As dreadful as Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin-run meetings are, we decided to gut it out and take another look. After our review, the Facebook comment stream appears to be a case of what famed Prussian military analyst Carl von Clausewitz famously described as "the fog of war".
How so? There seems to be a case of misidentification. It was actually former Councilman Scott Ringo-not Tim Sogar-who addressed the very serious issue of a reprimand that somehow managed to disappear not long after it was read in to the record at Martin's October, 2012 removal hearing.
That misidentification in no way lessens the seriousness of the issue being addressed, however. Keep in mind that a judge gave very specific instructions and a stern warning to Martin in mid-2012 that no City records were to be destroyed after concerns about a document "shred-fest" surfaced at the City Building in the midst of an ongoing lawsuit. That lawsuit is still ongoing. So, might the disappearance of the reprimand be in violation of the judge's instructions? That will be for others to decide.
That is not the only potential problem created by the vanishing reprimand. As we have already written, it also appears to betray a Martin double standard. Why? Think about it? An employee whose testimony aided Martin during the removal hearing has a reprimand disappear while Martin goes full force after someone who testified against him last October, Assistant Chief Joe Schutzman. That too will have to play out.
Then there is the matter of a councilperson who campaigned on the need for what she described as "civility" demonstrating insulting behavior towards a resident who doesn't share her "world view". Yes, it's offensive. Yes, it's unprofessional. And yes, it betrays an arrogance that derives from misinterpreting her election as some kind of mandate to do whatever she pleases (a delusion Martin has suffered from since he took office). Hopefully, that will be resolved in the 2014 election. Once again, we'll be watching that play out.
There are other items of interest contained in the Facebook comment stream. Let us once again preface the following observations with our traditional homage to the First Amendment. We are obviously huge supporter of and believers in that sacred right to Free Speech. We are also perfectly fine with people who don't share our "world view". That is what makes the world go 'round. Well, at least the "free world".
We do find it amusing though that a handful of people seem to think the fact that the mayor serving way back in the 1990's took his hard-working public works crew to the restaurant they requested-yes, the infamous Hooters-somehow justifies all of the current disasters. Would it have been okay if that mayor took his employees to dine with Burger Chef and Jeff more than fifteen years ago?
- Does that oddly infamous Hooter's lunch more than fifteen years ago justify spending tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on lawyers and lawsuits today?
- Does that oddly infamous Hooter's lunch more than fifteen years ago justify all of the horrendously vindictive attacks being launched by Martin and his cronies on the Villa Hills Police Department today?
- Does that oddly infamous Hooter's lunch more than fifteen years ago justify pouring fifteen thousand taxpayer dollars in to a park that abuts the properties of two current council members today?
- Does that oddly infamous Hooter's lunch more than fifteen years ago justify all of the financial turmoil and uncertainty that besets City government today?
- Does that oddly infamous Hooter's lunch more than fifteen years ago justify Martin signing a purchase order that paid him the equivalent of ten years of mayoral salary in advance (more than twenty-three thousand taxpayer dollars) today?
We obviously don't agree with the Facebook posters who are trying to create this "moral equivalency" as some kind of justification for Martin's rampant corruption and mismanagement today. These posters are entitled to their opinions. But we aren't required to agree with them.
Oh, one more thing (as the great Lt. Columbo used to say). Those who still carp about the money that was spent on the Special Counsel investigation of Martin's wrongdoings (he was convicted on seven of nine counts of Official Misconduct and Neglect of Duty in a proceeding overseen by respected Judge Mickey Foellger but wasn't removed from office because two former council people "went in the tank" for the diminutive dictator), they should be mindful of one thing. Not one single dollar would have had to be spent if Martin had simply been forthcoming. Martin's "dodge-dip-duck-dive and dodge" tactics are what caused the investigation. It's as simple as that.
Enough of this for now. Our reporters are fanning out to follow more leads.
