The Martin Chronicles has been following the recent-sometimes heated-exchanges in a Facebook comment stream. At issue? Did a current councilperson make an insulting gesture while a former councilperson was addressing the assembly from the podium during the July council meeting?
As dreadful as Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin-run meetings are, we decided to gut it out and take another look. After our review, the Facebook comment stream appears to be a case of what famed Prussian military analyst Carl von Clausewitz famously described as "the fog of war".
How so? There seems to be a case of misidentification. It was actually former Councilman Scott Ringo-not Tim Sogar-who addressed the very serious issue of a reprimand that somehow managed to disappear not long after it was read in to the record at Martin's October, 2012 removal hearing.
That misidentification in no way lessens the seriousness of the issue being addressed, however. Keep in mind that a judge gave very specific instructions and a stern warning to Martin in mid-2012 that no City records were to be destroyed after concerns about a document "shred-fest" surfaced at the City Building in the midst of an ongoing lawsuit. That lawsuit is still ongoing. So, might the disappearance of the reprimand be in violation of the judge's instructions? That will be for others to decide.
That is not the only potential problem created by the vanishing reprimand. As we have already written, it also appears to betray a Martin double standard. Why? Think about it? An employee whose testimony aided Martin during the removal hearing has a reprimand disappear while Martin goes full force after someone who testified against him last October, Assistant Chief Joe Schutzman. That too will have to play out.
Then there is the matter of a councilperson who campaigned on the need for what she described as "civility" demonstrating insulting behavior towards a resident who doesn't share her "world view". Yes, it's offensive. Yes, it's unprofessional. And yes, it betrays an arrogance that derives from misinterpreting her election as some kind of mandate to do whatever she pleases (a delusion Martin has suffered from since he took office). Hopefully, that will be resolved in the 2014 election. Once again, we'll be watching that play out.
There are other items of interest contained in the Facebook comment stream. Let us once again preface the following observations with our traditional homage to the First Amendment. We are obviously huge supporter of and believers in that sacred right to Free Speech. We are also perfectly fine with people who don't share our "world view". That is what makes the world go 'round. Well, at least the "free world".
We do find it amusing though that a handful of people seem to think the fact that the mayor serving way back in the 1990's took his hard-working public works crew to the restaurant they requested-yes, the infamous Hooters-somehow justifies all of the current disasters. Would it have been okay if that mayor took his employees to dine with Burger Chef and Jeff more than fifteen years ago?
- Does that oddly infamous Hooter's lunch more than fifteen years ago justify spending tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on lawyers and lawsuits today?
- Does that oddly infamous Hooter's lunch more than fifteen years ago justify all of the horrendously vindictive attacks being launched by Martin and his cronies on the Villa Hills Police Department today?
- Does that oddly infamous Hooter's lunch more than fifteen years ago justify pouring fifteen thousand taxpayer dollars in to a park that abuts the properties of two current council members today?
- Does that oddly infamous Hooter's lunch more than fifteen years ago justify all of the financial turmoil and uncertainty that besets City government today?
- Does that oddly infamous Hooter's lunch more than fifteen years ago justify Martin signing a purchase order that paid him the equivalent of ten years of mayoral salary in advance (more than twenty-three thousand taxpayer dollars) today?
We obviously don't agree with the Facebook posters who are trying to create this "moral equivalency" as some kind of justification for Martin's rampant corruption and mismanagement today. These posters are entitled to their opinions. But we aren't required to agree with them.
Oh, one more thing (as the great Lt. Columbo used to say). Those who still carp about the money that was spent on the Special Counsel investigation of Martin's wrongdoings (he was convicted on seven of nine counts of Official Misconduct and Neglect of Duty in a proceeding overseen by respected Judge Mickey Foellger but wasn't removed from office because two former council people "went in the tank" for the diminutive dictator), they should be mindful of one thing. Not one single dollar would have had to be spent if Martin had simply been forthcoming. Martin's "dodge-dip-duck-dive and dodge" tactics are what caused the investigation. It's as simple as that.
Enough of this for now. Our reporters are fanning out to follow more leads.
The Martin Chronicles thinks you ought to know who is benefitting most from the endless stream of -costly-to-the-taxpayers-legal actions being filed by Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin. We think we know. If you don't know, just check the closest 'lilly pad".
The Martin Chronicles' reporters have been working the phones and e-mails digging in to Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's latest-wasteful-lawsuit. It seems that the malevolent Martin is suing Schutzman Inspection Service, LLC for "breach of contract", alleging that City records were destroyed.
So, it appears that Martin-who clearly appears to have breached the City's contract with Schutzman Inspection Services, LLC for failing to provide 30 days notice of termination-launched a pre-emptive strike against Schutzman. Sure sounds like harassment and retaliation to us.
This story is still developing.
[PUBLISHER'S NOTE: To the twits who think it's okay for vile ancient crocodile Councilman Mary Koenig to be rude to a former council person just because he lost an election-go swallow some more of Martin's corrupt Kool-Aid.]
The Martin Chronicles is getting to the point were we are no longer surprised by anything Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin does. His Reign of Error has been one foul-up, bleep or blunder after another. So the fact that the diminutive dictator is spending even more taxpayer money on yet another lawsuit is really not a surprise.
We are hearing that Martin has filed a lawsuit that in part claims someone destroyed City records. Isn't that rich? Martin is the guy who was dressed down by a judge for well, uh, you guessed it-destroying City records.
