The Martin Chronicles knows that Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin will do everything within his unpleasant power to cheat the public works crew out of any overtime pay despite their yeoman-like efforts making the City's streets drivable in the aftermath of last night's ice storm. Sure, Martin can spend tens-of-thousands of dollars on a squad of taxpayer-funded attorneys and unnecessary legal actions. Yes, Martin can fleece the children wanting to play organized sports on his Villa Hills Civic Club ass clown cronies crappy ball fields. Yup, Martin can squander tens of thousands of dollars on an obscure park in Mary Koenig's backyard. Okay, Martin can justify spending money on Christmas carriage rides. Yes sir, Martin can justify signing a purchase order that puts more that TWENTY-THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS in his pernicious pocket. But he can't pay any overtime to the three-man crew who work their tails off during a terrible winter to keep the City's streets drivable.
Despite Martin's abject malevolence, The Martin Chronicles extends its heart-felt thanks to the Public Works crew for their hard work. Working for a lunatic like Martin cannot be easy.
But the Public Works crew's efforts throughout this entire dreadful winter have made it possible for every reporter and staff member employed by The Martin Chronicles to maintain a 100% attendance record. We are forever in their debt.
And to show our appreciation, we are about to post even more shocking news about their botching boss and his insidious insiders.
The Martin Chronicles recently told you that the phrase "others yet unknown" would become forever linked to Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's disastrous misadministration. It will end up being right up there with "I'm the CEO, its my decision, get over it, we're moving on.", the emetic "My head tells me (fill-in-the-blank) but my heart tells me (again, fill-in-the-blank)" and the notorious "I didn't know it then, but I know it now (whatever-the-heck "it" is."
Why will "others yet unknown" be long remembered? Because as those others do become known, it will prove costly to the taxpayers of Villa Hills. And that additional cost will be the sole responsibility of Martin's intentional acts of LIBEL, SLANDER, DEFAMATION, HARASSMENT and INTIMIDATION.
Our courthouse sources are buzzing. The Martin Chronicles is hearing that three people who previously fell under the heading of "others yet unknown" have evidently stepped forward to expose themselves-and the taxpayers of Villa Hills-to more costly litigation.
We know the names of the three people who are about to need an attorney. But we'll wait for news of the official filings. Instead, we'll now just give you clues to their identities.
Clue Number One: All three are Martin appointees who have been approved by the current City Council.
Clue Number Two: One of the three Martin appointees is a full-time City employee generously underwritten by Villa Hills' already over-burdened taxpayers. This appointee began his tenure with the City by photographing City employees in the odd hope of catching them in wrongdoing. This same appointee claims to be a victim of selective traffic enforcement despite the fact that they were never pulled over much less written a ticket. This same appointee was seen removing documents from the supposedly-secure police department. This same appointee has a strange penchant for filing Open Records requests for documents that they are supposed to be the "Official Custodian" of. This same appointee is also awaiting Martin's "golden moment" council's certain approval for promotion. Got it now?
Clue Number Three: The other two Martin appointees serve on both the Civil Service Board and the Safety Committee. Both recently made actionable comments at a recent Safety Committee meeting while Councilmen Jim Cahill and Rod Baehner both foolishly did their best imitation of The Sphinx. One used to be a regular defender of Martin's mayhem on Facebook. The other also serves as the City's representative to the Northern Kentucky Area Planning and Zoning Commission. Got it now? You may be about to get it again.
What a mess.
The Martin Chronicles promised our readers that we have been tracking down some shocking stories. We are now going to begin to present you some of what we have learned on just one of them.
Our long time readers will remember that we have been warning you that Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin has been planning to disband the local police department since before he was narrowly voted in to the mayor's office in 2010. You also know that Martin continually LIED about his risky scheme to outsource police coverage. That is until he finally stepped out from behind his long-told LIE to admit that outsourcing police coverage is his goal.
People in the know clearly understand that the malevolent Martin has wanted to disband the Villa Hills Police Department to finally get his revenge for his 2007 FORGERY ARREST. Sure, after there was a huge public reaction in 2013 opposing his radical plan, he FALSELY claimed that he just wanted to "save a whole bunch of money". But folks who truly understand the miscreant Martin know that is a bold-faced LIE. Money has nothing to do with it.
A major step towards inevitable outsourcing has taken place. Two police officers serving on the already intentionally-undermanned department have just departed. One more has at least one foot out the door. Now, it becomes mostly a numbers game.
Be ready. It won't be long before the mendacious Martin launches in to just one more of his many acts of PHONY DECEPTION. Martin will FALSELY CLAIM that circumstances have left him no choice. Martin will FALSELY CLAIM that he loves Villa Hills so much he just has to act. Martin will FALSELY CLAIM that State statutes mandate that he provide police protection to his beloved residents and has no choice but to bring in an outside agency. At some point, we fully expect the smarmy Martin to wax ineloquently-as he has so often done-about the debate raging between his "head" and his "heart".
