Our beloved publisher's old friend also has a great interest in local politics. It is a good laboratory for sound-and not-so-sound-management practices. This NKU professor was born and raised in Northern Kentucky, and except for a six-year teaching "gig" at the University of Pennsylvania in the early 1980's,has been a life-long resident of this area. This old friend understands how management should work.
The professor agreed to share personal views established after closely watching Martin over the past three-plus years. You see, this professor spends a lot of time watching the televised meetings of several Cities in order to create case studies for management classes.
Following is the transcript of that recorded interview.
Professor: To tell you the truth, most of my students think I'm making up the stuff that's been happening in Villa Hills City Government. My brighter students can't believe that any mayor could be so corrupt and so stupid. They're still in disbelief when I show them recorded replays of the meetings. Its hard to describe their reaction.
Publisher: Let's start by describing what it takes to be a good manager.
Professor: Great question. An effective manager is proficient in the five essential management functions of planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling. We help students remember that with the acronym P, O, S, L, C. A manager who has a grip on these five functions is almost always successful.
Publisher: Would it make sense to rank Martin's abilities for each of those five essential functions of management?
Professor: Yes, it would. I've been observing this bag of snakes for years now. Let's do exactly that.
Publisher: So, how about Martin's planning skills?
Professor: Well, if you're talking about Martin's ability to plan ways to cause trouble for people he thinks are his adversaries, then he's pretty darn good. But when it comes to developing effective plans that are good for the City he was elected to lead, he stinks. Where is the road plan? Where is the plan for the future of the police department? Where is the plan for recreation? Where is the plan for how is Administrative staff should function? Where is his financial plan? It just seems like he pushes one new tax increase after another without any logic. Martin is most likely a very poor planner because he simply isn't too bright. He's great at trouble-making and that's about it.
Publisher: So, Martin's off to a shaky start. What about Martin's ability to organize?
Professor: Well, organizing starts with having a coherent plan. And since I don't see any evidence that Martin has constructed anything closely resembling a positive, coherent plan for Villa Hills, its very hard to rate his organizational abilities. But given his penchant for doing little more than moving from one self-created crisis to another, I doubt that Martin is capable of organizing much beyond his handyman tool box.
Publisher: Okay, so far so bad. So let's take a look at Martin's staffing skill.
Professor: Seriously? How much time do you have? The first thing Martin did was hire an unqualified friend to handle the City's books. You know how that's going. I mean, when was the last time the City Council had coherent financial reports delivered to them in a timely fashion?
Then Martin brings in another crony from the Civic Club. This belligerent behemoth claims she read some book that said it was okay to destroy City records, despite what State statute mandates about records retention. Heck, everybody with a fair mind knows what really happened. Martin himself ordered the destruction of those City records. How do we know that? Well, the Public Works Director testified to that fact during Martin's removal hearing. Its amazing to me that Martin hasn't found a way to get rid of that guy. Either way, I'm quite sure Martin is making his work life a living hell.
Then Martin convinces the poor folks on his new council-I believe you call them his "golden moment council"...
Publisher: That's right.
Professor: Okay, so he convinces the new council to hire his personal attorney to serve as City Attorney. What's wrong with that taxpayer-funded picture? The new City Attorney seems to thrive on Martin's misbehavior instead of counseling him on the correct way to behave. Well, come to think of it, of course he does. Why? Because he is making a costly-to-the taxpayer-funded fortune constantly cleaning up the messes Martin continues to make.
Who thinks this is a good idea?
Publisher: Our readers know what we think of the despicable Toad V. McMurtry.
Professor: Okay. so there are more staffing questions. Why does Martin keep spending money on the former interim City Clerk Sue Bree? He wrote her up claiming that Bree violated federal law, State statute and local ordinances, after all. He has more than enough justification to fire Bree. Could it be that Bree went in to the tank for Martin during his removal hearing? What a sad, taxpayer-funded joke.
It keeps getting worse. Craig Bohman has a long history of trouble-making that has been well-documented by local media. So what do Martin and his ineffective new council do? They hire this guy to serve as the so-called City Clerk. Bohman caused trouble from the start. Bohman has participated in misbehavior that's triggered lawsuits. Bohman bills the taxpayers for time he claims he is working from home and traveling to Frankfort to look for yet another job. So what will happen next? Martin and the council will proclaim Bohman Villa Hills' City Administrator. What a sad joke.
Heck, Martin has even hired a friend of Bohman for yet another taxpayer-funded Administrative position. On any given day, the taxpayers are footing the bill for more Administrative people than far-more-important police officers. That's ridiculous.
I won't even offer much comment on the way Martin has fouled-up the police department. You're reporters have done an excellent job reporting on that sad story. But, let me add that he has made an absolute mess of one of the most important functions of any City.
Publisher: So far, so bad. How about Martin's ability to lead?
Professor: Again, that is a great question. Let me ask you a question. Would you be inclined to follow a man who has been caught in one lie after another?
Publisher: Of course not.
Professor: Well, that should tell you about my view on Martin's leadership capabilities. Martin has been caught in lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie since he plopped down in the mayor's office in January, 2011. I suspect that sensible City employees know in their hearts that Martin cares only about his survival. Those that don't know that are either as bad as Martin is or simply want to keep riding the taxpayer-funded gravy train. Hopefully, most residents will realize what a liar their mayor has been come Election Day. But who knows?
Publisher: I know. Well, anyway, that leaves the final management function of control. What do you think?
Professor: Oddly enough, Martin is pretty good at controlling. At least in a bad way. Whether through Executive Order, direct threat or intimidation by McMurtry and Bohman, Martin has browbeat most of his remaining employees and the City Council to keep their mouths shut about Martin's ongoing corruption and terrible mismanagement.
Publisher: So, you don't give Martin good grades for management ability?
Professor: You are a master of understatement, my old friend. A guy like Martin belongs in either a mental institution or a prison. He's a cruel joke perpetrated on a City by just enough folks who just weren't paying any attention. Many of my students sum up their view of Villa Hills City Government by saying Martin is craptacular.
So here we are. The voters still have to wait another 258 days to decide whether or not they agree with this respected NKU professor's assessment of Martin.
What will the voters decide?
