Minority Report

The Martin Chronicles believes Villa Hills' residents should be very happy with their current City Administration. Things are publicly quiet, collegial and efficient-at least for now. A new mayor and council majority seem determined to put behind the mayhem and mismanagement left behind by the last mayor as quickly as possible.

How bad was it? Well, Villa Hills gained national notoriety for being one of the finest communities in The United States in 2014. Despite that prestigious recognition, Villa Hills' voters tossed their previous maniacal mayor out on his disgraceful ass. How bad was that lunatic loser's unprecedented defeat? The little liar received just 18% of the vote in his ridiculous bid for undeserved re-election.

Let's put the now-deposed little fella's humiliating defeat in perspective. Villa Hills previous mayor received only 18% of the vote-despite spending taxpayer money on his crooked re-election campaign. By any measure, that is an historical-and hysterical-rout. Especially if you consider the fact that 31% of another American city's voters expressed willingness to have their municipal government spend their taxpayer money on a flying saucer landing site in their hometown! Boy Howdy!

But, we continue to dig in to ongoing stories following the four years of horrific destruction left by the embarrassingly-disgraced, previous joke of a mayor and his corrupt City Administration. Why? Because the previous corrupt and incompetent mayor of Villa Hills' left his little town in a real lurch. "Moving the City Forward"? What a dishonest joke!

So, we have learned that one of the previous mayor's staunchest supporters-the vile, ancient crocodile Mary Koenig-is definitely not enjoying life in 2015. Why? Because for one of the few times in her nasty political career, Koenig finds herself in the distinct minority.

You see, Koenig finds herself having the twisted support she needs from just one, vastly over-rated rookie. Koenig no longer has the necessary support to misuse City Government to carry out her calumnious campaign of retribution. Koenig can't misuse City Government to get anyone fired. Koenig can't misuse City Government to ruin anyone's life. Koenig can't misuse City Government to ruin anyone's reputation. Clearly, Koenig is very frustrated.

Fellow haters shouldn't worry though. Koenig is the master of biding time. Sooner or later, Koenig will launch her counter-attacks. But remember, Koenig doesn't have the courage to do it herself.

Watch for it. We are sure to see useful idiots doing Koenig's dirty work as we approach the 2016 election in Villa Hills. Look for various and sundry nimrods to waddle to the podium at council meetings to present the suicidal script Koenig has prepared for them. Koenig will try revive her insane claims of some mysterious "good old boys network" to convince voters to put her back in some malicious majority.

Isn't this fun?

SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: Will The "Civic Club" Survive?

The Martin Chronicles has been highly critical of the ass clowns who have dominated the Villa Hills "Civic Club" for some time now. We are not the least bit ashamed of being so critical. These asinine ass hats bear a great deal of guilt for foisting the fraud who was the previous mayor of Villa Hills on the residents of Villa Hills.

It is also no secret that membership in the Villa Hills "Civic Club" is tanking. We are hearing that a large percentage of the residents of Villa Hills have come to believe that the "Civic Club" is overly-populated by a group of mouth-breathers who have transformed the former focal point of their town in to a very unfriendly, highly politicized hangout.

Many residents who have joined the "Civic Club" over the past couple of years report that their visits to the lodge haven't been good. They tell tales of facing hostility when they walk through the front door. As one put it, "The drunken nitwits surrounding the bar stared at me with a "what the hell are YOU doing here" look when they walked through that front door.

The Martin Chronicles vast readership may be surprised. But, we think the "Civic Club" must be saved from the fate that has befallen so many other neighborhood civic clubs. After all, Villa Hills wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for the efforts of former-far wiser-leaders of their "Civic Club". In other words, the ass hats who currently dominate the club haven't always been there.

Just think about it. The "Civic Club" has a serviceable lodge for all manor of events. The "Civic Club" has a beautiful-if currently misnamed-fishing lake. And, the "Civic Club" has several acres devoted to the athletic endeavors of local youth. Do the residents of Villa Hills REALLY want to see all that turned over to a developer to build yet another subdivision? We hope not.

The Martin Chronicles urges Villa Hills' residents to join the current "Civic Club". And then, get involved to change it in to a real, welcoming CIVIC CLUB. YOU can make a real difference. Just like you did when you tossed the corrupt fraud who sat in the mayor's office- only because of all of his LIES-out on his pathetically corrupt, sorry ass on November 4, 2014.

YOU can make a real difference. YOU can affect real change. YOU can be a part of sweeping away the ass clowns who have been foolishly destroying this real gem in the heart of Villa Hills.

It is truly up to YOU.

WEEKENDER: Wacko, Fringe Candidates

The Martin Chronicles loves local politics. While municipal government has the most impact on the day-to-day lives of most people in the United States, too many American voters seem far too lazy doing their homework before electing wacko, fringe candidates to wreak havoc in their towns. Far too often, they elect wingnuts, or simply take a foolish "pass" on the process.

The beautiful little burg of Cold Springs, Kentucky brings us yet another example of the aftermath of this indefensible apathy. Cold Springs' voters elected a new mayor on November 4, 2014 who -well, we don't know how else to put it-looked just like your best friend's grandmother.

Well, shortly after the new Cold Springs' mayor took the reins of power, it was "go granny, go granny, go granny go!" This "nice" little grandma quickly fired the Police Chief, City Administrator and City Attorney. Why? Who the hell knows?

Oh, it gets better. Granny hired a new City Attorney who quickly sized up the situation and decided to "exit, stage left". So, before serving a full four months in office, Granny must have realized that she was in way too over her head and pulled the plug on herself and resigned, leaving the Cold Springs City Government in absolute shambles.

It gets even better than that. Left in a terrible lurch, the Cold Springs council decided to bring back their previous veteran mayor in an attempt to right Granny's sinking ship. Believe it or not, there were some residents who actually had a problem with the council's decision to return the prior mayor.

One allegedly intelligent person-who's a doctor, for Pete's sake!-told the media that he would have preferred a "fresh face". Seriously? Didn't the most recent "fresh face" screw things up enough for this doofus doctor? Idiot.

Then there is the proud City of Erlanger, Kentucky. The residents of Erlanger also decided it was time to elect a "fresh face" to run their town (in to the ground) by putting Tyler Herpes in to the Mayor's Office. Oh, that's gonna leave a mark.



Herpes immediately decided it was a great idea to fire the long-serving City Attorney. Yep, that was a great idea. Why? Because the taxpayers of Erlanger are now paying the billable hours of TWO City Attorneys. Way to go, Mayor Herpes!

Other Northern Kentucky Cities have caught the "voter virus" over the past few decades. Ludlow, Park Hills, Bromley and Crescent Springs are just a few other examples of towns who created their own serious problems resulting from voter apathy.

