WEEKENDER: The Flower Police

The Martin Chronicles watched as Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin gleefully broke a three-to-three tie to impose draconian, new zoning regulations on the backs of the long-suffering residents of his embattled burg. We are reminded of the classic Cheap Trick song, Dream Police. Only this time, Martin has unleashed the Flower Police.

This seemingly innocuous action has stark implications for many, many Villa Hills residents:

• If you have any plantings around your mailbox, you're now a criminal.
• If you have any plantings any more than four short feet away from your home, you're now a criminal.

What next? Well, Martin-with the support of Koenig, Menninger-Isenhour and Wischer-will be sending out his aptly-named "nuisance officer" to harass people for those crimes. The authoritarian ass is obviously pandering to some disgruntled group who prefer to have the heavy hand of government settle petty disagreements with their neighbors.

We wonder how much Martin's personal-and now City-Attorney Toad V. McMurtry will be paid to draft such an over-the-top ordinance? We wonder who Martin intends to target? Will he use his "nuisance officer" to wreak havoc on political opponents?

Given Martin's dreadful mismanagement of Villa Hills taxpayer money and operations over these past, nearly four years, the diminutive dictator's list of political opponents has grown quite long. But there is a solution to this nitwittery.

Martin must face the voters in less than 129 days.