Let us tell you why we know all of those emetic emissions will be nothing more than a disgusting charade. You see, The Martin Chronicles recently had the opportunity to talk with the officers who have left Villa Hills since 2011. They all describe a mayor who is completely out of control. Each former officer only asked that we do not link their name directly to any specific observation. Why? Because none of them ever want to deal with the mallet-headed Martin ever again.
So, what did we learn from these former officers?
- It is painfully obvious to the entire police department that Martin had it out for them from the earliest days of his dreadful administration. Martin would go so far as to harangue officers for having the thermostat set on 75 degrees on hot, humid days. This despite that these officer wear heavy bullet-proof vests. Why? Because every officer wants to return to their families at the end of their long shifts.
- Martin cajoles officers for having their cars washed too often. Martin complains to officers that they use too many paper towels or drink too much coffee. As one former officer put it, "Martin is nuts."
- Martin even refused to spend the probably-less-than $100 it would have taken to replace the fifteen-year-old microwave oven that finally went belly-up.
- Despite that fact, Martin also regularly criticizes police officers who dare to go outside of the City limits to eat their lunch. Here's our question? If police officers can't heat up their lunch at the office, what restaurants are available to them within the City limits of Villa Hills?
- Police officers are convinced that Martin used one of the multiple computer consultants he squandered taxpayer money on to give the diminutive dictator the ability to hack in to police department computers. Why? These officers firmly believe Martin is still desperately searching for some piece of information he can twist around to "prove" that his 2007 FORGERY ARREST wasn't justified. This despite the fact that four respected judges have ruled that what Martin did when he signed a deceased person's name to that deceased person's checks and then cashed them fit the very definition of FORGERY.
- All of the officers are appalled that Martin thinks he is the right person to construct the schedule for their department. As one former officer put it, "Who does that dimwit Martin think he is, J. Edgar Hoover? No other mayor does that kind of s#!t, unless they are dead-nuts crazy!"
- The officers resent the fact that the moribund Martin has intentionally allowed the City's fleet of cruisers to deteriorate in to a serious state of useless disrepair. One officer recounted how his cruiser died on him while chasing a bad guy. This officer embarrassingly had to ask for a tow.
- The officers also resent the fact that the malicious Martin's perpetually meddles in the day-to-day operations of the police department. More than one officer is convinced that Martin's intentional disregard for chain of command has been done in order to stir up resentment against Police Chief Dan Goodenough and Assistant Chief Joe Schutzman.
- The officers are certain that that the malicious Martin convinced his "golden moment" council to approve his disastrous hirings of his personal-and-now-City-Attorney Toad V. McMurtry and the prone-to-file-odd-Open-Records-requests Craig T. Bohman for the express purpose of waging war against the Villa Hills Police Department.
- The officers are decidedly certain that Martin's eleventh-hour tampering with the City's current health insurance plan was carried out for the express purpose of chasing away as many police officers as possible. They are certain that it had nothing to do with saving money and everything to do with guaranteeing the final destruction of the City's local department.
We agree with the former officers' assessment of Martin's vindictive behavior. You are wise to believe them as well. You can fix Martin's mess in 272 days.
It won't be easy.
The Martin Chronicles reporters had an interesting chat with some of its Kenton County court house sources yesterday. They told us some things we had heard before but were never able to confirm. They involve circumstances surrounding Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin's 2007 FORGERY ARREST, subsequent legal proceedings and the aftermath.
Let's look at our courthouse sources' accounting of what really happened in seriatim:
- The investigation in to Martin signing a deceased person's name on that deceased person's checks and then cashing them definitely began in Hamilton County, Ohio. The Villa Hills Police Department only became involved after they were contacted by Hamilton County. Assistant Police Chief Joe Schutzman spoke with then Councilman Martin once about the matter, and then Martin "lawyered up". The information that had been gathered by Hamilton County and The Villa Hills Police Department was taken to the Kenton County Attorney's Office.
- The Kenton County Attorney's Office drew up FORGERY CHARGES against Martin and took them to a judge who signed off on an ARREST WARRANT for Martin.
- Contrary to the fable Martin has told numerous people, he was not arrested and put in handcuffs by Assistant Chief Joe Schutzman. Martin was not stuffed in to Schutzman's police cruiser and hauled down to the Kenton County Justice Center. No, it was handled far more diplomatically. Police Chief Dan Goodenough actually phoned Martin and advised him of the ARREST WARRANT that had been issued for the little liar. According to our courthouse sources, Goodenough carefully explained the next steps Martin should take to deal with the ARREST WARRANT. After putting on a white shirt and tie, Martin actually turned himself in at the Justice Center and was processed in less than an hour.
