tumult, fear, lawsuits, taxpayer-funded $23,000 bonuses and loathing of the last seven months have provided overwhelming proof that we were correct.

Hey, we don't think we're Nostradamus, Jeanne Dixon or even The Amazing Kreskin (although The Amazing Kreskin is a very cool guy). Anyone who has been paying any attention at all could have figured it out. You see, it wasn't the fault of the council incumbents. Villa Hills is an embarrassing mess for one reason. Yes, you know what's coming. That's because it's true. The root cause of all of Villa Hills' many problems is the corrupt and incompetent Martin.

Martin has proven himself to be a petty low-brow time and time again. It happened again after this week's City Council meeting. Yes, we know you are asking. What did the little jackass do this time? We'll tell you.

Council newcomer Amy Balson has served on the City's Finance Committee since January.  It makes sense. At least everywhere else but in Martin's world. Balson is an accountant by trade after all. Even so, the malevolent Martin pulled her off that committee after Wednesday's Council meeting. Martin said he made the move because he didn't feel she was, "doing an appropriate job in delivering what we need". Is that right? You don't say?

First of all, how ridiculous is it to hear Martin ever talk about the "propriety" of things? This is the guy who operates an unlicensed plumbing and electrical business. This is the guy who was found guilty on seven of nine charges of official misconduct and neglect of duty. This is the guy who had his head handed to him in court for illegally destroying City records. This is the guy who-when its all said and done-may very well be found to be involved in an illegal conspiracy to harm Assistant Police Chief Joe Schutzman. So spare us.

Everyone knows why Martin removed Balson from the Finance Committee. Martin removed her because she dared to ask questions. Balson wanted proper documentation for Martin's $23,000 taxpayer-funded bonus. Balson wanted proper documentation for the $37,000-and-rapidly-climbing-legal bills Martin is racking up. So, Martin-doing his best imitation of a banana republic dictator-pulled her off the committee.

By the way, will somebody please tell Councilman Jim Cahill to stop saying, "This isn't about you" to Martin? Look, Mr. Cahill, the turmoil caused by Martin's radical plan to outsource police protection is all about Martin. The incredibly excessive legal bills the taxpayers are being stuck with are all about Martin. So, what in the hell are you talking about when you say, "This isn't about you"? Of course it is.

Mr. Cahill, please sprout at least some tiny buds. If you don't want to point out the cause of the problems, just don't say anything.

Finally, sources tell us that Martin may veto his budget. Why? As we told you, council voted to amend Martin's putrid proposal by (vainly) capping the amount of money he can piss away on attorneys and lawsuits. Martin is now complaining that his hands have been tied. Hell, the way the little bastard is misusing taxpayer money his wrists ought to be cuffed!

     BREAKING NEWS!

Martin has just filed yet another costly lawsuit (dated 6-27-2013). This is the lawsuit we have been telling you about. Martin does not want the City's duly enacted Civil Service Board to hear the facts in his witch hunt against Assistant Police Chief Joe Schutzman.

Martin is very good at spending the taxpayers money on lawyers and lawsuits.





Random Ramblings

The Martin Chronicles has just a few observations about last night's monthly council meeting held in malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's Villa Hills:

• Martin announced he intends to hire a part-time police officer. Most observers believe it is a pre-election move designed to placate the intense resistance to his radical plan to outsource the local police department. We'll be watching.
• While City Attorney Toad V. McMurtry seemingly has no problem with Council member Menninger-Isenhour and others discussing personnel issues in an open council meeting, he will not allow council members answer any questions asked by employees.
• We applaud the efforts of Council members Cahill, Baehner and Balson to rein-in Martin's wild spending on attorneys and legal fees. Unfortunately, they still haven't figured out that Martin really doesn't give a damn what they think or do. Nice try, though.
• Councilman Mary Koenig resisted the efforts to rein in Martin's wild spending on attorneys and legal fees. She fussed and fumed that the City would have to spend $500 every time a budget amendment is published. Koenig failed to mention anything at all about the $37,000 Martin has already pissed away in legal fees or the $23,000 taxpayer-funded bonus check Martin cut himself. Yes, we know. Koenig is a half-baked hypocrite.

While we are on the subject of Martin's wild spending on attorneys and legal fees, consider this. It has been three weeks since the Civil Service Board agreed to hold Assistant Police Chief Joe Schutzman's hearing in abeyance. Sources suggest that Martin and some of his six taxpayer-funded attorneys are preparing to go to court in an attempt to wrest away the authority to hear Schutzman's case from the Civil Service Board.

So, more billable hours over and above the $37,000 opening salvo are already piling up. Then it will cost another taxpayer-funded fortune to take the matter to court. No matter how the court rules, Schutzman will still get his hearing somewhere. That too will prove very costly to the taxpayers.

Suppose the court provides Martin his chance to present his bogus evidence to the City Council. Given the public comments of Koenig, Menninger-Isenhour and Wischer, the case will be a sure-fire appeal to Circuit Court. The cost of all of that will be astronomical to the taxpayers as well.

Observers think that Martin will be given some kind of free pass no matter what happens. Why? Because most people now perceive him to be a bumbling simpleton.

These same observers wonder why City Attorney McMurtry and City Clerk Bohman have risked their reputations on the likes of the malfeasant Martin. Does it really pay that well?

