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The special counsel to the Detroit City Council has released it's report on how the council should proceed and deal with Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's civil lawsuit and subsequent undisclosed confidentiality agreement that spelled out how much money the city would pay out to former police officers. The amount 8.4 million dollars. The scandal: seems limitless if you believe everything you read.
There's is so much to digest, and you can find everything on this web site about the Mayor's scandal that your heart desires of you simply search the word "Kilpatrick." Here's what I think matters right now, and then I want to get your thoughts.
1. Q: Does the City Council have enough evidence and the authority to remove Mayor Kilpatrick from office?
A: The answer is probably yes, but the problem is that the process of doing so could take many months and cost millions because the Mayor's spokesperson Anthony Adams says they would fight such action in a court of law. SEE THE ADAMS INTERVIEW HERE
2. Q: The Mayor and his administration say they are not distracted by the ongoing scandal and that they simply continue to work toward moving the city forward. How can that be?
A: Look, there is now way that business leaders in the city and business leaders who are thinking about doing business in the city cannot consider the ramifications and trustworthiness of Kilpatrick and his administration. Fox 2 has spoken to several business owners who may feel compelled to give to the Mayor's defense fund in fear of retribution of getting shut out of deals if they don't. Some say he is waving his $300-million dollar city enhancement package as a carrot to business leaders to support him in order to get a piece of the pie. This is not a good way to do business, and what company not already involved in the city would want to get involved knowing this type of strong arm bureaucracy tactics.
The Mayor and his staff say they are not distracted by the scandal and that all they will do and continue to do is work to move the city forward. Kudos. I hope that's true. I find it hard to believe. This attitude should have been expressed during the state of the city speech, which was awesome until the end when Kilpatrick went on his personal tirade -- dropping the N-word, going after Ken Cockrel and blaming the media for his problems. Fair or not, I don't know how anyone can look at the Mayor and not immediately think about the scandal.
Moreover, I don't how the Mayor and his legal team and PR folks cannot spend countless hours working to defend the accusations. They do. How is that not distracting.
At the end of the day the City Council probably has the grounds to dismiss the Mayor, in spite of an ambiguous city charter. The thing is if they pursue dismissal, it will likely cost millions of dollars and countless hours of legislative time that the city just cannot afford.
The only way this mayor leaves office is if he resigns, loses next year's election or gets convicted on perjury or misconduct charges. The odds: 50:50 at best or worst depending on your point of view.
SO WHAT IS YOUR POINT OF VIEW? LET ME KNOW.
The special counsel to the Detroit City Council has released it's report on how the council should proceed and deal with Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's civil lawsuit and subsequent undisclosed confidentiality agreement that spelled out how much money the city would pay out to former police officers. The amount 8.4 million dollars. The scandal: seems limitless if you believe everything you read.
There's is so much to digest, and you can find everything on this web site about the Mayor's scandal that your heart desires of you simply search the word "Kilpatrick." Here's what I think matters right now, and then I want to get your thoughts.
1. Q: Does the City Council have enough evidence and the authority to remove Mayor Kilpatrick from office?
A: The answer is probably yes, but the problem is that the process of doing so could take many months and cost millions because the Mayor's spokesperson Anthony Adams says they would fight such action in a court of law. SEE THE ADAMS INTERVIEW HERE
2. Q: The Mayor and his administration say they are not distracted by the ongoing scandal and that they simply continue to work toward moving the city forward. How can that be?
A: Look, there is now way that business leaders in the city and business leaders who are thinking about doing business in the city cannot consider the ramifications and trustworthiness of Kilpatrick and his administration. Fox 2 has spoken to several business owners who may feel compelled to give to the Mayor's defense fund in fear of retribution of getting shut out of deals if they don't. Some say he is waving his $300-million dollar city enhancement package as a carrot to business leaders to support him in order to get a piece of the pie. This is not a good way to do business, and what company not already involved in the city would want to get involved knowing this type of strong arm bureaucracy tactics.
The Mayor and his staff say they are not distracted by the scandal and that all they will do and continue to do is work to move the city forward. Kudos. I hope that's true. I find it hard to believe. This attitude should have been expressed during the state of the city speech, which was awesome until the end when Kilpatrick went on his personal tirade -- dropping the N-word, going after Ken Cockrel and blaming the media for his problems. Fair or not, I don't know how anyone can look at the Mayor and not immediately think about the scandal.
Moreover, I don't how the Mayor and his legal team and PR folks cannot spend countless hours working to defend the accusations. They do. How is that not distracting.
At the end of the day the City Council probably has the grounds to dismiss the Mayor, in spite of an ambiguous city charter. The thing is if they pursue dismissal, it will likely cost millions of dollars and countless hours of legislative time that the city just cannot afford.
The only way this mayor leaves office is if he resigns, loses next year's election or gets convicted on perjury or misconduct charges. The odds: 50:50 at best or worst depending on your point of view.
SO WHAT IS YOUR POINT OF VIEW? LET ME KNOW.
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dgis50now
May 8, 2008 | 12:46 PM |
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Det313
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Det313
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Det313
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LittleChickie
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Det313
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LittleChickie
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former_detroiter
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former_detroiter
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LittleChickie
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Det313
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Det313
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rosiesgirl
May 10, 2008 | 7:39 AM |
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FITNESSCAMP
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Det313
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detroitgirldt
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Kraniak_the_Maniak
Senior Web Producer, Political Junkie. Married and father of two. For me it's about "we the people." When the politicians fail to recognize that they work for us, I go to work on them. There's a lot of work to do these days. In this blog I will offer analysis, argument and opinion. I want you to respond. Convince me and others of your argument. Take the gloves off, but respect your fellow bloggers. Stay on the issue, not the person. Thanks. I look forward to the dialogue.
Member Since: 9/13/2007