But, one Northern Kentucky municipality can still easily claim the crown for electing wacko, fringe candidates to mismanage their burg into costly difficulty. That would be the highly regarded town of Villa Hills.

The allegedly intelligent voters of Villa Hills have somehow managed to elect two lunatic mayors in the span of a dozen years who have mismanaged to pour heaps of-very costly-embarrassment over their apathetic constituents. And, The Martin Chronicles thanks the Almighty Spirit for Villa Hills voters' abject apathy. It's kept us very busy.

The most recent former mayor of Villa Hills is clearly the cake-taker of corrupt clowns representing wacko, fringe candidates who took avaricious advantage of voter apathy. This little fella told lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie
after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie
after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie
after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie
after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie
after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie after lie. And, he was narrowly elected.

His final bill has yet to paid by the taxpayers.

WEEKENDER: Some Things Will Never, Ever Change

The Martin Chronicles wants to wish our audience a Happy Easter with family and friends. While you celebrate this holiday marking the most profound event in Earth's history, we will be busily readying a huge story on the gigantic-and costly to the taxpayers-mess that was left behind by its most recent former-bad-joke-of-a-mayor and his hugely overpaid goon squad.

In the meantime, we continue to track the (mis)deeds of Villa Hills former disgraced "CEO". This tracking leads us to an observation and a few questions.

First, the observation:

We have obtained a photograph of a certain well known-and thoroughly embarrassed-former occupant of the mayor's office in Villa Hills collecting "donations" in front of the Wal-Mart in Ft. Wright.

Second, the questions:

1. What would the significance of Kentucky Secretary of State documents that have been obtained showing that the "charity" for whom the former occupant of the Villa Hills' mayor's office who was soliciting "donations" in front of the Wal-Mart in Ft. Wright was "dissolved" many months before that collection be?
2. What problems would donors to this "charity" that documents show had been dissolved many months before the collection run by the former occupant of the Villa Hills' mayor's office who was soliciting "donations" in front of the Wal-Mart in Ft. Wright face if they claimed these "donations" on their tax returns"?
3. How could a person who has regularly claimed he holds a leadership position with this "charity" not know that Kentucky Secretary of State documents show that the "charity" was dissolved months before the collection in front of the Wal-Mart in Ft. Wright?

Sure, that person who has regularly claimed he holds a leadership position with this "charity" that Kentucky Secretary of State documents show was dissolved months before the collection in front of Wal-Mart in Ft. Wright loudly betrayed himself to be a corrupt and incompetent schlep during his four disgraceful years in the Villa Hills mayor's office. So, maybe this is just another example of his abject ineptitude and mismanagement.

Or, this could be yet another example of that schlep's-who spent four miserable years disgracing Villa Hills' City Government-abject dishonesty. Anything is possible with this corrupt clown.

We all know what this hapless schlep will claim if he gets into any hot water for collecting for a "charity" that Kentucky Secretary of State documents indicate was dissolved months before that collection. "I didn't know it was wrong then. But, I know it was wrong now". And, you know what? It will probably work. In fact, someone else will probably end up falling on their sword instead. It has always been that way for this little schlep.

Some things will never, ever change.

SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: Lies Have "Short Legs"

The Martin Chronicles beloved publisher had a Saturday meeting with the reporters who are still compiling the final confirmations for the still-embargoed story that will shock-and cost-the taxpayers of Villa Hills, Kentucky. Rest assured, others will pay dearly as well.

So, our beloved publisher was in a reflective mood. He reminded the gathered reporters of something his favorite editor advised him when he was a young investigative reporter. The editor said, "Remember, LIES are like filthy rodents that have very short legs. If you keep chasing these filthy rodents, you will eventually catch them. Just don't quit".

That old editor was pretty darn smart. And, exactly right. His expression goes a long way to explaining how an oddly vain, ridiculous little man who once beat his chest and proclaimed, "I'm the CEO. It's MY decision. Get over it. We're moving on" suffered an historic, embarrassing defeat in last November's election.

That oddly vain, ridiculous little man was pathetically pummeled by the voters. Mostly for his endless stream of colossal LIES.

That oddly vain, ridiculous little man was cut down more than a few embarrassing notches. He was no longer "the CEO" after November 4. 2014. The voters turned this oddly vain, ridiculous little man in to "Mister 18%". Very few people deserved such a humiliating comeuppance more than this oddly vain, ridiculous little man. As many in Villa Hills now say, "What a crook".

There were three primary culprits responsible for the embarrassment Villa Hills suffered from January 1, 2011 until December 31, 2014-with a host of lesser cronies and feckless fools tagging along for the taxpayer-funded, lucrative ride. The oddly vain, ridiculous little man is gone. So is his very-costly to the taxpayers, chief advisor. Only his nasty hatchet man remains. We'll see what happens to him.

In the meantime, we will continue to chase those short-legged, filthy rodents.

WEEKENDER II: More Costly Questions To Answer

The Martin Chronicles can tell by its huge spike in readership that our audience is hot on the trail to uncover the identity of the individual we wrote about yesterday. Because many of our readers are very bright, we are quite convinced that they have already identified the person in question.

We now want to ask some serious questions-the answers to which could prove very costly to the taxpayers of Villa Hills.

1. In Kentucky, who has the statutory power to enter a municipality in to an agreement with another party?

2. In Kentucky, if that person with the statutory power to enter a municipality in to an agreement that approves the payment of specified sum of money to a third party signs that agreement, isn't the municipality obligated to live up to the terms of that aforementioned agreement?  

3. Does the fact that the person who had the statutory power to enter a municipality in to an agreement that approves the payment of a specified sum of money to a third party was resoundingly defeated in their recent, dishonest bid for re-election somehow free the taxpayers of that municipality from the commitment that was made?

4. Does the fact that the insurance company who represents the municipality informed the governing body that it is greatly limiting its financial exposure in the settlement of the agreement because the amount of money owed to the third party was the result of cynical, "intentional acts" perpetrated by the person who had the statutory power to enter that municipality in to that agreement represent a huge financial exposure to the taxpayers of that municipality?

Yes, we know these questions require some digging to answer. But, if you are a taxpayer of Villa Hills you should want to know the answers to these questions.

Because the answers could cost you a great deal of money.

WEEKENDER: Follow The Money

The Martin Chronicles is about to let loose the dogs of war. We are almost ready to reveal the embargoed story that will reveal the powder keg that the taxpayers have been sitting on since January 1, 2011. It won't be pretty. But, it will be very costly. You will learn the identity of all the miscreants who are responsible for this fiscal disaster.

We have some homework for our readers to do in the meantime. The Martin Chronicles is going to ask you to get on Al Gore's internet and do some searching. Why, because we have some serious questions for you that we will not answer.