EPILOGUE

We have to call this one "a trashed sign of the times". Private detectives staking out the Martin residence report that the malfeasant mayor has taken his gigantic "Noll for State Senate" sign down to the curb for Rumpke. Perfect symbolism for what Martin thinks of his old pal Noll. Martin got Noll's "no" vote for removal last October. Now the malevolent Martin is takin' out the trash.

Postscript To Our Earlier Post

The Martin Chronicles advises you to remember something the next time you hear Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin prattle on about how much money he is "saving". If he was being honest-and he is NEVER honest-he would admit to you that he has already squandered a fortune of YOUR MONEY in what may prove to be his illegal attempt to terminate Assistant Police Chief Joe Schutzman.

Do you want to know how much of YOUR MONEY Martin has already wasted on this debacle? Sure you do. More than . . . TIMPANI!!!!!

 $37,000!!!

 

Surely, Councilman Mary Koenig will express her moral outrage at such a waste of taxpayer dollars at tonight's council meeting. She will. Won't she?

Budget Hawk Bull Dung

The Martin Chronicles continues to be amazed by that remarkably skilled LIAR, Villa Hills mendacious and malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin. Some Tea Party wingnuts jumped on his 2010 dirtbag mayoral campaign bandwagon believing his fraudulent claim that he is some kind of "budget hawk". Martin's proof? He once raised hell about spending $35 on a garden hose and wanted the police to pay for their own uniforms. Oh, and he also fraudulently claimed to have "found" $30,000. He wasn't sure where or how he "found" the money. But he did. Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh.

Well, Martin is beginning to roll with his budget hawk LIE yet again. How so? Surprisingly, there are still some rather dim people who actually believe Martin's malarkey that he is intentionally destroying the local police department because he wants to "save a whole bunch of money". But that is complete nonsense. Any honest assessment of this debacle makes clear that Martin's radical plan has nothing to do with finding more money for street repair-or any damn thing else for that matter. It is first, last and always about Martin's thirst for vengeance for his 2007 FORGERY ARREST.

Martin will be asking his new city council to approve his 2013/14 budget proposal tonight. There are probably already at least three votes-Koenig, Menninger-Isenhour and Wischer-tucked safely in Martin's hip pocket, guaranteeing the budget's passage. Keep this in mind though. Giving Martin a new budget is the exact equivalent of giving Martin $3.2 MILLION OF YOUR MONEY TO SQUANDER ON MORE ATTORNEYS AND MORE LAWSUITS.

We suspect Martin is beginning his "budget hawk bull dung" again because his election day of reckoning is creeping ever closer. The voters will have a chance to fix the problems that a razor-thin majority created for everyone in Vila Hills in 2010 by tossing Martin out on his ass in just 496 days. Hell, we wouldn't even care if the new mayor went out and purchased a damned postage meter.

Let's face it. If Martin gave even one little damn about "saving money":

• Martin would have heeded the auditor's advice that he would drastically reduce his SIX-FIGURE OVERTIME PROBLEM by hiring the eighth police officer;
• Martin would not have squandered $7000 OF YOUR MONEY in a failed attempt to fire an employee who testified against him during the malfeasant mayor's removal hearing.
• Martin would not have spent YOUR MONEY to sue the City just so he could cut himself a TAXPAYER-FUNDED $23,000-PLUS BONUS CHECK A FEW MONTHS AGO;
• Martin would not be spending YOUR MONEY to pay for SIX ATTORNEYS who have their snouts firmly ensconced in the taxpayer trough;
• Martin would not be spending YOUR MONEY to pay yet another clerk and another public works employee;
• Martin would not have dipped in to the City's cash reserve via budget amendment-yet again-to paper over his terrible mismanagement of the City's annual budget;
• Martin would not be using YOUR MONEY, continuing to pay his crony Cordelia Schaber an incredible $47.50 per hour just to foul-up the City's books;

And as you know, this is only a partial list of Martin's profligate waste.

Finally, consider this. Martin is paying an attorney to sue residents for unpaid UNFAIR $40 PER CAR STICKER TAXES. All well and good. But then why is he ignoring the unpaid property taxes that are on the City's books? Good question. Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh.

EPILOGUE

Today the staff spent some time laughing about a few of the feckless folks who remain entranced in the malevolent Martin's spell. We re-read a letter-to-the-editor that has become one of our absolute favorites. It begins like this.

Hmmm! Did I hear Tim Sogar call the Villa Hills City Attorney, Todd McMurtry, “Toad” at the city council meeting on Wednesday night.
Slip of the tongue – you think? Or maybe, just maybe it was a clue as to whom the individual or individuals may be who are part of the website, The Martin Chronicles. Hush, they say, don’t mention this website. It will only add fuel to their fire. Well, I say, hogwash, the people of Villa Hills need to know about this website.

To our dear friend who penned this a couple of months ago . . . judging by the fact that we are rapidly approaching 140,000 visits to our blog . . . the people of Villa Hills do indeed know about "this website".

A Toad by any other name is still a Toad. Poor Tim Sogar.


World B. Free?

The Martin Chronicles listens closely to what Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin says. We almost never believe him. But we do listen closely.

So what is Martin saying now? Well, he says that Kenton County Judge Executive Steve Arlinghaus is donating the services of the Kenton County Police to cover for Martin's woefully under--manned police department at no charge. You don't say? Is that a fact?