- Our courthouse sources tell us that the judge who signed off on Martin's ARREST WARRANT and heard the subsequent legal proceedings determined that Martin was simply too stupid to understand what he had done and eventually dismissed the charges with the proviso that the now-diminutive dictator fix the many legal problems he had created by signing a deceased person's name on that deceased person's checks and then cashing them.
- Our courthouse sources tell us that the Kenton County Attorney's Office did not share the judge's belief that Martin was simply a mindless idiot who didn't know what he was doing was a CRIMINAL ACT. We are told that the Kenton County Attorney's Office wanted to go directly to a grand jury to ask for a FORGERY INDICTMENT against Martin.
- Here's where the irony begins. The two people who talked the Kenton County Attorney's Office out of going to the grand jury to ask for a FORGERY INDICTMENT against Martin were Villa Hills Police Chief Dan Goodenough and Assistant Chief Joe Schutzman. Why? Because they simply wanted the whole sordid matter to come to an end. Goodenough and Schutzman were trying to spare the City they had taken an oath to protect from further embarrassment. Despite the fact that one of the City's councilmembers was signing a deceased person's name on that deceased person's checks and cashing them. We get that.
So, how did Martin react? Well, instead of thanking the Great Spirit that he wasn't sitting in a jail cell with Tattooed Bubba, Martin soon filed a $1.505 MILLION LAWSUIT against Goodenough, Schutzman and the taxpayers of Villa Hills, spouting all manner of LIBEL, SLANDER and DEFAMATION that would eventually be carried forward by Martin's hillbilly lynchmob. Martin's LIES also generated numerous costly-to-the-taxpayers lawsuits for his aforementioned LIBEL, SLANDER and DEFAMATION.
Our courthouse sources also told us that the Kenton County Attorney's Office also explored the possibility of pursuing a FORGERY INDICTMENT against Martin after the diminutive dictator's flimsy lawsuit was thrown out of court twice and judges reviewing the lawsuit opined that what Martin did "fit the very definition of FORGERY".
These are the reasons that the misdirecting Martin continues to waste TENS OF THOUSANDS OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS pursuing his personal vendetta against the Villa Hills Police Department. The voters of Villa Hills are now the only ones with the power to stop Martin's vicious vendetta.
They'll get that chance in 276 days from Friday's Chinese New Year celebration.
The Martin Chronicles is hearing that Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin may be backing off a bit from his plan to fleece every child who want to play sports on the Civic Club ball fields to the tune of twenty to thirty dollars a head. Why? Sources tell us that the midget Martin and the civic club drones are really feeling the backlash to their insipid plan. As well they should.
Sources are saying that Martin may back down to only charge five to ten dollars per child. Whooop-eee. So what? Martin shouldn't be asking for a single dime for reasons we will explain. Instead, Martin and his council should be celebrating every child who turns away from technology to walk outside in to the sunlight to play sports.
As we have written before, The Martin Chronicles understands the need for "pay for play" under the correct circumstances. If a government or school board has launched a legitimate austerity plan as a means of dealing with rising costs that are truly beyond their power to control, "pay for play" could fairly be included in that austerity plan.
But that is not the case in the mismanaging Martin's Villa Hills.
- Maybe Martin should do some real soul-searching and decide to stop wasting thousands and thousands of taxpayer dollars on lawyers and legal actions only to further his personal vendetta against the people he will forevermore blame for his 2007 FORGERY ARREST.
- Maybe Martin should do some real soul-searching and decide to stop wasting a taxpayer-funded $47.50 per hour to pay an unqualified personal friend to do the City's bookkeeping when-after nearly three dreadful years of financial confusion-it couldn't be clearer that this personal friend is woefully incapable of doing the job.
- Maybe Martin should do some real soul-searching and finally admit that he really doesn't have a coherent plan to fix the City's streets, push to keep his 2010 promise to repeal the UNFAIR $40 PER CAR STICKER TAX and quit talking about new ways to dip in to the taxpayer wallets to fund his clearly non-existent road plan.
- Maybe Martin should do some real soul-searching and walk away from his plan to use taxpayer money to elevate the controversial City Clerk Craig T. Bohman to a City Administrator position that the tiny tyrant has always said a town the size of Villa Hills doesn't even need.
- Maybe Martin should do some real soul-searching and decide whether Villa Hills needs either the costly services of the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission or the costly services of a local so-called "Nuisance Officer", instead of pushing council to have his costly-to-the-taxpayers cake and spending a fortune to eat that costly-to-the-taxpayers cake too.
Just consider this. Martin authorized the waste of thousands of dollars on a park that most town residents don't even know exists. Why do that and then turn around and fleece the children to play at another park? It makes no sense.
