Hizzonor Th Hip-Hop Mayor - 2Nd Story on Nat'l News!

[chefann]

Good grief.

The mayor of Detroit has been embroiled in legal battles for several years. Today he was arrested for violating the terms of his bond by traveling out of the country. It was for official city business (discussing sale of the Detroit half of the Detroit/Windsor tunnel), but he didn't clear it with the county sheriff first.

And the state attorney general announced that they will announce felony charges against him (the mayor, not the AG) tomorrow. The city charter states that a convicted felon cannot be mayor. Hopefully this whole debacle will encourage Kilpatrick to leave office voluntarily.

Anyhoo-- the whole mess was the second story on the national news this evening! Second only to the pollution in Beijing.

 

[PamperedDor]

Ann - try livin in NY!!! LOL!!!! Welcome to the club!!!!!!!!!!!!! At least its not prositution ring!!!!!!

 

[raebates]

I'm so sorry, Ann. I hate it when stupidity is the only reason Indiana makes the news.

 

[chefann]

Ann - try livin in NY!!! LOL!!!! Welcome to the club!!!!!!!!!!!!! At least its not prositution ring!!!!!!

I'm so sick of anything to do with this guy. And it's been never-ending, since the middle of his first term.

The felony charges are going to be Felony Assault against a Wayne county sheriff who was trying to serve a subpoena. And obstruction of justice.

 

[PamperedDor]

They seriously think because they have a title that they can break the law and get away with anything - so much for setting an example - no wonder our youth is so messed up!

 

[chefann]

And that's pretty much what the judge told him today. He said that "We've given you breaks, and every benefit of the doubt." And said that if it was any Joe Six-Pack in hos courtroom, people would expect him to uphold the law, so that's what he's doing now with the Mayor.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Isn't it crazy?

I keep wondering how he got elected in the first place...it's been nothing but chaos since he's been in office. And I'm on the other side of the State!

 

[chefann]

I think he was elected because he appealed to a different group than Archer did. Archer was the sane voice after the nuttiness that was the Young administration. But some Detroiters felt he was a sell-out and "not black enough." So they went the other way when given the chance in the next election.

 

[chefann]

And the debacle continues!The state attorney general today made an offer to a plea bargain: they'd drop one of the felony assault charges if Kilpatrick leaves office by September 3. Kilpatrick's attorney mocked the offer as grandstanding by the AG, saying that it's a non-offer, since Kilpatrick would have to give up the office anyway if he were convicted. And next week there's gong to be a bond hearing to determine whether Kilpatrick will be allowed to attend the DNC in Denver. If I were one of the big-wigs in the Democratic party, I wouldn't want him within 3 states of the convention, for fear of him making the party look bad.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Isn't it crazy?

I keep wondering how he got elected in the first place...it's been nothing but chaos since he's been in office. And I'm on the other side of the State!

He apparently made a wrong turn on the way to Chicago.

 

[janetupnorth]

He apparently made a wrong turn on the way to Chicago.

...on his way to visit his friends in Milwaukee???

 

[chefann]

Well, today's been a day full of drama in Detroit.There's been an all-day hearing with the governor about whether Kilpatrick should be removed from office. That one is related to sudden settlement of a lawsuit against the city. The mayor doesn't have authority to settle lawsuits without the approval of the council. Kilpatrick did so anyway - supposedly to keep incriminating text messages off the public record (he was having an affair with his chief of staff). The council doesn't have the authority to hold a removal hearing, so they petitioned the governor to do it.The testimony was alternating boring legalese and riveting attempts to trip up the witnesses. One local station had it on live all day.Then, at about 4:45, news broke that Kilpatrick was going to announce a plea deal in some of the other charges brought up against him. It ended up being delayed until tomorrow at 9am. Hopefully they'll throw the book at him.In an ideal world, I'd like to see:
Kilpatrick removed from office
stripped of his law license
not allowed to run for public office again
no future expunging of his record
purging his cronies from city government positions
jail time for Kilpatrick (some of the charges are felonies - assaulting a police officer, obstruction of justice)

 

[cathyskitchen]

Wow, this guy sounds like a real winner (NOT!). I hope you don't have to deal with him too much longer!!

