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-Lurid Crime Tales-
Stalemate in Detroit: City Council Asks Mayor to Resign, but He Refuses to Go
2008-03-20
The City Council on Tuesday asked Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick to resign in light of evidence that he had lied under oath and plotted to cover up an extramarital affair with his former chief of staff.

The 7-to-1 Council vote is not binding, and Mr. Kilpatrick has vowed to remain in office. Nonetheless, the Council’s action is a political blow for the mayor, and support for the measure was greater than expected. Council members spoke highly of Mr. Kilpatrick but said he could no longer govern effectively, given the scandal that has enveloped Detroit for nearly two months. “It is a vote of no confidence in the mayor’s ability to move the city forward at this time,” said Councilwoman Sheila M. Cockrel, who drafted some of the 33 reasons listed in the resolution for the mayor to step down. “It is a tragedy — an enormous talent that has been squandered.”

The mayor’s spokeswoman, Denise Tolliver, reiterated Mr. Kilpatrick’s determination to remain in office. “While certain members have been playing judge and jury in the court of public opinion, Mayor Kilpatrick has continued to stay focused on advancing bold initiatives, such as his economic stimulus package,” she said in a statement. “As Mayor Kilpatrick has said before, he will stay in office, he will stay focused on city business, and he will continue to lead our city forward.”

The vote came a week after the mayor’s annual State of the City speech, in which he angrily blamed racism for his troubles and accused the news media of having a “lynch-mob mentality” against him. “The mayor’s lack of discipline last Tuesday was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Councilwoman Cockrel said.

The only Council member to vote against the resolution was Monica Conyers, the wife of Representative John Conyers Jr., a Michigan Democrat; Ms. Conyers said the Council should have waited until it had more information before voting on such a statement. “I’m being neutral,” Ms. Conyers said. “I’m concerned with doing it the right way, based upon facts, and not doing a symbolic resolution that means nothing.”

The CouncilÂ’s ninth member, Martha Reeves, the former Motown singer who had said she supported the resolution, was absent because of illness.
Gosh. I sure hope the Vandellas are okay.
She had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide ...
Posted by:Fred

#19  Dennis Archer seemed like a decent guy. I wasn't living in Michigan at the time, but got that impression from reading the papers while visiting the folks. That decency and his attempts to reunite the city and the suburbs set him against the Mayor Young crowd who had thrived on racial polarization. Pity he didn't last longer.
Posted by: SteveS   2008-03-20 23:56  

#18  HMMMMMM, Detroit, then NEW YORK ala SPITZER, now back to Detroit ....
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2008-03-20 22:56  

#17  Detroit had Dennis Archer who was okay (from what I'm told by my relatives who still live there), though apparently he wasn't dirty enough for the city council.
Posted by: Broadhead6   2008-03-20 21:43  

#16  Mayor Bradley in LA.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2008-03-20 21:41  

#15  Pancho & Jim, the culture of inner city detroit is certainly one variable...the other being that 30 yrs of dem rule in just about every major big city in this country has brought nothing but more drugs, poverty and out of wedlock kids. A vicious cycle that is repeated ad nauseum.
Posted by: Broadhead6   2008-03-20 21:23  

#14  ...Well, Mike White in Cleveland was a very good administrator, and and African American, on balance did okay - I'm a registered Republican, and I voted for him (Donk) twice. He was as corrupt as the rest of the Cleveland political machine, but he had the smarts not to get greedy about it. The real problem was the Cleveland School Board, which made Detroit look as if it was run by Jesuits.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2008-03-20 19:33  

#13  Thank you Panxho, I wanted to say that but thought it was just me.
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2008-03-20 18:56  

#12  Okay, honest question, no snark intended. It SEEMS like every place on earth, whether town, city or country, that is run by blacks flat-out sucks from mismanagement.

Despite that perception, given that there are really sharp blacks like Condi, Clarence and Tom Sowell, isn't there SOMEPLACE where blacks of that calibre are in charge? If so, where is it?
Posted by: Pancho Elmeck8414   2008-03-20 15:51  

#11  also "straw"
and "binding"
and "stimulus"
and "package"
Posted by: mhw   2008-03-20 15:07  

#10  Is it merely coincidence that the the writer managed to work "Democrat," "extramarital affair," and "blow" into the same story?
Posted by: USN, Ret.   2008-03-20 14:53  

#9  Â“While certain members have been playing judge and jury in the court of public opinion, Mayor Kilpatrick has continued to stay focused on advancing bold initiatives, such as his economic stimulus package,” she said in a statement. “As Mayor Kilpatrick has said before, he will stay in office, he will stay focused on city business, and he will continue to lead our city forward.”

Detroit. Where you can get more money for your car then your house. Ya got a "bold initiative" to solve that one, Kwame?
Sounds like these people are trying to do you a favor.
Posted by: tu3031   2008-03-20 13:51  

#8  Truly a sad day when rascist, hate-mongering blacks get called out on their crimes. And not all blacks are like that, but this guy should be going to Rev Writghts Church.
Posted by: Charles   2008-03-20 13:21  

#7  "...he angrily blamed racism for his troubles and accused the news media of having a “lynch-mob mentality” against him."

Well...Kwame...if the indignant plantation schtik doesn't work you can always remorsefully announce your entering into ReHab. Remember, you may be separated from your wife and mistress for awhile so find a facility that has some hot looking biyatches on the staff.
Posted by: DepotGuy   2008-03-20 13:04  

#6   I shall name my first born son Kwame M. Kilpatrick

If you want to really inspire, name him Mayor Coleman Young. He made a fine 20 year career playing racial identity politics pitting Detroit against the rest of the state with the predictable results you see there today.

Reading about Kwame's shenanigans the last week, I found myself thinking that one day, perhaps, Detroit will get the mayor it deserves. But then again, maybe it already has.
Posted by: SteveS   2008-03-20 12:45  

#5  I shall name my first born son Kwame M. Kilpatrick. It is a name to inspire trust.
Posted by: Excalibur   2008-03-20 09:02  

#4  A higher percentage of people left Wayne County than any other large county in the nation last year,

The similarities between Detroit and Harare are indeed striking. Must be something in the Western designed water treatment system.
Posted by: Besoeker   2008-03-20 04:16  

#3  From the Detroit News:
A higher percentage of people left Wayne County than any other large county in the nation last year, according to Census Bureau estimates released today...Experts say that if it wasn't for the sluggish housing market tying many would-be-sellers to their homes, the outward tide might have been greater.
"A lot of people are stuck to some extent," Metzger said.

The Mayor may be the last one to leave.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418   2008-03-20 02:18  

#2  Everybody in Detroit is aggrieved.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418   2008-03-20 01:49  

#1  What's Obama's view of this? According to Black Liberation theology, the mayor is the aggrieved party.
Posted by: gromky   2008-03-20 01:29  

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