cryptique Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 A little on the side turns into $9 million out of the taxpayers' pockets ... and now it's going to get worse. Yay Detroit! This isn't the first scandal for this guy. So far he's managed to wriggle out of most of them through his own charisma and the unwavering support of his entourage. His arrogance has been mind-boggling, and frankly, it's about time it started catching up with him. article FREE PRESS SPECIAL INVESTIGATION Mayor Kilpatrick, chief of staff lied under oath, text messages showRomantic exchanges undercut denials January 24, 2008BY JIM SCHAEFER and M.L. ELRICKFREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS COPYRIGHT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
austrya Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Will Detroit ever get someone in there as mayor or on city council who isn't a crooked snake? I kind of wish I had to drive to work this morning so I could listen to Drew & Mike comment about it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MrRain422 Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Archer didn't seem too crooked. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boots Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Kilpatrick got elected for the first time right before I moved from the D-town area. Wasn't he running against the guy from Beverly Hills Cop too? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
austrya Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Archer wasn't too bad. He just wanted to get the heck out of there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MrRain422 Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Kilpatrick got elected for the first time right before I moved from the D-town area. Wasn't he running against the guy from Beverly Hills Cop too? Yes, although to be fair to Gil Hill, his role in Beverly Hills Cop was not his only qualification. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dixiecupdrinker Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Will Detroit ever get someone in there as mayor or on city council who isn't a crooked snake? I kind of wish I had to drive to work this morning so I could listen to Drew & Mike comment about it. Is Drew back yet? He was gone, so I stopped listening to the stream for a while. anyway,dcd Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MrRain422 Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Yeah, same here. I used to listen to them online every morning while getting ready for work, but I sort of stopped shortly after Drew went on leave. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Golyadkin Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Drew is not back.... Detroit is as crooked as crooked come. Archer put up a fight but left because City Council wanted their pockets filled. Kilpatrick is a thug of thugs and he is living up to the hype. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
austrya Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 No Drew isn't back yet, but I always like when they talk about local news anyways. I only get to listen to it for about 10 minutes a day when I'm taking Austin to school. Well, sometimes I have to change it because they are talking about something totally inapporpriate for a 10 year old... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chris_H_2 Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 I've always maintained that Detroit is more crooked than Chicago, which says a lot. This quote from a resident should tell you all you need to know as to why Detroit will never, ever change: Maggie Kern, 68-year-old Detroiter who lives on the west side, said she voted for Kilpatrick twice and people need to give the mayor a break. "The mayor has done great things for the city. He made a mistake. President (Bill Clinton) of the United States made a mistake and I would vote for him again," she said. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MrRain422 Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 Both cities are incredibly crooked. The difference, though, is that the corruption in Detroit's government is completely self-serving by those involved, whereas in Chicago, while everyone is still working in their own self-interest, they at least realize that it is in their interest to keep the city functioning on at least a basic level. In order to get it's shit together, the people of Detroit need to:a) Diversify it's economybee) Finally find a way to get past remaining racial tensionsc) Re-structure the city council into a ward system so that more than 3 neighborhoods will be represented, and so voters don't have to pick through a list of 50 candidates every time they voted) Get some self-respect so that they stop electing people that they know will screw them over. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chris_H_2 Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 In order to get it's shit together, the people of Detroit need to:a) Diversify it's economy This is something that I've been harping on for a long, long time. But to suggest that Detroit, and most of the surrounding area (hell, even most of the state), needs to move beyond its reliance on the automotive industry and what it provided is taboo. People don't want to hear it. The automotive industry built the town and, damn it, it will continue to sustain it. Part of the problem is that, unlike other major cities in the midwest, everyone moved out in the late 70's and early 80's. What you have left is a stagnant, self-loathing populace that wants nothing but the status quo because, with all due respect, that's all it's familiar with. And leaders both in the city and the capital work to protect it because, if they don't (as you mentioned), their self interests are harmed. To them, change equals loss of influence, which equals loss of power, which in turn equals loss of the high life. Granholm loves the Kilpatrick, and vice versa. You're going to be hard pressed to find people calling for his head, because calling for his head may eventually lead to their's. [End of rant] Quote Link to post Share on other sites
