On March 24th, 2008, however, formal charges were leveled against him by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, who charged him with eight felony counts, including perjury, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and misconduct of office. Daily news bites add even more layers to the scandal, requiring a timeline to figure it all out. In the midst of the media barrage, however, it is important to weigh in Kilpatrick's mayoral accomplishments when considering whether he should step down and his ultimate legacy.
Latest Developments
An affair between Mayor Kilpatrick and his chief of staff, Christine Beatty, was alleged as part of the whistle-blower lawsuits brought against the City of Detroit and its mayor. The plaintiffs argued that the cover up of the affair, along with a party at Manoogian Mansion and other misconduct on the part of the mayor's inner circle, prompted Mayor Kilpatrick to fire Deputy Chief Gary Brown and use city resources to harass former bodyguard Harold Nelthrope. In spite of Kilpatrick's 2007 testimony denying all, the verdict in the whistle-blower lawsuit went against him. It ultimately cost the City of Detroit upwards of $8 million. Kilpatrick continued to declare his innocence, however, and, according to the Detroit Free Press, blamed suburban jurors for the verdict.
In late January of 2008, however, the Detroit Free Press broke the "text messages" story. According to the Free Press, over 1,000 text messages between the mayor and his chief of staff, Christine Beatty, were uncovered, the content of which confirmed the existence of the long-rumored sexual affair between them. The text messages also included conversations between the two concerning the firings at the heart of the whistle-blower trial. The story quickly became national news, prompting the Wayne County prosecutor, Kym Worthy, to open an investigation into Kilpatrick's alleged perjury.
The Detroit News reported on February 19th that the city council accepted a $25,000 mediation settlement in a defamation suit brought by two Detroit Police Officers against the former chief of staff, Christine Beatty, and Mayor Kilpatrick. The suit arose out of a traffic-stop incident.
On March 24th and according to the Detroit Free Press, Worthy charged Kilpatrick and Beatty with a total of 15 felony counts including perjury, obstruction of justice, conspiracy and misconduct in office.
A detailed timeline of the scandal sets out important dates and events, including lawsuits, settlements, charges and removal efforts.
What's at Stake?
The city of Detroit is at stake.
It's been a long, hard road in bringing Detroit back. While a lot was accomplished by Mayor Dennis Archer (1994-2002) and Mayor Kilpatrick (2002- ), there is much more to do. The mayorship is crucial to continued growth. The question is whether Kilpatrick's leadership is in the best interest of the city following the coverage of the sensational scandals.
Mayor Kilpatrick took the reigns of Detroit in 2002 after two terms of Mayor Archer. Mayor Archer's leadership was focused in two directions: make friends with the alienated suburbs and make the city fiscally responsible. He used these accomplishments as a means of luring business and industry back downtown.
While Mayor Kilpatrick's focus is in line with Archer's -- the revitalization of Detroit -- many of his actions as mayor run contrary to the goals of Mayor Archer's tenure. For instance, Kilpatrick resorted to "us versus them" tactics during his re-election campaign in 2005 and after the verdict in the whistle-blower trial in 2007. Additionally, Mayor Kilpatrick has not been as dogged in his attention to Detroit's financial health.
Kilpatrick does, however, have different strengths. For instance, he has a better connection to the residents of Detroit and a greater dedication to improving Detroit's neighborhoods. He also has a contagious enthusiasm regarding Detroit's future.
Even so, does Mayor Kilpatrick's record outweigh the amount of scandal he has brought to the office?