Here's our question. How long can Arlinghaus do that legally? The Villa Hills Police Department isn't ridiculously short-handed because of some act of God, natural disaster or unforeseen catastrophe. Oh, its a catastrophe alright. But this catastrophe has been more or less intentionally caused by Martin. This catastrophe has been a long time coming and completely predictable. This catastrophe is the result of Martin's vendetta against the police he blames for his 2007 FORGERY ARREST. This catastrophe is the result of a seemingly insane play run by Martin, his city attorney and his city clerk. This catastrophe is going to get a whole lot worse and a whole lot more expensive.

Think about this. Attorney Garry Edmonson has opined that Kenton County cannot legally spend Kenton County tax dollars to repair sections of so-called "county roads" that run through municipalities. Edmonson says doing so would be in direct violation of a Kentucky Supreme Court ruling. So what does Edmonson think about Arlinghaus spending Kenton County tax dollars to indefinitely provide "free police protection" within the borders of that municipality known as Villa Hills?

We suspect it won't be long before the mayors, councils and residents from the other Kenton County municipalities begin to demand their own "free police protection". Why shouldn't Ft. Mitchell and Taylor Mill and Independence and Ft. Wright and Ludlow and Park Hills and all of the rest be able to tap in to Arlinghaus' "free police force"?

Why, just think of the money every City could save if only Arlinghaus shared his "free police protection" with more than the malfeasant Martin.

The Meter That REALLY Counts

The Martin Chronicles is watching the simmering pot that is malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's Villa Hills with a great deal of interest. Judging by the huge, public show of support, a clear majority of the troubled town's residents strongly oppose Martin's radical plan to disband the local police department.

Martin was elected mayor in 2010 by cobbling together a coalition of people who had one form or another of grievance against the City government. Martin then lured an additional razor-thin majority of voters with a vague promise of "change" and LIES about his $1.505 MILLION lawsuit against the taxpayers of Villa Hills. It was just enough to get him elected. But no amount of votes will change him from the incompetent and corrupt boob that the last two-and-a-half years have clearly demonstrated him to be.

How clueless is Martin? He praised himself for saving some amount of police overtime immediately following a report from Chief Dan Goodenough that the Kenton County Police had been asked to assist Villa Hills' extremely short-handed department's efforts to curb a huge uptick in crime. So, while Martin was crowing about how great he thinks he is, vandals were destroying car windows and mirrors with baseball bats. Besides, we have learned that the Kenton County Police "no-showed" at least one shift they were supposed to cover. Thank you, Judge Arlinghaus.

Some aggrieved Martin supporters occasionally poke up their heads to rail against those who support the local police via mean-spirited editorials or by vandalizing pro-police signs. One gasbag even wrote that former council members who have publicly supported the police should "take their signs and leave town". To that gasbag in particular and the rest of the aggrieved-deal with it. The US Constitution's First Amendment allows freedom of speech and assembly. No number of threats from City Attorney Toad V. McMurtry, Executive Orders from the dictatorial Martin or even your own heartburn can change that. Losing a council election does not lead to loss of citizenship in Villa Hills either. Unfortunately, Martin is living proof of that.

For those who support the local police or are even still somehow unaware what is happening in your City, you had better become aware of this. Martin has already SQUANDERED MORE THAN $30,000 OF YOUR MONEY in his ham-handed attempt to terminate Assistant Chief Schutzman. That's a whole lot of postage meters, my friends. Oh, its worse than that. The "billable hours" meter is still running on hyper-drive.

No Shows

The Martin Chronicles is reminded of the old Woody Allen saying, "90% of life is just showing up." There is some truth to that. That's why the folks living in malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's Villa Hills are often only getting the 10% that's left. And what's left isn't too good either.

Allow us to explain.

First, embarrassed snitches from deep inside the bowels of Steve Arlinghaus' Kenton County Court House tell us that the Kenton County Police "no-showed" at least one shift in Villa Hills over the past weekend. We aren't suggesting that the residents went unprotected. We suspect that Villa Hills officers worked the overtime Martin despises so much to ensure the City was patrolled. We'll let you know what more we learn.

We have also learned that Martin "no-showed" last night's finance committee meeting. Why is that important? Well, the city council will soon be asked to approve his new $3.2-plus million budget. The one man who could answer any questions the committee may have had didn't bother to attend.

Perhaps Martin simply figures he's already got the three votes he needs to get his budget passed.

Why Not Just Use The Key?

The Martin Chronicles has been busy tracking down a story about Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin striking again. We are trying to confirm that Martin used a power drill to open a locked door in the police department late last week.

While not as dramatic-and mindlessly destructive-as crushing a safe open with a backhoe, opening a locked door with a drill instead of tracking down the key still demonstrates very poor judgment. No wonder the City is up to its ears in controversy.

We'll let you know what we learn.

WEEKENDER: Comparisons

The Martin Chronicles is anticipating the next moves of Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin. His silly spin is sure to begin shortly. How will it go? We expect that Martin and other City officials will soon begin to blame the previous mayor and council for all of Martin's current employee problems and THE COLOSSAL WASTE OF TAXPAYER MONEY ON LEGAL FEES. How so? Martin and other City officials will say that none of these problems would have happened if the previous mayor and council hadn't provided the employees Civil Service protection late in 2010.  

