There are plenty of examples of other government "leaders" making strong-and also false-denials. Richard Nixon announced that he was not "a crook". Bill Clinton strongly denied his dalliance with Monica Lewinsky. More recently, Barack Obama declared that "if you like your current health insurance plan, you can keep it. Period." We know how all those declarations panned out.
First, let's take a look at the definition of the word "merit". Encarta's Online Dictionary defines "merit" in the proper context as "the facts of a matter without regard for emotional, procedural, or other issues".
Assistant Police Chief Joe Schutzman has filed suit against the mendacious Martin and his wife Janet for-among other things-defamation, harassment and intimidation. Let's take a look at some of the demonstrable facts of this matter, without regard for emotional, procedural, or other issues.
- The Machiavellian Martin has been accusing Schutzman of "double-dipping" to anyone who will listen now for several years without ever offering proof. As a councilman, Martin went so far as to launch an ill-advised "investigation" of Schutzman. It is a demonstrable fact that Martin even used his sister to place Open Records requests in an unsuccessful attempt to "dig dirt" on Schutzman. At the conclusion of Martin's so-called "investigation", documents prove Martin was advised that there was no evidence of "double-dipping". In typical fashion, Martin twisted the words of the former City Attorney and former Mayor, claiming that they said they "didn't care" about Schutzman's falsely-alleged "double-dipping". That claim was a LIE designed to harm Schutzman-and others-in the public eye.
- Martin has claimed that he was "unaware" of the temporary arrangement that had been made in late 2010 for building and zoning services that led to his abject mismanagement of employee scheduling and tens of thousands of dollars in unnecessary taxpayer-funded overtime expense. Documents have surfaced and statements have been given that prove that it is a fact that Martin has been LYING about being "unaware".
- The malicious Martin, City Attorney Toad V. McMurtry and City Clerk Craig T. Bohman advised Schutzman that he was suspended pending termination in May, 2013. Why? In part, for unproven "political activity" and unproven "intimidation" of City employees. City Clerk Craig T. Bohman went so far as to provide an unproven statement that he was a "victim" of "selective traffic enforcement" by Schutzman. This despite the fact that there is absolutely no evidence that Schutzman ever wrote City Clerk Craig T. Bohman a traffic ticket or even once stopped him.
- Martin filed a taxpayer-funded lawsuit against the City's duly-enacted Civil Service Board in a duplicitous attempt to wrest away their legal authority to hear his false claims against Schutzman. Many suspect that the inimical Martin filed that wasteful lawsuit because he believed his "golden moment" council would be a more favorable "court" to hear his amoral attempt to railroad Schutzman.
- The imperiling Martin removed a security door-mandated by the agency granting accreditation to the Villa Hills Police Department-that is present in virtually all police departments, on multiple occasions, exposing Schutzman and others to unnecessary danger.
- Reports have emerged that Martin routinely offers harsh criticisms of Schutzman at Kenton County Mayors' Group meetings and other public events. The purpose? Well, a reasonable person could certainly conclude that Martin's negative comments would make it far more difficult for Schutzman to secure employment with another City.
- The misleading Martin claimed ignorance of a letter sent to the State Auditor's office by a so-called "anonymous citizen" prompting a "pimped" investigation of Martin's taxpayer-funded, mismanaged overtime expenses. Gee, suppose a witness has stepped forward because their conscience got the best of them saying that Martin was deeply involved in seeing that the letter to the State Auditor was sent?
- The contemptible Martin immediately issued a press release blaming Schutzman for all of the overtime problems in the aftermath of the State Auditor's report. This despite the fact that the State Auditor never once spoke to Schutzman during their investigation and the fact that the State Auditor wrote that every Villa Hills' City employee may have some double-billed payable hours.
- Documents have surfaced that prove that it is a fact that Martin's wife Janet placed Open Records requests to other municipalities in a mean-spirited attempt to "dig dirt" on Schutzman and his then-minor son Joey in the very recent past.
- As recently as January 13, 2014, a City Official appointed by the mallet-headed Martin and approved by his "golden moment" council walked into an already-underway Safety Committee meeting and began to make defamatory comments about Schutzman.
These are just a few of the facts. And this small sampling of facts are damning. Of course we know why Martin has been conducting this callous campaign. It has everything to do with his judicially-justified 2007 FORGERY ARREST. But the taxpayers of Villa Hills need to understand that Martin's callous campaign continues to cost them an unnecessary fortune.
The voters will have to wait 288 days before getting the opportunity to put an end to it.
