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.