In an odd, very twisted way that is true. Why? Because Martin would have fired Police Chief Dan Goodenough and Assistant Chief Joe Schutzman immediately after taking office in 2011. But it is still a preposterous excuse.

You see, many, many Cities function perfectly well with a Civil Service system in place. The difference? Those many, many other Cities don't have a Mike Martin sitting in the mayor's office. Villa Hills certainly does. The results have been disastrous.

Martin has placed the taxpayers in harm's way yet again because of his inexplicable mishandling of the Schutzman situation. Especially when that situation is compared to how Martin handled the case of his Interim City Clerk Sue Bree. And that comparison will be made in some type of public venue when the time comes.

Let's do a comparison of our own:

On October 3, 2012, Martin issued a written reprimand to his Interim City Clerk Sue Bree. In that reprimand, Martin alleged that Bree violated the following City Personnel Policies.
1. Violation of any Federal or State law, County of City ordinance;
2. Unauthorized use of City property
3. Violation of City policies, regulations, or departmental rules;
4. Conduct on or off the job unbecoming to City personnel or which brings discredit to the City;
5. Insubordination;
6. Neglect or disobedience of orders.

On May 23, 2013, Martin suspended Assistant Chief Joe Schutzman without pay charging him with:
1. Intimidation; and
2. Political activity.

In Martin's October 3, 2012 "discipline" of Bree, Martin provides detailed reasons for the written reprimand. First, he says Bree misused City equipment to shred documents in violation of a judge's orders and Martin's own supposed directive. Secondly, Martin writes that on ". . . several occasions since 2011, you (Bree) failed to complete and fill public records in a timely manner . . .". Martin goes on to write that he had "repeatedly instructed you (Bree) to comply with, and follow the law". That all sounds quite clear, doesn't it?

On May 23, 2013, Martin provided absolutely no details to substantiate his charges against Assistant Chief Schutzman. Judging by the nonsense that has happened since then, Martin and other City officials scrambled to gin up some kind of "evidence" after-the-fact.

We hope somebody asks Martin how many times he sat down with Schutzman to discuss these issues prior to suspending him without pay? Repeatedly? Several times? A few times? Once? Our guess? Never.

To be blunt, not one damned thing happened to the Interim City Clerk after the issuance of Martin's October 3, 2012 written reprimand. No suspension. No Civil Service hearing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. In fact, Bree stunningly said that she hadn't even bothered to read the reprimand when she testified during Martin's removal hearing last October.

What about Assistant Chief Schutzman? Martin originally said he wanted the Civil Service Board hearing to result in Schutzman's termination. Martin then backed that down to a "120 day suspension".

Maybe something else was going on there.120 day suspension? Hmmmmm. My, my, my. Why that would have taken us right to the time when Martin says he wants his radical plan to disband the City's police department to take effect. Kenton County Police cruisers are already patrolling Villa Hills' streets.

When its all said and done, Martin may simply decide to blame City Attorney Toad V. McMurtry for providing slipshod legal advice. We guess Toad V. McMurtry won't care. He'll keep billing the bejeezus out of the taxpayers' hides either way.

___________________________________

Speaking of comparisons and billing the bejeezus out of the taxpayers, where is Councilmember Mary Koenig's self-righteous indignation now? During last year's "let's give Martin a whole new council" race, Koenig bitterly railed against the cost of the Special Counsel's investigation of Martin. This despite THE FACT that Martin was CONVICTED ON SEVEN OF NINE COUNTS OF OFFICIAL MISCONDUCT AND NEGLECT OF DUTY.

Flash forward to today. Not one peep of protest from Koenig about:

• Martin signing the purchase order that generated himself a $23,000-PLUS BONUS CHECK
• Martin HIRING AT LEAST SEVEN TAXPAYER-FUNDED ATTORNEYS
• Martin USING TAXPAYER MONEY TO FILE SUIT AGAINST THE TAXPAYERS

___________________________________

Martin wouldn't be reaming the taxpayers like this if former Councilmembers Pope and Noll had not "gone in the tank" for Martin last October.

[PUBLISHER'S NOTE: The Martin Chronicles will be welcoming visitor number 130,000 some time today. Thank you all for your ongoing support of our blog. We couldn't do it without you. And of course the perpetual mayhem wreaked by the malfeasant Martin!]

Secret Meeting News And Notes

The Martin Chronicles thinks its fair to say that as bad as things are in malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's Villa Hills now, they are going to get a whole lot worse. Last night's monthly secret-a.k.a. "caucus"- meeting provided more clues that Martin is sure to do a lot more damage before this mess comes to an end.

Council member Mary Koenig skipped the meeting. While we think council members should make the effort to come to all of the scheduled City meetings, we really wouldn't care if Koenig decided to take a pass on the rest of her council term. Martin doesn't appear to need her help to destroy what's left of the City.

City Attorney Toad V. McMurtry was tardy. One of the council members asked Martin if he knew why. Martin announced that McMurtry told him that he was "stuck in traffic". When McMurtry finally arrived at 6:45 he told everyone he thought the meeting "started at 7 o'clock". So, which is it? Traffic? Wrong start time? Somebody wasn't telling the truth. Are you surprised?