austrya Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 A huge problem with the economy in this state, especially in the Metro Detroit area is that all of these UAW people were making close to $30 an hour. Most don't have a college education and a great majority of them barely made it through high school. So when the plants close, they are unskilled in anything else and can only find jobs making $9-10 per hour. They forclose on their mortgages and their cars. They live off of their credit cards and can't afford to pay those either. It's kind of like the problem created itself. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted January 25, 2008 Author Share Posted January 25, 2008 A huge problem with the economy in this state, especially in the Metro Detroit area is that all of these UAW people were making close to $30 an hour.Many of them were making a damn sight more than that. Detroit's been a mess since shortly after the riots in the late '60s, and though pockets of it have rebounded slightly, it's still mostly a rotting mass of abandoned buildings and vacant lots. It's more war zone than city. It's a shame, because there's some stunning architecture downtown. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Golyadkin Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 Many of them were making a damn sight more than that. Detroit's been a mess since shortly after the riots in the late '60s, and though pockets of it have rebounded slightly, it's still mostly a rotting mass of abandoned buildings and vacant lots. It's more war zone than city. It's a shame, because there's some stunning architecture downtown. Its a shame because of the execution style killings of fifth graders, black money is the only money accepted (unless we are talking millions) and city council fight and threaten each other with violence. Everyone I know has been assaulted in some sort of violent crime within the city limits. People don't wonder why Mr. White left the city and they don't wonder why he named one of his albums "Get Behind Me Satan." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chris_H_2 Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 So basically the new chief of staff for Kilpatrick owed over $9,000 in back property taxes, wracked up more than $2,000 in upaid parking tickets, and filed for bankruptcy with his wife. But, he's a nice guy that can be trusted, so he's being praised. Lovely. I can't figure out why Detroit is ass backwards. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted January 30, 2008 Author Share Posted January 30, 2008 So basically the new chief of staff for Kilpatrick owed over $9,000 in back property taxes, wracked up more than $2,000 in upaid parking tickets, and filed for bankruptcy with his wife. But, he's a nice guy that can be trusted, so he's being praised. Lovely. I can't figure out why Detroit is ass backwards.Kilpatrick has put so many friends and relatives on the city payroll, a family reunion in his old neighborhood would empty out the city offices. Corruption takes on many forms, and hooking up your blood and buddies with jobs is just one of them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Detroit council asks mayor to resign By COREY WILLIAMS, Associated Press Writer 38 minutes ago DETROIT - The Detroit City Council on Tuesday called for the resignation of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who is being investigated over an alleged affair he swore under oath he did not have. He quickly rejected the request. The resolution, passed 7-1, amounted to a "no-confidence" vote because the council lacks the power to force Kilpatrick to step down. "You take a whole day to discuss an issue like this," Kilpatrick said. "My reaction is: This is over. It has no effect. It's not binding. Let's get back to work." Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy is investigating whether the mayor and former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty lied under oath when they testified in a whistle-blowers' lawsuit that they had not had a physical relationship. Kilpatrick has been dogged by media reports about steamy text messages the two exchanged that suggest a romantic relationship. Kilpatrick also has been criticized for using a racially charged word during a recent speech. The lone vote against the resolution was cast by president pro tem Monica Conyers, the wife of U.S. Rep. John Conyers. One councilwoman was absent because of illness. The council considered the issue two weeks ago, but postponed a vote because some members said they needed more information before they could decide what to do. "A whole lot has changed between then and now. ... My vote is not an indictment of the mayor so much as it is a request of the citizens to get back to work," said Councilwoman Barbara-Rose Collins, who supported the measure. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 This is perhaps the most maddening part: Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy is investigating whether the mayor and former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty lied under oath when they testified in a whistle-blowers' lawsuit that they had not had a physical relationship. Kilpatrick has been dogged by media reports about steamy text messages the two exchanged that suggest a romantic relationship.Worthy has delayed any announcement on this for several weeks now, and nobody can figure out why. The video of Kilpatrick and Beatty denying their affair under oath has been played endlessly on local TV, and the affair itself has subsequently been admitted -- and confirmed by ample evidence. It's as clear-cut a case of perjury as I've ever seen. Yet this prosecutor, who is starting to look like she's in the pocket of the mayor, continues to stall her announcement regarding what she plans to do. Hopefully I'm wrong and she throws the book at the guy. Kilpatrick's administration has been hopelessly corrupt since day one, and a conviction for perjury would compel his exit. That said, I don't live in Detroit, so my stake in this issue is purely as an observer from afar. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
austrya Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 How much do they need to investigate? All they have to do is go back and read the court transcripts and look at the text message transcripts. I should only take 20 minutes, tops. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MrRain422 Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Bye bye, Kwame. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted March 24, 2008 Author Share Posted March 24, 2008 15 counts? I'm not sure it ends there, either. Plus, there will be other members of the administration charged, including some of the dumbass lawyers and at least one of Kwame's relatives (for those who haven't been following this, much of the city payroll is occupied by Kwame's friends and relatives). article Kilpatrick, Beatty face felony charges March 24, 2008 UPDATED AT 11:40 A.M.: Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and former chief of staff Christine Beatty were charged today with multiple counts of perjury, obstruction of justice, misconduct in office and conspiracy because of their conduct in last year Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Good Old Neon Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 cryptique Was there a point to posting all that? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted March 24, 2008 Author Share Posted March 24, 2008 Fuck you. Seriously. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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