1. Who is the person-who certainly should know better-who cost the taxpayers of Villa Hills a sizeable fortune giving questionable advice to a hideously corrupt former mayor?

2. Who is the person-who certainly should know better-who cost the taxpayers of Park Hills a sizeable fortune giving questionable advice to a hideously corrupt former mayor?

3. Who is the person-who should certainly know better-who is deeply embroiled in the turmoil of new mayor Tyler Herpes Erlanger?

4. Who is the person-who should certainly know better-who is unnecessarily draining hard-earned money out of a group of naïve people who are opposing the opening of a new Kroger store in Union?

We will give you one hint to figure out the identity of just one of those miserable miscreants. Why? Because The Martin Chronicles loves its huge audience.

"The answer to all four questions is the same".

Bitter(sweet) Irony

The Martin Chronicles welcomed some distinguished guests to its palatial offices today. These "plugged-in" people came in checking on the status of the still-embargoed story about the final, costly bill that will be paid by the taxpayers (and others). 

When that bill is paid, there is hope that the once-embattled city can begin to finally close the books on the last four years of-how did The Kentucky Enquirer put it very recently?-"scandals and lawsuits" served up by the corrupt and incompetent Mister 18%.

The discussion quickly turned to that aforementioned article in The Kentucky Enquirer. Here is how some of the at discussion went (interspersed with very heavy doses of laughter):

"Can you imagine? In an odd way, the little fella was right about the Villa Hills Civil Service ordinance. But for all the wrong reasons. That has got to be absolutely killing him."

"Especially since he got annihilated in last November's election!"

"But remember, the ordinance was rushed through only because the majority of council knew (name withheld-to protect his identity we'll call him Mister 18%) mostly wanted to be mayor to get revenge against all of the people he incorrectly blamed for his judicially-justified forgery arrest. What was the name of that dope on council who opposed the ordinance? I can't remember that dope's name, dang it."

"Who cares who that dope was?"

"How can (name withheld-to protect his identity we'll call him Mister 18%) feel when The Kentucky Enquirer described only his four horrible years in the mayor's office mismanaging and ripping off the city as ones filled with 'scandals and lawsuits'?"

"(Name withheld-to protect his identity we'll call him Mister 18%) was 'moving the city forward'? If that wasn't so (EXPLETIVE) sick it would be hilarious!"

"Good luck finding too many people who will say they proudly cast a vote for (name withheld-to protect his identity we'll call him Mister 18%) In fact, I've heard a bunch of people are actually apologizing for ever believing one (EXPLETIVE) thing he ever said. How bad is that?"

"What a joke!"

"You know (name withheld to protect his identity we'll call him Mister 18%) is already planning his latest comeback. This lunatic is convinced the voters will elect him to council next year and then return him to the mayor's office in 2018!"

"Like you said, 'lunatic'!"

This is far from over.

SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: At Best, Very Poor Judgment

The Martin Chronicles wonders what the current-highly-overpaid-by-the-taxpayers-of-Villa -Hills-City Administrator/City Clerk can possibly be thinking. Sure, we live in a free country. But the vast majority of reasonable people generally exercise better judgment when they should surely know that they are skating on very thin ice with their employer. 

So, why is the current-highly-overpaid-by-the-taxpayers-of-Villa-Hills-City Administrator/City Clerk continuing to use a well-known unlicensed handyman (we'll call the unlicensed handyman "Mister 18%") to do "home improvement" work? It doesn't make good sense. What in the wide, wide world of sports going on?

Perhaps the happily-oblivious, newly-elected, septuagenarian mayor of Villa Hills is simply blissfully ignorant. Maybe the new City Council is unaware of the ongoing connection between the-highly-overpaid-by-the-taxpayers-of-Villa-Hills-City Administrator/City Clerk's ongoing connection with Mister 18%. Could it be that Mister 18% is just fixing his typical, "shoddy-at-best" screw-ups he made at the-highly-overpaid-by-the-taxpayers-of-Villa-Hills-home? We don't know.

The Martin Chronicles has not formed an opinion about the ongoing connection between the-highly-overpaid-by-the-taxpayers-of-Villa-Hills-City Administrator/City Clerk and Mister 18% just yet. But, many Villa Hills' residents who have had more than enough of Mister 18%'s four miserable years of incompetence and corruption have drawn their own conclusions.

These residents are absolutely convinced that the-highly-overpaid-by-the-taxpayers-of-Villa-Hills-City Administrator/City Clerk is inappropriately funneling sensitive information that has been gleaned from his presence in executive sessions to Mister 18%. Why? Because these residents know that both the-highly-overpaid-by-the-taxpayers-of-Villa-Hills-City Administrator/City Clerk and Mister 18% have a great deal to lose in pending lawsuits against the City of Villa Hills.

Is that possible? Anything is possible. Especially when you are still dealing with a dishonest miscreant like Mister 18% and the inexplicable fools he somehow brought in to his corrupt orbit.

The happily-oblivious, newly-elected, septuagenarian mayor could easily solve this problem. How? He could finish the house-cleaning job the voters elected him to do. Mister 18% is gone(at least for now). The former City Attorney is gone(now wreaking expensive havoc in other cities). It is also well past time for the-highly-overpaid-by-the-taxpayers-of-Villa-Hills-City Administrator/City Clerk to be moved into that same, aforementioned, "gone" category.

Seriously. Think about it for just a moment. The current happily-oblivious, newly-elected, septuagenarian mayor is retired. What the hell else does he have going on? He asked for the job, after all. Besides, this happily-oblivious, newly-elected, septuagenarian mayor once ran the beautiful City of Covington. Couldn't he handle the day-to-day operations of the much smaller city of Villa Hills he was elected to lead last October? Sure he could.

So, why are the taxpayers of Villa Hills paying a vastly overpaid City Administrator/City Clerk to do a job that the current happily-oblivious, newly-elected, septuagenarian mayor could do with ease? And why isn't the current City Council insisting on making that very obvious move?

Your guess is as good as ours.

The Truth Is Out There

The Martin Chronicles thanks all of its loyal audience for the continued queries about our "next post". Rest assured, we are hard at work on a still-embargoed story about a major injustice perpetrated by Villa Hills' previous administration that still needs to be resolved. In point of fact, that resolution is long overdue.

We have learned that a recent judicial ruling creates the very real possibility that at least some of the perpetrators of that injustice may finally be forced to face harsh questioning while under oath. If any of these perpetrators actually decide not to lie under oath, the residents of Villa Hills will finally hear confirmation about the shocking, vendetta-driven conspiracy that led to the bilking of hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars out of the City treasury.

