We sort of-again, sort of (but not really that much)-even understand why a majority of voters decided to surround the miscreant Martin with an entirely new council in the 2012 election. These desperate voters were hoping-against all hope and clear evidence as witnessed by guilty verdicts on seven of nine counts of Official Misconduct and Neglect of Duty, a reprimand from the Villa Hills Ethics Board and a strong warning from a judge speaking from the bench-that giving Martin a new group to work with would somehow calm things down. But it hasn't worked. And it's now clear to all but the most fanatical Kool-Aid drinkers that the common denominator in all of the ongoing trouble and turmoil is the mendacious Martin.
In fact, we believe things have actually gotten a whole lot worse. And, brothers and sisters, that is truly saying something.
- There are more questions than ever about the City's finances.
- Martin has hired his own personal attorney to serve as the City Attorney. And this City Attorney often "no-shows" key events, instead covered by ill-prepared, junior underlings who in the long run end up costing the taxpayers a great deal more.
- Martin has signed a purchase order that provided him a $23,000-plus payday.
- Martin has put Executive Orders in place that can lead to the arrest of residents who speak out against the policies of his misadministration and mismanagement.
- The City is on the verge of losing its local police department.
- There are more taxpayer-funded City employees on Martin's payroll.
- Despite the fact that the UNFAIR $40 PER CAR STICKER TAX continues to be collected by Kenton County, there is still no road work of significance being done in the City.
- Martin is allowing Council members Mary Koenig and Holly Menninger-Isenhour spend $15,000 of taxpayer money to improve a scrap of land that abuts their private property.
- Witnesses say Council member Mary Koenig is now openly mocking residents for speaking out against serious problems during televised City Council meetings.
So has the public engaged? We can report that we are hearing much more talk about Martin's profligate taxpayer-funded waste on attorneys and legal bills than ever before. Even in such places previously solidly backing Martin like the civic club.
Martin's wasteful spending of other people's money to fund his personal vendetta against the police department is not open to debate. Only the looniest Martinites would have the nerve to describe criticism of and questions about this senseless spending as "a witch hunt". Only the clueless of the truly clueless local headline writers would call disputes about the money being squandered on attorneys as "bickering" or "infighting". This is a very real problem.
Here are some of the questions that are being asked -
- Should the taxpayers be funding the incredible cost of the City Attorney-who also served as Martin's personal attorney-and a bevy of other attorneys (that may number as many as six) to prepare lawsuits, briefs and other documents?
- Should the taxpayers be funding the incredible cost of a lawsuit intended to wrest away the right of the City's Civil Service Board to decide the merits of Martin's flimsy allegations against Assistant Chief Joe Schutzman?
- Should the taxpayers be funding the incredible cost of a lawsuit against Schutzman Inspection Services for allegedly destroying City records when there is absolutely no evidence that Martin or his City Attorney has ever sat down with Schutzman to discuss the diminutive dictator's concerns?