Martin also got the opportunity to tap dance around the embarrassment that is the very expensive flock of taxpayer-funded attorneys he has hired since four council people (Cahill, Koenig, Menninger-Isenhour and Wischer) voted to unrestrict budget funds for Martin to squander in any way he sees fit. It was very hard to follow Martin's babbling, but we think he forgot to mention the three taxpayer-funded attorneys Martin hired for his vendetta against Assistant Chief Schutzman.

Council member Cahill asked Martin how much had been spent on his army of attorneys to date. Not surprisingly, Martin had no idea. But Martin did promise to contact the attorneys and ask them how much the City now owes them. Yes, we know you know. Those attorneys will charge you for taking Martin's call and for preparing their billings. It appears Martin's "tight ship" has sprung a pretty large leak.

Cahill suggested that Martin may have to contact the attorneys to tell them they should stop working because the City may not be able to pay them. Cahill went on to suggest that Martin call an emergency meeting to present the legal bills to council so that they can assess the extent of the problem. Don't hold your breath.

Cahill said he expects the legal bills to be "substantial". Martin agreed with that. We wonder. Does Martin understand that he is the one responsible for running up those "substantial" legal bills?

The subject of the decimated police force was also discussed. Chief Goodenough told council that the department was down to four officers. Goodenough also announced that Kenton County Police cruisers were patrolling the City and that there is a new rash of vandalism.

Not surprisingly, Martin looked past the crime spree and said the City was saving "75 hours of overtime" because of Kenton County's help. Martin failed to mention that the City's auditor had advised him that hiring an eighth police officer would dramatically reduce overtime as well. Martin also skipped over the fact that Kenton County will not continue to provide "free" police coverage for an interminable length of time.

Council members Cahill, Baehner and Balson voted to table Martin's request to approve the new rates from the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission. Why? Because Martin hadn't even bothered to share the new rates with city council before asking them to be approved.. Imagine that? We are relieved to see that some of the new council have decided to actually read things before they vote to approve them. That is a good step in the right direction.

Council member Wischer suggested that the City's public works crew begin fixing sidewalks and billing the residents the cost plus an additional 10%. Wischer's proposal was met with the sound of crickets.

Martin and council then retreated in to executive session. Some attendees claim they heard some very loud-but indiscernible-"discussion" taking place behind closed doors. We can only imagine.

More reports to follow.

Infringing On His Fantasy

The Martin Chronicles is tracking down an audio file that contains Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's profane outburst directed at the Civil Service Board. Martin's expletive-laced explosion occurred at last week's Civil Service Board meeting regarding a temporary agreement reached between Martin and Assistant Chief Joe Schutzman.

We understand that Martin was highly agitated because one of the SEVEN TAXPAYER-FUNDED ATTORNEYS Martin recently hired referred to the mayor's upcoming "lawsuit against the City" as, well, uh, er, a "lawsuit against the City". Why? Because Martin is preparing to file yet another "lawsuit against the City", paying for it with TAXPAYER MONEY. [Should we be happy that Councilmembers Cahill, Koenig, Menninger-Isenhour and Wischer recently voted to remove any restrictions from the City's budget so that Martin could rush out and hire his army of attorneys? No, we shouldn't.]

Sources tell us that the attorney and most of the board members were shocked by Martin's fit of frenzy. Why? Because Martin has worked hard to hide his rage for many years. Over the last several months Martin's anger has been publicly boiling over with increasing frequency.

Martin seems to have a difficult time dealing with facts. He appears far more comfortable in the deceitful world he has created for himself. Martin has told you a great deal about his fantasy world. Have you been listening? You know, the one where there has been a long-standing conspiracy carried out by dark forces to stop Martin from "saving" his fantasy world . . . the world where Martin does nothing wrong . . . the world where people won't work with Martin . . . the world where evidence is planted and people commit perjury to frame Martin . . . the world where Martin believes all he has to say is "I didn't know that then-but I know it now" absolves him of absolutely any indiscretion.

Sources tell us that Martin seems to be getting more and more agitated. Several patrons told one of our reporters that they recently saw Martin having lunch at the bar in PeeWees. These witnesses say Martin was busily texting and appeared angrier and angrier with each new text he received. Why? Who knows. But Martin does seem to be far less able to hide his explosive temper. That points to stormy seas ahead.

By  the way, every taxpayer in Villa Hills should strongly consider something important when they try to decide whether or not they are-as Martin told them in March, 2012-"getting exactly what they voted for". As we have written, the taxpayers are now funding at least SEVEN ATTORNEYS to deal with all of the massive problems Martin has created over the past two-and-a-half years. At the same time, the Villa Hills Police Department is only able to field FOUR POLICE OFFICERS. That is indisputable evidence of mismanagement writ large.

Martin's dreadful mismanagement explains why Kenton County Police cruisers are now patrolling the streets of Villa Hills.

The Truth WILL Come Out

The Martin Chronicles wonders just how bad-and costly-Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's latest fiasco will get before it ends. Experts are predicting Martin's ham-handed attempt to terminate Assistant Police Chief Joe Schutzman will end up costing the taxpayers somewhere between $75,000-$150,000. Keep in mind that these expenses are not covered by the City's insurance carrier. So, the taxpayers will be taking the full brunt of Martin's antics square in their wallets.

We are reminded that the City Council recently decided by a 4-2 vote to "unrestrict" funds in the City budget. Why? So that Martin's hands weren't tied by those budget restrictions as the fiscal year wound down. So what has happened? It appears that Martin has decided to spend much of those unrestricted funds on attorneys and legal actions.