The Martin Chronicles understands that Villa Hills' new administration would like nothing better than to put the last four "vile and disgusting" years in the town's rear view mirror. But, this new administration should be mindful of that age old warning, "Objects In The Mirror May Be Closer Than They Appear".

You see, the "brain trust" of those past four "vile and disgusting" years has no plans to do the right thing and simply go away. Quite the opposite. Instead, these villains are actively planning yet another undeserved comeback. A mega-dose of the truth is in order to finally put these crooks in the dustbin of history-where they most certainly belong-once and for all.

Please let the aggrieved have their "day in court". Let the story play out. Let the residents of the City who elected a vengeful, little liar in 2010 finally see the very ugly truth. 

First, the truth should be revealed. Secondly, that truth may prevent the voters of Villa Hills from making a similar colossal mistake for many, many, many years.

More to come. 

Rules Are Still For Everybody Else

The Martin Chronicles continues to be grateful for all of our readers who continue to e-mail, call and text asking when our next post will be published. We all value our large, loyal audience. Thank you all. Even those of you who consider us "vile and disgusting".

While we're on the subject of "vile and disgusting", our vast network of sources provided us with a bit of news that no one who has been reading us for awhile will find shocking. Not surprisingly, a former mayor of Villa Hills-who only received an hilariously small 18% of the vote last November 4 in his dishonest, failed quest for re-election-evidently continues to believe "rules are for everybody else".

We are hearing that this erstwhile, evil emperor is back full bore in the unlicensed electrical business. In fact we have been told that Villa Hills' disgraced former mayor is doing unlicensed electrical work for a local contractor who also has no electrical license. In other words, the unlicensed electrical work the former mayor is doing is-to perhaps be far too polite-"improper".

For any remaining apologists who still feel compelled to explain away the asinine antics of the former mayor's 01-01-11 through 12-31-14 Reign of Error, its far past time to "deal with it". He was a lousy CEO. He made terrible, corrupt decisions. He was moved on by the finally-attentive voters. And, he continues to believe that the rules apply to everyone else but him.

There is no room for discussion on this topic. If someone is being paid to do electrical work in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, State Law clearly mandates that this someone must have an electrical license to legally perform that work. There is no murkiness or nuance. It is either right or it is wrong. It is either good or it is bad. Black letter law. Plain and simple. Performing unlicensed electrical work is decidedly wrong.

Yes, The Martin Chronicles thinks this is very important. Why? Because the former, disgraced mayor of Villa Hills is already actively planning his next comeback. Solid sources confirm that he is telling anyone who will listen that he is "a lock" to be elected to city council in 2016 as a prelude to his triumphant return to the mayor's office on January 1, 2019. Don't kid yourself. History often repeats itself.

The voters of Villa Hills somehow have to remember that there is no room for a misguided mayor who oddly believes that the power he possesses somehow makes him exempt from the simple rules the rest of us must follow. If you don't believe that basic fact, the four year-long embarrassment from which Villa Hills just recently emerged should quickly bring you to your senses.

This is precisely why The Martin Chronicles isn't going anywhere.

SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: A Little Hint

The Martin Chronicles is sitting on an amazing story about a suspected conspiracy that could cost the taxpayers of Villa Hills a large fortune. All but about 18% of last November 4's Villa Hills voters knew something was terribly wrong with the previous mayoral administration.

The 82-plus% of voters who unceremoniously tossed out the previous mayor knew something wasn't kosher. They didn't believe even a little bit of the very rosy-and very false-story the previous mayor was telling them during last year's local election campaign.

They knew about the ridiculous legal fees that the previous mayor had cost them. These voters had finally figured out that the previous mayor was wasting dreadful sums of their money conducting a vicious vendetta against everyone the erstwhile tiny tyrant blamed for his judicially-justified 2007 forgery arrest.

But, rest assured that we have learned that the new mayor and the majority of city council are exploring ways to minimize the damage the previous mayor left behind for the taxpayers. Perhaps at least some of the monetary damage facing the taxpayers can be shared with the people who actually caused it.

Here's a hint. The Martin Chronicles is going to provide you with the recognized definition for the word malpractice:

"The breach by a member of a profession of either a standard of care or a standard of conduct."

"Malpractice refers to negligence or misconduct by a professional person, such as a lawyer. The failure to meet a standard of care or standard of conduct that is recognized by a profession reaches the level of malpractice when a client is injured or damaged because of error."

(The Martin Chronicles continues with the recognized definition)

"A lawyer has the duty, in all dealings and relations with a client, to act with honesty, good faith, fairness, integrity, and fidelity. A lawyer must possess the legal skill and knowledge that is ordinarily possessed by members of the profession."

That is more than enough for now.

WEEKENDER II: The Embarrassment Continues

The Martin Chronicles has learned from well-placed sources that the recently-deposed mayor of Villa Hills recently suffered another stinging defeat. Evidently the deposed diminutive dictator still hasn't digested the magnitude of the rejection he was dealt on November 4, 2014.

You remember the incredible level of rejection the recently-deposed diminutive dictator of Villa Hills was dealt on November 4, 2014, don't you? Despite the fact that the City he mismanaged had received several accolades in 2014, the tiny tyrant only received 18% of the vote in his four-way re-election bid. You see, the voters of Villa Hills finally realized that the City received these accolades despite the corruption and mismanagement of their now-former mayor and sent him packing in the loudest-and most humiliating-way.

But the now-former miniature mullah has not come to the same realization. And with very good reason. You see, the little liar rose from the ashes of his 2008 electoral defeat following his now-judicially justified 2007 FORGERY ARREST to actually be elected mayor of Villa Hills by a razor-thin margin in 2010. It seems like the little fella firmly believes he can fool the voters yet again.

Well, in an attempt to remain relevant, the former tiny tyrant put his hat in the ring to be elected to a high profile post on the PDS (once known as the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission). The Martin Chronicles suspects that the little fella was attempting to rebuild his pathetic resume while he bides his time awaiting another undeserved "comeback".

The good news? It did not go the way the disgraced, former mayor of Villa Hills was hoping. But, it did go the way it should have.

So how many votes did the little liar get? Well, uh, errr, ah, he got NO votes. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zero. Evidently the little fella's PDS "colleagues" also understand what a dishonest doofus the former tiny tyrant is.

But, does that mean that Villa Hills disgraced former mayor will finally do the right thing and just go away? Of course not. He has already told his very small band of supporters that he is "a lock to be elected to city council in 2016 and then returned to the mayor's office in 2018".

It is sleepy Villa Hills, after all.

WEEKENDER: Oh, We're Still Here

The Martin Chronicles is truly humbled by the many phone calls, texts and emails we have received over these past ten days asking when our next post is coming. We've come to realize that many, many people consider us the very best source for local reportage in Northern Kentucky. Despite the fact that the tiny tyrant of Villa Hills-whose Reign of Error ran roughshod over the taxpayers' treasury from January 1, 2011 until the stroke of midnight on December 31, 2014-has been resoundingly defeated, we still have a great deal of work to do.