How about just leaving the children alone?
The Martin Chronicles doesn't have to remind you that a well-recognized definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome. Of course, this type of insane behavior by Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin is becoming standard operating procedure.
So what is the most recent example? Well, we reported some time ago that the mallet-headed Martin and his "golden moment" council were considering several different ways to dig deeper into taxpayers' wallets to fund the tiny tyrant's non-existent "road program".
The folks at Cincinnati.com recently woke up and posted an article about Martin's latest re-hashing of previously-failed efforts. Martin and his council are looking at an increase in every residents' property tax to generate funds for that aforementioned non-existent "road program". The proposed increase? An additional $35 in property tax per $100,000 in home value.
Similar proposals have been offered to Villa Hills voters twice before in the last ten years. The 2004 attempt was turned down 55%-45% by the voters. The last attempt was in 2011. That terribly-managed Martin effort led to the diminutive dictator receiving a "confidential" reprimand for misuse of City personnel and resources and a 71%-29% drubbing at the polls.
So, Martin wants to try it again. Makes sense. At least to Martin. And evidently, at least some council members.
Better yet, the mathematically-challenged Martin told a Cincinnati.com reporter that he isn't looking to "increase taxes". Oh, really? Is that a fact? You don't say?
Well, let's look at Martin's brazen statement by taking a basic math quiz. We will use very simple numbers in the following word problem.
Johnny's Villa Hills home is valuated at $165,000. His current City property tax is $351.35 . A majority of voters approve the mismanaging Martin's scheme to increase property taxes by an additional $35 per $100,000 in home value. The following year, Johnny's City property tax on his $165,000 home is $409.20. Please answer the following question.
a. $351.35 < $409.20
b. $351.35 = $409.20
c. $351.35 > $409.20
d. hummana-hummana-hummana
Yes, we know. The moribund Martin most likely answered 'D', hummana-hummana-hummana. But most folks who understand very basic math see that the CORRECT ANSWER is 'A'. Meaning that a $409.20 property tax represents an INCREASE over the previous $351.35 property tax.
Ergo, either Martin is a LIAR or INCREDIBLY STUPID. Or more likely BOTH.
QED
The Martin Chronicles believes its long time readers may remember this post. If you don't, please go back to the archived articles and check out our report from Saturday, April 28, 2012 entitled, "I Don't Have An Answer".
Want the CliffsNotes version? We described how Villa Hills malfeasant Mayor Mike Martin took an absolute drubbing in court on Friday, April 27 for his ILLEGAL destruction of City records by a well-respected judge. In fact, this judge was so dismayed about Martin continued ILLEGAL destruction of City records after being ordered to cease and desist that the diminutive destroyer was asked, "Why, why, why would anyone think that destroying documents in the middle of a lawsuit was a good idea?" The feeble response from Martin's attorney? "I don't have an answer."
Well, our Kenton County Courthouse sources were burning up the Martin Chronicles' phone lines and email boxes yesterday. Why? Because Martin found himself before that same respected judge yet again. The reason? Martin filed a taxpayer-funded lawsuit against the man he blames most for his 2007 FORGERY ARREST-Joe Schutzman.
The supposed basis of the complaint? Well, the mendacious Martin claims that Schutzman is refusing to turn over some unknown Building and Zoning records to the City. As far as our investigation can uncover, there has been no such refusal by Schutzman. Better yet? There doesn't appear to be any listing or other documentation of what these allegedly-missing records even are. The whole complaint seems to once again be made out of whole cloth-as is the misleading Martin's typical modus operandi.
Our Courthouse sources tell us that the judge seemed to see right through Martin's complaint. The judge simply suggested that the defendant in this bogus taxpayer-funded lawsuit could simply turn over copies of any records he may have-if any-that the City may not have in its possession. Considering the demolishing Martin's unusual penchant for ILLEGALLY burning and shredding City records, who can know what the City may be missing?
But the scheming Martin's bad day wasn't over. Our Courthouse witnesses told us that Martin became red-faced and very angry when he was advised that CRIMINAL charges may be filed against him for THEFT for the tens of thousands of dollars he has so far refused to pay Schutzman. Despite the fact that the Kentucky Labor Department and other State agencies are aware that Schutzman is owed the money.
Despite all of these costly, Martin-driven, taxpayer-funded failures, somebody continues to make good money. Who might that be? Well, that would be Martin's personal attorney who he convinced a majority of his "golden moment" council to hire as the City Attorney. Win, lose or draw, this continued mess translates in to a boat load of billable hours for Toad V. McMurtry.
The voters can fix this mess by tossing out their own version of Mad Magazine's Alfred E. Neuman and all of his cronies on this November 4 Election Day.