 

[chefann]

Yeah- he's a total class act. He plays the race card when it works in his favor, but is also the first one to cry racism when a non-African-American makes any kind of comment. The lawsuit that started this whole thing had to do with the death of an exotic dancer who had been hired by him to perform at a party at the Manoogian Mansion (the official Mayoral residence). The investigation was buried at the request of the administration and one of the officers involved called the whistleblower hotline to report it.His administration has also been plagued with accusations of misappropriation of funds, etc.

 

[JAE]

Sounds like Kilpatrick will be outta there tomorrow morning. Good. His poor family.

 

[PamperChefCarol]

Well, today's been a day full of drama in Detroit.

There's been an all-day hearing with the governor about whether Kilpatrick should be removed from office. That one is related to sudden settlement of a lawsuit against the city. The mayor doesn't have authority to settle lawsuits without the approval of the council. Kilpatrick did so anyway - supposedly to keep incriminating text messages off the public record (he was having an affair with his chief of staff). The council doesn't have the authority to hold a removal hearing, so they petitioned the governor to do it.

The testimony was alternating boring legalese and riveting attempts to trip up the witnesses. One local station had it on live all day.

Then, at about 4:45, news broke that Kilpatrick was going to announce a plea deal in some of the other charges brought up against him. It ended up being delayed until tomorrow at 9am. Hopefully they'll throw the book at him.

In an ideal world, I'd like to see:
Kilpatrick removed from office
stripped of his law license
not allowed to run for public office again
no future expunging of his record
purging his cronies from city government positions
jail time for Kilpatrick (some of the charges are felonies - assaulting a police officer, obstruction of justice)

Don't forget.. no government pension!!!! He is due to get a great big one if he holds out until Oct. No way does this joker deserve it.

 

[chefann]

Yep- that was supposed to be on that list, too.He's such an embarrassment. I mean, when your own political party tells you, "We don't care if you're allowed to travel, don't come to the convention." that's when you know something needs to change.

 

[janetupnorth]

Here's an article today on it:FOXNews.com - Report: Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to Resign in Plea Deal - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Political Spectrum

 

[chefann]

The deal in that article isn't necessarily the one that he's taking.Live right now- the court proceedings just started. Lawyers are introducing themselves in the courtroom.

 

[janetupnorth]

The deal in that article isn't necessarily the one that he's taking.

Live right now- the court proceedings just started. Lawyers are introducing themselves in the courtroom.

It's never over until it is over!

 

[chefann]

Well, crud - not as strict as I was hoping.In exchange for a guilty plea on 2 counts of obstruction of justice, the other charges will be dropped. Kilpatrick will serve 5 years of reporting probation, with the first 120 days of that in county jail. He will resign as mayor and surrender his license to practice law. He will not seek election to public office while on probation. He will sign over his rights to his state pension, and his current value in the pension will be credited to the $1 million restitution he must pay to the city.

 

[chefann]

The judge just indicated that there may be additional items added that he routinely adds to sentences, such as court costs.OMG- he's such a egomaniac!! The judge just asked if he understood that a guilty plea removed his constitutional right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. K answered, "I think I gave that up a long time ago." The judge repeated the statement to have K give a reasonable response.

 

[chefann]

<giggle>
Had a little fun this evening. I put together an ironic graphic featuring two of Kilpatrick's quotes and a couple of pics. Kwame Got Kaught! : CafePress.comhttp://images.cafepress.com/jitcrunch.aspx?bG9hZD1ibGFuayxibGFuazoyX0YuanBnfGxvYWQ9TDAsaHR0cDovL2ltYWdlcy5jYWZlcHJlc3MuY29tL2ltYWdlLzI5OTc2MzM4XzQwMHg0MDAuanBnfHxzY2FsZT1MMCwxNjYsMTcwLFdoaXRlfGNvbXBvc2U9YmxhbmssTDAsQWRkLDE1NywxMjV8Y3A9cmVzdWx0LGJsYW5rfHNjYWxlPXJlc3VsdCwwLDQ4MCxXaGl0ZXxjb21wcmVzc2lvbj05NXw=The pic in the upper left is his mug shot.