We can tell you this. We are currently working on a major story about a colossal problem the now-deposed diminutive dictator callously left behind when he exited the Mayor's Office for the final time. Several deep cover sources are telling us that several of the lies the little fella who was in the Mayor's Office told are going to have far reaching-and very costly-implications for the taxpayers of the City he abjectly mismanaged until recently. The story is currently embargoed at the request of some very decent people who will be directly impacted by the outcome. But, this shocking story will come out.

We also want you to consider something. Why is it that one of the very few remaining members of the former mayor's "goon squad" (who should be fired) had to travel to the Kenton County Courthouse to retrieve important documents required to fill an Open Records request? These requested documents were issued from the former Villa Hills Mayor's Office, after all.

So, where are the City of Villa Hills' copies of those requested records? Shouldn't the "Custodian of Records" (read: City Clerk) already have copies of those records available at the Villa Hills City Building? That is exactly what the law requires. Why did the "Custodian of Records" (read: City Clerk) have to travel to the Kenton County Courthouse to retrieve copies?

It doesn't make any sense. None at all. That is, unless you know the horrible history of the miniscule man who only managed to get 18% of the vote in last November's Villa Hills mayoral race. Long-time readers of The Martin Chronicles are very well aware that the fractional former mayor left a licentious legacy of illegal document destruction that continued well after a respected judge ordered him to stop it in 2012. Does that explain the trip to the courthouse? Perhaps it does.

Villa Hills residents need to completely understand that the City's taxpayer-funded insurance will not cover the great, looming expense of their former mayor's misdeeds. Especially when it involves intentional acts by their former mayor and his goon squad. All these residents really need to do is get on the internet to research the terrible cost of the intentional acts of the former mayor of Park Hills to get an understanding of the serious finacial hit they very well might be facing very soon.

It may come as some small consolation to the residents of Villa Hills that their former mayor and members of his former goon squad are probably also facing dire finacial consequences for their misdeeds and possible conspiracy. We can only hope that they too pay a very heavy price for their dishonesty and their inexplicable vendetta.

Exactly who was that vapid nitwit who infamously took to a podium to proclaim that this (now former) mayor does great things for people?

SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: Please Turn The Page

The Martin Chronicles is completely inclined to give new Villa Hills Mayor Irvin "Butch Callery the benefit of the doubt. What the heck? His immediate predecessor was a grossly incompetent and massively dishonest crook.

The early reports on Callery's mayoral performance have been very good. Callery certainly has a great deal of experience gained in Covington. Callery is an affable, communicative fellow (by all accounts). Callery has no "natural predators" (since he has only lived in the town he was elected to govern for a very few years).

Having said that, The Martin Chronicles will incessantly beat the drum to encourage Callery and the new council to completely turn the page on the cesspool of corruption Callery's mayoral predecessor dishonestly constructed. Otherwise, Villa Hills cannot move on from the disgraceful dishonest of these past four years.

In part, The Martin Chronicles refers to a taxpayer-funded position that Callery's predecessor first ran to eliminate in 2004, and then oddly decided to create to do his corrupt bidding in 2011. Namely, the taxpayer-funded position of City Administrator.

Why does the City of Villa Hills need a taxpayer-funded City Administrator now? In point of fact, the City-and the taxpayers-don't need a City Administrator.

Why? Mayor Callery is retired. Mayor Callery has more than enough free time to oversee the day-to-day operations of a small town the size of Villa Hills. Hey, Callery must have gained more than enough experience in Covington to run a small city like Villa Hills. Why does he need someone as divisive as the current City Administrator to do the job Callery himself could-and should-do? What the #e!!? Memory tells us that Callery asked for the job. It's time for the old boy to get to work.

Besides, the current City Administrator is an anachronistic vestige of the tremendous corruption left over from Callery's predecessor. Callery quickly asked Martin's personal-and then City-Attorney to walk the plank. Callery now needs to make the same request of the sycophant City Administrator who proved himself most willing to do the bidding of Callery's corrupt predecessor.

Callery needs to chase away all of the skunks and finish turning the page.

SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: Martin The Mesmerizer

The Martin Chronicles continues to hear chatter about former Mayor Mike Martin across the town he on disgracefully mismanaged. Many Villa Hills residents are expressing deep regret that they once somehow fell under the sinister spell of the dishonest little fella.

The reaction our reporters continue to witness is like watching a large group of people describing their experiences as if they had awakened from an hypnotic trance. Our reporters have heard many people say things like, "I can't believe I ever trusted a thing that guy (Martin) said" or "whatever made me think such a stupid little man had the capacity to manage anything", acting like the poor subject who refuses to believe that they actually clucked and strutted like a chicken after being mesmerized by the hypnotist who brought them up on the stage.

But, Martin was able to mesmerize a good number of-otherwise-more-or-less-bright-people in to, first, voting for him in 2010 and, second, throwing out a hard-working City Council who spent the first two, dreadful years of Martin's mayoral tenure opposing the former tiny tyrant's corruption and incompetence in the 2012 election. The facts are the facts. These terrible things did happen.

So, how did these terrible things happen? Well, Martin exactly fits the mold of almost every tin pot dictator and tyrant who have wreaked mayhem and havoc since time immemorial. Martin is certainly not the first "bad guy" who used lies and fear to get them the power they so desperately craved.

Much like previous despots, Martin was twice able to falsely convince an inexplicably gullible electorate that he was their "champion". Martin deftly deceived people in to believing that he was the "one" who would fight the undefined "dark forces" that were supposedly conspiring to "keep them all down". Don't you remember the morons who wore hats adorned with signs reading "Follow Me To The Witch Hunt" at Martin's much-deserved 2012 removal hearing? Heck, even a former Kenton County Judge Executive committed political suicide when he publicly backed the undeserving Martin. Sad. But also very true.

Like virtually all tyrannical rulers who eventually-and most deservedly-end up in history's dustbin, Martin cleverly used bogus "straw men" who they dishonestly claimed were out to "get everybody" in order to attain the power they supposedly desired. Martin's undeserving "straw men" were Sadouskas, Schutzman, Goodenough, Bruns, Kilburn, Ringo, Sogar, Taliaferro, Duncan, Robbins, road work (that Martin completely ignored for his four years as mayor), the city budget (that Martin recklessly mismanaged) and the hated, unfair $40 per car sticker tax (that Martin fully embraced until he became desperate for re-election in 2014).