Oh, and these projected costs do not include any lawsuits that will likely arise from Martin's most recent debacle. Sure, the City's insurance carrier will  cover much of the expense of those looming lawsuits. But what will happen to the City's insurance premiums as a result?

One local wag recently quipped that, "Martin has to be a leading contender for the Bar Association's Man of the Year Award. He's been a real boon for local attorneys.  Heck, he's using our money to pay at least six attorneys right now. Three attorneys for his Civil Service mess, one attorney to sue the residents over the license fee, one attorney to attend the Code Enforcement meetings and City Attorney Toad V. McMurtry".

The absurdity worsened when Martin informed the Civil Service Board that he was using more taxpayer money to sue them. Oh, it gets even worse. Even more taxpayer money will be used to defend the Civil Service Board from Martin's lawsuit. Look for it to get even crazier.

Many are wondering why Martin doesn't want the Civil Service Board to hear his charges against Schutzman. People want to know why Martin insists on wasting so much taxpayer money to stop the process. The rumor mill offers some possible explanations.

• Is there an odd voice message from a City official challenging someone's statutorily-guaranteed right to attend any open meeting?
• Is there some documentation that a City official has threatened to file suit against one or more elected officials?
• Have witnesses come forward saying that hearsay statements provided by a City official are false?
• Is there a recording of Martin's profane outburst against the Civil Service Board about to surface?

If these and other rumors are true it could explain a few things. Martin and others would certainly want to avoid the embarrassment-or worse-that would arise from such revelations.

Something tells us all of this will all see the light of day either way.

Spending Lots Of Other People's Money

The Martin Chronicles has talked to a number of sources in the aftermath of Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's odd reversal last week. On May 23, Martin suspended Assistant Chief Joe Schutzman without pay, charging him with intimidation and political activity. Martin added three additional taxpayer-funded attorneys to the payroll. Then the City's Civil Service Board scheduled a three-day hearing to listen to the evidence for and defense of the charges.

Martin's attorneys presented their bill of particulars explaining the charges after the deadline prescribed by the Civil Service Board. The "particulars" included hearsay provided by City Attorney Toad V. McMurtry and claims of "selective traffic enforcement" from City Clerk Craig Bohman. Interestingly, Bohman acknowledged in his statements that he wasn't always sure if it was even Assistant Chief Schutzman "selectively" enforcing traffic.

Then the process took a turn. Martin's attorneys asked the Civil Service Board to dismiss the charges against Schutzman. The Board decided to proceed with their scheduled hearing. On Thursday we learned that some agreement had been reached between the two parties to hold the hearing in abeyance pending the outcome of a lawsuit Martin will be filing against the Civil Service Board.

The purpose of Martin's lawsuit? To wrest away the power the Civil Service Board had been given in December 2010 to hear the kind of charges Martin made against Schutzman. Schutzman's attorney Jeff Otis believes that Martin wants to have what he perceives to be a more compliant City Council hear the case. Given that three of the City Council are more or less on the record saying they want to "outsource" the management of the police department, Martin is probably correct about that.

So Martin is going to be spending a great deal more taxpayer money to sue the taxpayers. Yes, that's right. Martin is USING YOUR MONEY TO SUE YOU. Tens of thousands of dollars has been spent since Martin began this process on May 23. Tens of thousands more will be spent as the process moves forward. So much for Martin's claim that he "runs a tight ship".

What happens next is anybody's guess. While this crazy mess continues to unfold several residents report  seeing Kenton County police cruisers patrolling the City's streets.

WEEKENDER: Who's "BS" Is It Anyway?

The Martin Chronicles feels sorry for the taxpayers of Villa Hills. Malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's disgraceful vendetta against Police Chief Dan Goodenough, Assistant Chief Joe Schutzman and the rest of the City's Police Department will end up taking a terrible toll.

The dreadful toll is not just financial. Although the taxpayers need to realize that Martin has already squandered tens of thousands of dollars in this latest fiasco to persecute Joe Schutzman. You see, the City's reputation is also being severely damaged. Just look at what is being reported from virtually every local media outlet. Villa Hills has become the butt of jokes all across the Tri-State region. Its only going to get worse.

Why? Because Martin is going to be suing the taxpayers yet again. Yes, that's right. Several sources have confirmed that Martin exploded in rage at last night's Civil Service Board meeting when his next lawsuit against the taxpayers was mentioned. He reportedly screamed, "Put this in perspective! Let's cut through this bulls*%t!"

Well, here's the perspective. Martin is refusing to accept that the Civil Service Board is the correct body to hear his charges against Joe Schutzman. The Civil Service Board was created and given that power by the City Council in December 2010.

Martin is going to be spending tens of thousands more of the taxpayers dollars going to court in an attempt to take that power away from the Civil Service Board. Why? Schutzman's attorney says Martin is hoping to have what he thinks will be a more compliant City Council hear the charges.

Taxpayers should also know that Martin and the City Attorney received an email from the Kentucky League of Cities Legal Department on May 12, 2012 advising them that State Statute does provide the Civil Service Board the power to hear the charges against Schutzman. Sure, Martin has the right to test the KLC's opinion in a court room. But why? It is going to cost the taxpayers a great deal of money.

