WEEKENDER: Did We Hear That Correctly?

The Martin Chronicles believes we all may have to take another look. Certainly we didn't hear Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin say that he removed Councilwoman Amy Balson-who is a practicing CPA-from the City's Finance Committee because she had "shortcomings", did he? We must have heard that wrong.

Look, we don't know Amy Balson from the original Eve. But if we simply do a quick review of Martin's financial foul-ups, bleeps and blunders its hard for us to imagine him assigning "shortcomings" to almost any CPA. Not now. Not ever. Never.

Let's just look at a few:

• Wasn't Martin the guy who appeared-to be kind-mystified when he was advised that the revenues and disbursements must balance on the City budget's bottom line?
• Wasn't Martin the guy who explained away the fact that he signed a deceased person's name on that deceased person's checks and cashed them by saying that he didn't know he shouldn't do that then but he knows he can't do that now?
• Wasn't Martin the guy who came to the previous council in a panic, demanding that they pass a $300,000 budget amendment because he was caught off-guard by a massive amount of police overtime?
• In fact, wasn't Martin the guy who has had to ask City Council to pass budget amendments to cover shortfalls in every annual budget  for which he has been responsible?
• Wasn't Martin the guy who didn't anticipate the legitimate questions that would be raised when he signed the purchase order that generated a check of more than $23,000 of taxpayer money for well, uh, er, himself?

Martin is quite fond of telling the residents about all the money he supposedly "finds". He seemed especially fond of hanging his size 5 1/4 hat on the tale that he saved "a whole bunch of money" by getting rid of the City's postage meter. A sober review of the reality of what has transpired over his thirty-two painful months in the mayor's office tells a far different story.

One final note. And it is important to say that we are not picking on new Councilwoman Amy Balson. Not in this post anyway. But we sure wish she had objected to Martin's highly insulting comment about "shortcomings". Yes, we have seen who Martin is. We know he is a vengeful, spiteful little jerk. We understand the reluctance to risk incurring the wrath of whatever is left of Martin's pathetic hillbilly lynchmob.

But Martin has gotten away with far too many asinine comments and actions already.