And, like virtually all tyrannical rulers who eventually-and most deservedly-ended up in history's dustbin, Martin had his fair share of "useful idiots" who foolishly aided him in pushing his pernicious propaganda. Do you want at least a partial list of these "useful idiots"? Of course you do:

• Every single corrupt civic club ass clown. You should know who these morons are by now. If you don't, just check out the useless jack-wagons who huddle around the "lodge bar" virtually any night of the week.
• Former Council-geek Mike Pope, whose sick websites intentionally spread Martin's lies for years.
• Local lunatic Boom-shaka-laka, who-for his own sick, twisted reasons-was willing to spread Martin's sick lies on rubber-banded toe tags that he crazily distributed all over town in 2010.
• Former Council-stoner Jim Noll, who was the only one impressed with his pompous and misguided pronouncements.
• The dishonest-and failed 2012 council candidate-Dale Schaber, who 2012 voters correctly decided was only trying to protect the $47.50 per hour, taxpayer-funded, rip-off, crony-hire job Martin handed to his wife Cordelia to cover Martin's fouled-up financial tracks. Fortunately, Dale Schaber is staring down the barrel of a serious lawsuit for his fraudulent efforts.
• The small band of twisted teeny-boppers who inexplicably felt compelled to lick the bottom of Martin's hob-nailed jackboots as they desperately toiled to prop up their undeserving teen-idol tyrant.
• The mean-spirited, social-networking opinionated haters who evidently crave nothing more than to screw-over undeserving people simply to find a way to justify their sick, twisted "world view".
• The vile, ancient crocodile Mary Koenig, who has been spreading her own brand of baseless and dishonest HATRED since before she was first elected to city council in the last century-1989 to be exact.
• The moronic woman who took to a podium in early 2013 to bewilderingly proclaim that, "this mayor (Martin) does great things for people". If this pathetic idiot wants to really know what happened between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2014, she needs to talk to former Villa Hills Police Chief Dan Goodenough. But, of course, she is too much of a craven coward to do that.

Yes, these abject fools and others helped get Martin get elected mayor in 2010. These thoughtless tools also helped Martin "get what he wanted" in 2012. The entire four years of Martin's Reign of Error were an unmitigated disaster for which these (and other) "useful idiots" finally need to take at least some shameful credit. But, they won't. Why? Because they are either crazy or craven cowards.

We get on our knees and pray, "We don't get fooled again".

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Next up, the words that may have finally brought 82% of Villa Hills' voters out of Martin's demonic spell.]

WEEKENDER: We Guess At Least A Former Member Of The Dinosaur Media Is Trying

The Martin Chronicles has taken several jabs at the dying dinosaur media since we launched our pesky little blog on October 8, 2011. All one has to do is look back at what happened in tiny Villa Hills, Kentucky from August, 2010 through December, 2014 to conclude that the dying dinosaur media generally couldn't grasp a HUGE story even after it had bitten them right in the hind end.

Think about it. Colossal media organizations that have news outlets in our mostly-prosperous piece of the world like Gannett, Scripps Howard, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Hearst Television, FOX and WorldNow mostly missed the rampant corruption and abject mismanagement of the dreadful little man who almost bankrupted the little City of Villa Hills, Mike Martin. Declining revenues and shrinking budgets played a part. But, so did inexcusable apathy.

Our case study is Gannett's incredible shrinking newspaper, The Kentucky Enquirer. The timid reporters who covered Mike Martin for this dying rag cut Martin far more slack than the little liar ever deserved. We can only guess that these cowardly correspondents thought they were giving undeserved credence to Martin's perpetual lies out of some misplaced respect for "journalistic integrity". Despite the fact that the little man they were reporting on had not one scintilla of integrity. And all of the Gannett reporters who covered Martin knew he was spewing nothing but lies. We know this for a fact.

That is why The Martin Chronicles beloved publisher gathered the best reporters who were ready and willing and able to fill the inexcusable void left by these colossal-and shamefully inattentive-local "news" organizations that missed the biggest story of local government corruption and incompetence in the history of local government corruption and incompetence. Namely, Mike Martin.

With all due modesty, The Martin Chronicles takes some measure of comfort in the largely recognized fact that our endless reporting efforts on that-mostly-otherwise-ignored- Martin corruption and incompetence played at least a small role in the unprecedented, staggering, astonishing, crushing, devastating, humiliating, shocking, overwhelming, dumbfounding 82%-18% electoral rout on November 4, 2014. We firmly believe that the more than 300,000 visitors to The Martin Chronicles "Fountain of Truth" included a sizeable segment of Villa Hills voters who came to know that Mike Martin was toxic to their town.

So, that brings us to an article posted in a fledgling internet news entry know as the nkytribune.com. Truth be told-as it always is with The Martin Chronicles-nkytribune.com is very,very hard to find. We were lucky to see the article shared on Facebook. Subsequent internet searches for nkytribune.com only yielded the confounding response "This page can't be displayed". Not good. Not good at all. At least for nkytribune.com.

So, anyway, former dinosaur media reporter Mike Rutledge posted a far too lengthy article about Villa Hills' new mayor-thank-the-Great-Spirit-and-the-finally-attentive-voters-of-Villa- Hills-Irvin "Butch" Callery. The best part of the article? Probably the online photo of someone sitting in the Villa Hills' mayor's office other than the vilely corrupt and abjectly incompetent Mike Martin.

But, what was Mike Rutledge-of-the-mysterious-and-mostly-unread- nkytribune.com-possibly thinking? Read the online article. That is, if you can find it. It will leave the sane people of Villa Hills scratching their heads.

Why did Mike Rutledge provide the misdirecting Martin even one keystroke? All Martin tried to do was tell even more lies about his mismanagement of the taxpayers' money. All Martin tried to do was offer up an ineptly feeble explanation for his well-known vendetta against the local police department that the little liar falsely blamed for his 2007 forgery arrest that was later affirmed by four respected appellate judges. All Martin tried to do was explain his tyrannical abuse of city employees when the former diminutive dictator tried to muzzle them from telling the TRUTH about his corrupt and incompetent administration.

And, why did Mike Rutledge go to Mary Koenig for smarmy comments about new Mayor Irvin "Butch" Callery? What a terrible choice. Koenig was the vile head of the dishonest ticket that was trying to fool Villa Hills voters in to falsely believing that the corrupt and incompetent Mike Martin was actually "Moving the City Forward" as they headed to the polls on November 4. 2014.

Mary Koenig's emetic track record is out there for anyone who takes even a little effort to research. It took The Martin Chronicles less than thirty minutes. The evidence clearly demonstrates that Mary Koenig has accomplished little more for the taxpayers' of Villa Hills than cause them one major-and very costly-headache after another since she was first elected to council in the previous century(1989, to be exact).

