Sure, in a strict accounting sense, such a move could be explained away as innocent "streamlining". But, we've learned that little or nothing the mendacious Martin does is "innocent". We've also learned that Martin knows little or nothing about accounting, as evidenced by three years of busted budgets.
So, why this curious move? Hasn't Martin's own mostly-supplicant finance committee actually requested more public disclosure about Martin's spending on lawyers and legal actions? Yes, they most certainly have. Hasn't Martin been asked to post a spreadsheet on the City's website detailing the diminutive dictator's spending on lawyers and legal actions? Yes, he most certainly has.
You will recall that Martin has brushed aside these requests. The smarmy sultan said he had done a lot of "soul-searching" and decided against more public disclosure of his spending on lawyers and legal actions. His excuse? Martin said other cities don't do it.
We've done our homework though. It seems other cities don't do it because no other mayor has behaved as Martin has. We couldn't find any other Northern Kentucky municipality where a mayor convinced city council to hire his or her personal attorney to serve as the taxpayer-funded City Attorney. We couldn't find any other Northern Kentucky municipality where a mayor used taxpayer money to hire squads of lawyers to sue taxpayer-funded city councils, boards, committees and employees. We couldn't find any other Northern Kentucky municipality where a mayor attempted to use legal maneuvers to force taxpayers to foot the bill for his or her personal legal liabilities. Only Martin has done these things.
Martin isn't without support in his effort to hide the information. Councilwoman Mary Koenig also came out against transparency on this issue when she said she didn't think the taxpayers needed to know about Martin's spending on lawyers and legal actions. Yes, this is the same Mary Koenig who made her phony pledge to seek greater transparency at the October 2012 Civic Club Candidate Forum. But of course that 2012 "Forum" was a sham that was rigged from the jump by Martin's allies at the Civic Club.
Why hasn't Councilwoman Holly Menninger-Isenhour railed about better reporting on Martin's spending on lawyers and legal actions? Hasn't Menninger-Isenhour been complaining for her entire term about the need for greater detail in the monthly police reports? Doesn't Menninger-Isenhour think Martin's spending on lawyers and legal actions is equally deserving of more, not less, public reporting?
Why do Martin, Koenig and others feel the need to hide the tiny tyrant's spending on lawyers and legal actions. Logic tells us that it can't be because the residents of Villa Hills would find that the information reveals good news.
Quite the opposite.