Let's do what Martin wants and "cut through this bulls*%t". Martin simply cannot handle being told by anyone that he can't just do whatever he wants. Remember what he has been saying since the beginning of his term? "I'm the CEO. It's my decision. Get over it. We're moving on!"

Additionally, most people are beginning to realize that Martin's vendetta is fueled by his burning desire to get revenge for his 2007 FORGERY ARREST. He now has the advantage of SPENDING YOUR MONEY to gain that revenge.

The taxpayers will not get the opportunity to truly "move on" until they toss Martin out of the mayor's office on November 4, 2014. The concern? Just how much more damage will be done and taxpayer money wasted over the next 515 days.

The Cost Of Revenge Continues To Rise

The Martin Chronicles has concluded that there will be no end to the twists and turns in the ongoing saga of Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's long-running vendetta against Assistant Chief Joe Schutzman, Chief Dan Goodenough and the rest of the City's police department. Here's the problem. Martin has been spending your money on his non-stop witch hunt. Every twist and turn is now coming with a huge price tag for taxpayers.

The latest? Tonight's on-again, off-again, on-again hearing to be held regarding the Schutzman matter by the Civil Service Board is off yet again. They will meet. But not for the hearing. They will be discussing next steps as Martin trots off to court to try and take away the Civil Service Board's jurisdiction over the Schutzman matter.

Do you see a pattern developing here? Remember that there are several attorneys assisting Martin with this vendetta. Their meters are running full speed ahead. If the Civil Service Board decides to fight to protect the right City Council voted to give them in 2010-and we think they should-that will also come at no small cost.

Sources close to the mess believe Martin's latest moves to shut down the hearing were prompted by concern over the great embarrassment-and perhaps worse-that would come to light as witnesses testified. These sources suspect that Martin and his team realized they were in trouble when they saw the the list of witnesses who were going to be called and the questions they were going to be asked. It seems they concluded that the hearing must be stopped-whatever the cost to the taxpayers.

Martin continues to cost the taxpayers an incredible amount of money-and the prestige of a once well-respected City. His spendthrift behavior began when he filed a $1.505 million dollar lawsuit against the taxpayers over his 2007 forgery arrest. It has continued virtually unabated ever since.

Other sources provide us with some insight in to why Martin is so anxious to have the City Council hear his charges against Schutzman. We are told that Council members Koenig and Menninger-Isenhour were confronted by a deeply concerned resident in a local store. The two council members "assured" the resident that they "only" wanted to get rid of Chief Goodenough and Assistant Chief Schutzman. So, the harassment and intimidation extends well beyond just Martin. There are clearly others involved as well.

Oh, and then we hear that Kenton County Judge Executive-and Villa Hills resident-Steve Arlinghaus continues to tell anyone who will listen that his County police will be taking over this October. So much for Martin's claim he is doing a study and carefully evaluating the City's options.

We haven't even come close to seeing a final price tag for this fiasco.

Civil Service Board Hearing To Move Ahead

The Martin Chronicles watched last night's Civil Service Board hearing with great interest. Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's new TAXPAYER-FUNDED attorneys asked the Civil Service board to dismiss the charges against Assistant Chief Joe Schutzman that Martin had presented to them just a few days before.

After listening to the arguments made by TAXPAYER-FUNDED attorney Timothy Spille and Schutzman's attorney Jeff Otis, the board went in to Executive Session. The board returned about twenty minutes later and unanimously decided to deny Martin's request to dismiss the charges and move forward with the hearing, beginning Thursday evening at 6:30.

One might wonder why Schutzman's own attorney would argue against dismissing the charges. The dismissal of those charges would have led to Schutzman's immediate reinstatement. If one watched Martin's comments to Local 12 reporter Joe Webb last night it would be very clear why Schutzman wants and needs his "day in court". Martin made it as clear as he's capable that he would continue to pursue charges against the Assistant Chief, taking his case to a potentially more compliant City Council instead.

So now the hearing will proceed. How much will this cost? Keep in mind that the taxpayers paid one attorney $7,000 in a failed attempt to terminate another employee last year. That bill represented the cost of a one-night hearing and all of the preparatory work.

Taxpayers are now paying three additional attorneys instead of one. There has already been two nights of hearings instead of the one last year. Three more nights of hearings are scheduled for this Thursday, Friday and next Tuesday. Martin's actions against Assistant Chief Schutzman may prove to be very costly for the taxpayers. The costs we listed don't represent the potential financial fallout from any future lawsuits filed resulting from what appears to be shaping up as a colossal foul-up.

We have also obtained a copy of the bill of particulars Martin's attorneys presented post-deadline to the Civil Service Board and Schutzman's attorney.

More on that to come.

There Is No Bottom To It

The Martin Chronicles has been reporting on Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin’s mayhem since October 8, 2011. Nearly 130,000 visits later, we have always been able to explain even the most bizarre things Martin has done. We’ve covered his endless false allegations and assertions. We have covered his persistent inability to fill State Statute-mandated Open Records requests. We thoroughly explained his bizarre, ongoing and incredibly illegal destruction of City records. We have explained why his unlicensed business practices do affect City business. But-we must confess-we are having a very difficult time explaining this most recent turn of events.