The Martin Chronicles advice to other fledgling media outlets that are trying to survive in a media era of tremendous change? Do the very hard work that is required to report the corruption and incompetence of misplaced "leaders" like the moronic Mike Martin. It isn't really all that difficult if you do the work that should be done. Crooked morons like Mike Martin are really easy to cover. If you are willing to work at it.

If you can't run with the big dogs, please, please, please stay on the porch.

SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: The Old Leopard Can't Change Her Spots

The Martin Chronicles is watching the early days of the new City Administration of Mayor Irvin "Butch" Callery with great interest. Most of the early reports have been very good. Not surprisingly, an experienced hand like Callery should know how to effectively run a City Government.

Sure, we don't-and won't-agree with every decision Callery makes. For example, we don't understand why Callery hasn't already eliminated his over-taxed-payer-funded, divisive City Administrator. Callery certainly has the time to handle the day-to-day operations of a City the size of Villa Hills. Why waste taxpayer money paying someone who has already caused so many problems? We can only speculate that Callery doesn't have the energy or the interest to spend his days at the City Building. Fair enough. At least for now.

Fortunately for Callery, the previous mayor and his mismanaged, incompetent and corrupt administration set the bar incredibly low. No matter what Callery does or doesn't do, it would take a Herculean effort to be as dishonest and incompetent as his resoundingly-defeated predecessor. In point of fact, it is virtually an impossibility.

The sole member of the City Council returning from the class of 2013/14 is a different story, however. Several sources have confirmed that Mary Koenig continues to operate in the same, worn-out way she has since she was first elected to City Council in the last century. The year? 1989.

We hear that Koenig actually continues to believe that the degradation and embarrassment of the past four years somehow represents an example of "moving the City forward". We hear that Koenig continues to desperately cling to her unfounded prejudices and still believes all of her false, pre-conceived notions of the actions and intentions of others. This despite the fact that very solid evidence proves her absolutely wrong.

Folks around Villa Hills tell us that Koenig continues to push the same, tired lies she has been telling for almost thirty dreadful years. Sure, the opinionated haters will always lap up Koenig's lies. Why? Because they share the same false beliefs. But, everyone else is four-years-past ready to finally move on.

The Martin Chronicles has a very stern warning for newbie Councilperson Jennifer Yost-Vaden. If Yost-Vaden doesn't decide to become an independent thinker, she will be sacrificed on the same altar of Koenig human shields that destroyed people like Steve Clark, Chuck Fieger, Mike Pope, Holly Menninger-Isenhour and the despicable Mike Martin. Yost-Vaden would be wise to separate herself from Koenig's ongoing-and unfounded-hatred. We aren't convinced she is wise enough to do so.

The Martin Chronicles also has a very stern warning for Mayor Callery and the rest of the members of the new City Council about how to deal with the toxic Mary Koenig. Koenig needs to be handled with the same care as a box full of bottles of nitroglycerin. Why? Because there are enough opinionated haters in Villa Hills to do severe damage to the well-intentioned efforts of the new administration and majority of council.

Please, please, please don't open yourself up to bogus criticisms of misogyny. Too many people-who simply don't pay enough attention-will buy in to those bogus criticisms. The opinionated haters will also spread bogus charges of misogyny with misplaced glee. Please, please, please don't allow that to happen. You will only be opening the door for the return of the abject corruption and incompetence that everyone witnessed these past four, dreadful years.

Here is our advice. Let Koenig be Koenig. Give her every opportunity to reveal her hateful prejudices to the public-at-large. And, if Yost-Vaden is mindlessly willing to dutifully serve as Koenig's latest human shield, allow her to do so. If Yost-Vaden is willing to be Koenig's latest "fall guy", let them both reveal themselves to be who they truly are.

Why? Because the 2014 election proved that even the usually inattentive voters of Villa Hills will eventually wake up to the corruption, incompetence and perpetual lies that were the hallmarks of the previous mayor. If the voters finally get enough of the real Mary Koenig and anyone else who is foolish enough to serve as the latest Koenig human shield, they will finally be sent to the dustbin of history.

And that is where they belong.

WEEKENDER: Wasting Even More On His Way Out The Door?

The Martin Chronicles is investigating a story about some technically "unauthorized" spending that seems to have happened in the final hours of the previous Villa Hills' City Administration. The amount of money spent is a pittance compared to the hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars squandered by the previous administration between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2014. This latest escapade essentially serves as the rotten cherry on top of the sour-and-very-costly-to-the-taxpayers-sundae served up over the past four years.

If you want to follow us in connecting the dots, you can start by watching a replay of the Villa Hills December, 2014 City Council meeting. The outgoing mayor asked council to join other area cities in making a donation to a local-and very worthwhile-non-profit endeavor. We won't name the local non-profit endeavor because they are very worthwhile and had nothing to do with what later transpired in Villa Hills.

For reasons only the previous council members can explain (and there are several potential very good ones), they decided to take no action on the now-former mayor's request. No one on the previous council made a motion to bring the decision to the floor for discussion and a vote. No one on the previous council seconded the motion that was never made. There was no "aye" or "nay" vote taken. Therefore, the matter became an issue for the incoming mayor and council by default.

But our readers only need to think back on what has happened in Villa Hills since January 1, 2011 to understand what happened following the previous council's "no decision". Our readers need only remember the previous mayor's now-infamous pronouncement, "I'm the CEO. It's MY decision. We're moving on. Get over it", to get a handle on what happened in the days following the December. 2014 meeting. Then-proper or not-what happened will make some kind of "sense".

Despite the fact that the previous council never authorized making a donation to the local-and very worthwhile-non-profit endeavor, the former mayor brazenly cut a donation check (paid for by the taxpayers) anyway. We have also learned that the required-and as yet unapproved-budget amendment that would legally allow the unbudgeted expenditure surfaced after the fact.

Some defenders of the previous administration may say, "What's the big deal? It wasn't that much (taxpayer) money. Besides, the money went to a very worthwhile cause". But that still doesn't justify making a technically "unauthorized" expenditure of taxpayer money.

The little man who failed as mayor defiantly cut the technically "unauthorized" check on his voter-mandated way out the door falsely campaigned that he was some kind of champion of "honesty and integrity" in 2010. Spending unapproved taxpayer money is always just plain wrong. No matter the reason. Doing so is certainly not an example of some falsely-promised "honesty" and "integrity". Quite the opposite.

Especially if you've taken a solemn oath to be a faithful steward of the taxpayers' money.

SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: First Meeting This Week

The Martin Chronicles will be watching new Mayor Irvin "Butch" Callery's first caucus meeting with great interest. We expect the new mayor and majority of council to make it abundantly clear that this new administration intends to immediately change the crazy course established over the last four years.