If he wasn't spending so much taxpayer money on lawyers and legal actions we would find this comical. Instead, we just find it shameful.
We'll have more details on Martin's new lawsuit soon.
The Martin Chronicles staff spent some time "gaming" the 2014 election in malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's terribly embarrassed City of Villa Hills. It would be easy to write off a dreadful lawbreaker like the low-IQ Martin as a "dead duck". But almost to a person the staff believes that the election may very well be far more complicated than that.
What will the City's political landscape be when the election cycle begins roughly one year from now? There are many factors.
- Will Villa Hills still have its own local police department or will Martin have successfully completed his vendetta seeking revenge against the VHPD for his 2007 forgery arrest?
- Will there be one, two or perhaps even more people running against Martin next year? Rumors are swirling around a number of potential candidates who want to take on the malfeasant Martin. The more people that attempt to oust the diminutive dictator increase the odds that the unworthy liar will be re-elected and given an undeserved new life to "unleash his lawlessness" on the City.
- Will the election be about the past, settling old scores? Or, will the election properly be framed by the undeniable fact that all of the previous four years will surely have been a miserable failure that needs very little reminder with almost all the focus on the future of what could again be one of the preeminent Cities in Northern Kentucky?
- Will the mendacious Martin roll-out some draconian cost-cutting measures to try to deflect the voters away from the waste and abject failure that exemplifies most of his failed term? Most on our staff believe that is very likely.
- Will some voters fall victim to the proclamations made by elected officials who inexplicably prefaced so many serious questions about Martin's mismanagement with the nonsensical comment, "this isn't about Martin?"-when of course it's all about Martin.
- Will some voters still buy in to the hateful and tired-out venom about "good old boy networks" and "unauthorized spending" that will certainly be spewed by the vile, ancient crocodile Councilman Mary Koenig-who herself is a leading figure in "the bad old boys network?
- Will anybody still believe the dim-witted nitwits who continue to roll out the bilge that Martin "does wonderful things for people" or foolishly proclaim that they "trust this (dishonest) mayor"? Most of our staff suspects at least some voters will buy it.
You see, The Martin Chronicles believes that if the voters perceive the 2014 election's focus is on the past, and on Martin and all the negativity that surrounds him, the little bastard might actually be re-elected.
Why? Because we know exactly what kind of campaign that "little bastard" Martin will run. Martin will falsely talk about all of the money he has "saved" the residents-despite his reckless and profligate waste.
Additionally, Martin's die-hard-and dwindling-surrogates will spread all manner of false allegations against his 2014 opponent. Much as these same doofus clowns did against his 2010 opponent. And why not? As all good football coaches know, run the same damned play until your opponent figures out a way to stop it.
So here is how a successful Martin opponent stops it. We firmly believe that the candidate who focuses solely on the future of a recently-proud City, and simply assumes that the voters understand that Martin is an unmitigated disaster- while almost never saying it-will be a hands-down winner.
Yup, the little bastard will lose in a landslide of epic proportions if his opponent runs the correct kind of campaign.
The Martin Chronicles continues to sift through the rubble that was the Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's July City Council meeting. As is almost always the case when sifting through even the worst wreckage, things of value are found.
Last night's meeting was no exception. Remember when Martin was caught red-handed illegally destroying City documents in January, 2012? That colossal screw-up led to a judicial dressing down-and stern warning-for Martin not too much later.
Martin began promising to get his administrative staff training on records retention laws almost immediately after getting caught. The diminutive dictator claimed it was their fault, after all. But, every time Martin was asked about it in subsequent meetings, he offered up some implausible excuse for his failure to get that task completed.
Perhaps the most ridiculous excuse was Martin's unsubstantiated claim that the training "cost $200". Given his current profligate waste on attorneys and legal fees that will end up being a substantial six-figure bill for the taxpayers, even if the $200 fee is accurate, it seems like one helluva bargain.
Well, Martin was asked about it again last night. He admitted no training has yet to be held. But, he claims its "on the schedule".
Here's our guess. Go to your calendar. Find the date when it says hell freezes over. The Villa Hills' staff will likely be scheduled for records retention training the following day.
As Abraham Lincoln once famously said, "The true test of a man's character is to give him power". Martin has miserably failed that test.
The Martin Chronicles has been told by multiple sources that another police officer is on the verge of leaving the Villa Hills Police Department. No one can only blame the officer if it is true. The local police department has been battered and bashed by malfeasant Mayor Martin since January 1, 2011. Matters have only gotten worse for the police with the election of new council members Koenig, Menninger-Isenhour and Wischer.
Martin has spent years-well before his election in 2010-shamefully painting a false picture of a local police department that ran roughshod over his Constitutional rights. Martin and his cronies have accused police officers of committing perjury and planting evidence. Now the City Attorney is offering up hearsay claims of police intimidation and the City Clerk charges he was the victim of selective traffic enforcement, despite the fact that the Clerk was never stopped much less given a citation. We will never see proof of any of these things-because they never happened.
These incessant attacks on the police department have undeniably taken a terrible toll. There is no doubt that some people now believe Martin's never-proven claims. There is also no doubt that these scurrilous attacks have done damage to the morale of the police officers themselves. They do a great job. But let's face it. They watch the mismanaging mayor, City Attorney, City Clerk and some on council ridicule them and lie about them constantly.
We wonder if anyone will be able to repair all the damage that Martin has done if the diminutive dictator does leave office on December 31, 2014. Worse yet, what is still to come?