 As we have previously reported, Martin recently suspended Assistant Chief Joe Schutzman without pay as a prelude to a hearing by the Civil Service board where Martin publicly stated he intended to ask for Schutzman’s termination.  Why? Because Martin claimed Schutzman was guilty of “intimidation” and “political activity”.

 The Civil Service board held a meeting last Friday night to chart their course. Schutzman’s attorney Jeff Otis asked the board to dismiss Martin’s charges on the basis that Martin offered no evidence of his charges against his client. The board decided to proceed with a hearing beginning this Thursday evening. Why? We believe the board wanted to hear the evidence of Martin’s charges. The board gave Martin until 4PM Monday to present that evidence. So what happened?

We have learned that the Civil Service board is holding a meeting tonight. Why? Because Martin’s two TAXPAYER-FUNDED attorneys are going to ask the board to dismiss Martin’s charges against Schutzman without prejudice. Oh, really. Is that a fact? You don’t say? So what the heck happened?

Well, not surprisingly, Martin produced no evidence and revealed no witnesses against Schutzman to prove “intimidation” or “political activity” by the 4PM deadline. No, they produced nothing. Zip. Nada. Zilch. Keep in mind that Martin’s two TAXPAYER-FUNDED attorneys did not object to the Monday 4PM deadline imposed by the board at last Friday’s meeting.

So again, what the heck happened? It seems clear that there was no evidence. It appears that all we got was confirmation that Martin was simply continuing to push his agenda of revenge for his 2007 FORGERY ARREST. It appears that Martin was tripped up by his own lust for vengeance.

We hope you understand that this Martin foul-up is going to be a costly one. Martin added THREE TAXPAYER-FUNDED ATTORNEYS TO THE CITY PAYROLL FOR THIS VENDETTA. Rest assured all three attorneys will be billing for everything they did. Even though it was A WITCH HUNT.

Here’s the catch. We are fine with the board dismissing the charges. But-and it is a huge “but”-it should be done with prejudice. Why? Because otherwise Martin is free to continue to pursue his persistent pattern of intimidation and harassment of Schutzman and the rest of the Villa Hill Police Department. And it would be outrageous for the board to allow that to continue.

Hopefully, the taxpayers will finally wake up to what is happening. Martin must go on November 4, 2014. Or Martin will absolutely destroy the City that was voted the best City in Northern Kentucky just a few months before he deceived a razor-thin majority of voters to elect him in 2010.

It appears now that when the question is asked, How bad can this get?"- there is no bottom to it.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: We are trying to confirm a rumor that one of the attorneys Martin hired for this fiasco-Chris Wiest-is police-hating Councilmember Brian Wischer's BROTHER-IN-LAW. If true, BOY HOWDY!]

[PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Man, oh man do we love reading Facebook. You can always tell a loony Martin Kool-aid drinker when they comment that a respected news outlet like wcpo.com is "biased". Pathetic. By the way, The Martin Chronicles freely admits that we are biased. We are biased against corrupt and incompetent politicians like Martin.]

The Rising Cost Of Martin's Vendetta

The Martin Chronicles finds Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's boast that he "runs a tight ship" using the savings of a measly one thousand dollars (then immediately wasted on new chairs in the council chambers) by eliminating the City's postage meter as proof more hilarious than ever. Why? Because far more than that will have ended up being wasted at last Friday's meeting of the Civil Service Board. And that was just a meeting about how to run the upcoming meetings.

So why is Martin spending so much of YOUR MONEY still seeking revenge for his 2007 FORGERY ARREST? That's easy. Because he can. The voters gave him that power back in 2010. And he has been exercising that power with extreme prejudice ever since.

Okay, how about some details? How is Martin wasting YOUR MONEY now? Well, there are now THREE MORE ATTORNEYS on his TAXPAYER-FUNDED PAYROLL. Keep in mind that Martin SQUANDERED $7,000 OF YOUR MONEY last year trying to get a poor clerk terminated. Martin is now using YOUR MONEY to pay one attorney to represent the Civil Service Board and two attorneys to represent the City in his spiteful effort to harm Joe Schutzman.

The Civil Service Board scheduled Joe Schutzman's hearing to begin this Thursday and continue Friday and next Tuesday. One attorney COST YOU $7,000 for a failed one-night hearing to terminate a poor clerk. How much of YOUR MONEY will be squandered paying three attorneys for a three-night process?

Additionally, how much money will new lawsuits cost you? Martin suspended Joe Schutzman without pay the day after the May council meeting. It now appears all these days later that Martin and his TAXPAYER-FUNDED GOON SQUAD are scrambling to cobble together "evidence" after the fact. Martin's latest thug move serves as further evidence of his systematic intimidation of employees, elected officials, family members of employees and elected officials and the residents-at-large.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: We are pursuing more stories about Martin's systematic intimidation of employees, elected officials, family members of employees and elected officials and residents-at-large. We are also looking at the City Attorney's direct involvement in this latest fiasco and some of the potential conflicts that are surfacing as we head towards the beginning of the hearing process this Thursday evening.]
[PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Just a note for the "Facebookers" out there. If its' TRUE (as you all admit it is)-it ain't slander. Besides, if its in writing and its defamatory-like Martin's DEFAMATORY 2010 campaign literature-then it would be libel, not slander. Hey, everybody knows who we are. We're The Martin Chronicles! Lastly, please keep writing bad things about us-your driving our readership through the roof!!!!!]