We believe the majority of the new bunch will work very hard to restore the truth and integrity that has been sorely lacking over the past four years. Don't be surprised when Mayor Callery and the council deliver the unvarnished truth in the months ahead. Whether the truth is good or not.

We also predict that there will be a concerted effort to quickly clean out the filthy stable the incoming city government was left with by the previous administration. Look for the turmoil created four years of personal vendettas to be rapidly resolved.

The City Attorney position is already "vacant". That is a very good thing. The Martin Chronicles hopes that the retired, septuagenarian Callery also soon realizes that he can save a great deal of taxpayer money-and heartburn created by ill feelings and stupid shenanigans-by eliminating the City Administrator/City Clerk and taking on those day-to-day duties himself. Callery certainly has the time to spend at the City Building. Let's hope he also has the necessary interest to do so.

The Martin Chronicles already knows that the new administration has opposition. We have been monitoring the mostly-silly Callery-Count blog. We also know that the previous mayor continues to tell people that he is a "lock" to be elected to council in 2016 as his prelude to a return to power. Villa Hills is not out of the woods by any means.

But, the fact that Mayor Callery hasn't lived in Villa Hills very long actually gives him a huge advantage. You see, Callery hasn't lived in the town he was elected to lead long enough to create any real opposition. That is just beginning now. Callery has no real allegiance to any local special interest or organization. Callery doesn't bring along any cronies he needs to pay back as the previous mayor did. We firmly believe Callery is just interested in trying to fix an obviously broken city government.

The Martin Chronicles does not want to play the role of political advisor for anyone. But, we do think it is important to offer some advice to the new administration that is based on what our reporters are hearing and our sources are telling us.

Sure, we know Mary Koenig has always been a royal pain in the @$$. Koenig is far too old to change her ways now. We also believe our sources who tell us that Jennifer Yost-Vaden is following the lousy lead of Koenig-and others-despite what the obvious evidence to the contrary should be telling her.

Even still, we urge the new mayor and others on council to make an effort to work with Koenig and Yost-Vaden, no matter how distasteful that should seem to them. Otherwise, they will be playing in to the hands of the "dark forces" who want to discredit and derail the new administration as quickly as possible. Why would anyone want to do that? To position themselves for a return to power.

If the new mayor and majority on council move to marginalize the mean-spirited Koenig and- seemingly-absent-a-mind-of-her-own-Yost-Vaden, they will be playing right in to the hands of the "dark forces" who are already plotting a return to power. It may not be fair or correct. But, it is true.

You see. the "dark forces" cannot wait for an opportunity to begin to describe the new city government as part of some actually non-existent "good old boys network". These "dark forces" would love nothing more than to be able to accuse the new administration as "outdated" and "misogynist". What better way to mobilize at least half the voting public than to convince the populace that Callery and the majority on city council disregard women's opinions. Please don't fall for that ploy.

There is far too much at stake.

WEEKENDER 2015: A Tenuous Time?

The Martin Chronicles has been receiving numerous inquiries. Many in our vast readership have been concerned that we decided to fold our tent in the tiny town of Villa Hills and move on to cover government corruption elsewhere.

Rest assured, that is not the case. Not because we suspect that the new mayor and council will continue the indiscretions of the previous administration. In point of fact, we are fairly confident that they have already begun to face the dreadful mess that the previous administration left behind on their way out the door.

But, we remain concerned that sinister elements from and also those supportive of the previous administration are simply biding their time to make their return to power. Several sources tell us that this now-small group sees current septuagenarian Mayor Irvin "Butch" Callery as a short-timer who will be in office for-at best-one term.

We also know that supporters of the previous administration have launched a highly critical blog titled Callery-Count. While we wish the author(s) of this blog well, but we also wish them no success. Why? Because it is well past time to move beyond the absolute disgrace of the past four years.

There are some early positive signs from the new, Callery Administration. Just take a look at the personnel listed on the City-sponsored website. When you see "City Attorney", you have to take heart that it now says "vacant". We suspect that the previous administration's incredibly wasteful spending on lawyers and lawsuits is finally coming to an end.

Sources also tell us that at least a few people who once supported the previous administration are now recanting that misplaced support. These people now realize that the previous mayor may do "great things for people" in other ways, but certainly not in his mismanaged role as mayor. That is a great, first step on the road of their recovery.  

The battle is far from over. Some members and supporters of the previous administration are correctly aware that Villa Hills politics swings like the proverbial pendulum. These hatch-plotters fully realize that it won't be all that long before the residents of Villa Hills completely forget just how terrible the past four years have been. They all long for the not-too-distant time when they can once again convince a sleepy populace that it is time for yet another  "fresh start".

Well, a huge number of Villa Hills residents who take the time to vote now know that the supposed "fresh start" the head of the previous administration promised was actually four years of corruption and incompetence. These voters now know that the supposed "fresh start" the head of the previous administration promised was actually four years of personal vendettas and personal enrichment.

That is The Martin Chronicles' concern, These voters know it now. But, will they know it then. Will voters make the same mistake they made in 2010 in 2016 or-worse yet-in 2018?

That is precisely why we aren't going anywhere.

It Is A New Day!

The Martin Chronicles sincerely hopes that everyone is enjoying this first day of 2015. Perhaps you have-or will-be celebrating New Years Day with a traditional "good luck" meal featuring a pork dish, sauerkraut, potatoes and onions. Doesn't that sound tasty?

We hope you are spending the first day of the new year full of optimism, whether you have to work or not. If you happen to live in the tiny town of Villa Hills, there certainly are many reasons for optimism.

The last four years of mindless mayhem and mismanagement of Villa Hills City Government have now mercifully come to an end. Villa Hills now has a new, experienced mayor. Villa Hills also has five new councilmembers-three of whom who have already established a sound track record of council service-who we sincerely hope take on their new responsibilities with a fervent desire to serve the residents to the best of their abilities. We think most of them will certainly do so.

The Martin Chronicles also hopes that the days of personal vendettas are finally gone. After four year of mindless executive punishment and mayhem, the newly-elected local government officials have a tremendous opportunity to now fix Villa Hills' embarrassingly broken City Government. We believe that is what the majority of these newly-elected officials will work hard to accomplish.

Yes, there are many "left-behind" messes for the incoming City Government to face. There are unfinished lawsuits, financial deceptions, leftover cronies and a bushel basket-full of hard feelings that the new City Government must face. But they can do it. We are pulling for them to do so. The past is exactly that.

The Martin Chronicles fervently hopes that no one continues to believe that there are still old scores to settle. Why? Because the majority of Villa Hills resident now understand the lies they have been told for the past four-plus years. The results of Election Day, 2014 speak loudly and clearly all by themselves.

Today should represent the true "fresh start" in Villa Hills.