But the second part of our story that day revealed something far more serious that deserves additional attention. What is it? Martin's blatant disregard for both Kentucky Statute and Villa Hills City Policy. The issue? "Political activity".
First, let's circle back to Martin's May 23, 2013 suspension of then-Assistant Police Chief Joe Schutzman. Martin, his personal-and now City-Attorney Toad V. McMurtry and City Clerk/City Administrator Craigory T. Bohman ambushed Schutzman in the then-Assistant Chief's office, leveling a bevy of never-substantiated charges the terrible trio claimed warranted an immediate suspension without pay.
One of the many never-substantiated charges leveled against Schutzman that May day was that the then-Assistant Police Chief had engaged in "political activity". You see, shortly after City Clerk/City Administrator Craigory T. Bohman was hired, he began following Villa Hills City employees around with a camera. Bohman made the never-substantiated allegation that he took photos of Schutzman engaging in "political activity" while on duty.
Flash forward to August, 2014. By several unimpeachable accounts, that once-heinous crime has evidently become official City policy in the Martin mis-Administration.
How so? Several undeniably reliable sources tell us that Martin is now brow-beating City employees, demanding that they go out and tell residents what a "great job" the tiny tyrant is doing. Why? Because-according to the Martin-if the miniature Mussolini isn't re-elected on November 4, "a new mayor will come in and fire all of them".
Wow. You don't say? Really? Is that a fact? Geez. That sounds exactly like a desperate mayor clinging to his long-desired power, pushing his taxpayer-funded employees to engage in well, uh, err, umm, "political activity". Man, that's really, really bad. And worse yet, what Martin is ordering these poor employees to do is against State statute, City policy and the Ethics ordinance.
Let's explode Martin's sure-to-come, dishonest excuse right now. You see, the prohibition against City employees engaging in "political activity" only really applies when that employee is on duty. Okay. Fair enough.
But guess what? As far as we can determine, only one current Villa Hills' City employee resides in Villa Hills. Does any reasonable person believe that any of the other mistreated employees who live all over Northern Kentucky will travel back to Villa Hills to campaign for the tiny man who treats them like dirt? That's a big, old "hell no".
So, its clear that Martin is demanding that City employees engage in "political activity" while they are on duty, being remunerated by the taxpayers. Yep, that's not only improper and unethical. It's illegal.
The voters can clean out the City Government stable in just 76 days.
