Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Makes Detroit a Better Place

It's official, after facing the strong possibility of being removed from office by Govenor Jennifer Granolm, Kwame Kilpatrick has pled guilty to charges he faced and resigned as Mayor of the City of Detroit, Michigan.

From The Detroit Free Press:

In a courtroom this morning, Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two felony counts of obstructing justice by committing perjury. He will spend four months in jail, pay up to $1 million in restitution, and serve five years' probation. He also agreed not to run for office during that five-year span.
In addition, the mayor agreed to a no-contest plea to one count of felonious assault for shoving a sheriff's deputy in July who had tried to serve a subpoena on Kilpatrick's friend. He agreed to serve four months on that charge, too, but it will be served at the same time as his other sentence.
The deals also call for Kilpatrick to turn over his state pension to the City of Detroit, which paid $8.4 million to settle two whistle-blower lawsuits three former cops filed against the city. The mayor was charged with eight felony counts ranging from conspiracy to perjury to misconduct in office to obstruction of justice after the Free Press revealed in January that the mayor lied on the witness stand during a police whistle-blower trial and gave misleading testimony about whether he intended to fire a deputy police chief investigating allegations of wrongdoing by members of his inner circle.
In a rushed monotone, before a standing-room only audience, Kilpatrick told Wayne Circuit Judge David Groner: "I lied under oath in the case of Gary Brown and Harold Nelthrope versus the city of Detroit ... I did so with the intent to mislead the court and jury, to impede and obstruct the disposition of justice."
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080904/NEWS01/309050001

And for the visually oriented, here's the video of Kilpatrick resigning, from the miracle of youtube:

*Sorry about the idiot commentary at the beginning. It's early in the video posting.

This is FANTASTIC news for the City of Detroit, it's citizens, and the citizens of Michigan as a whole. It might not have quenched the bloodlust some had, but it's one of the best things that's happened in Michigan politics in years.

It's obvious Kwame was dirty; that info is very out there for all of us to see. He most likely would have been removed from office by Gov. Granholm had her hearing continued. Whether he would have been *convicted* in court is another story, coming down to the jury, and what would be allowed as evidence (remember, if the texts were ruled inadmissable, a LOT of evidence would cease to, from a legal standpoint anyhow, exist).That, more than Kwame's inital actions themselves, was the real problem. His lawyers argued mightily that the text messages that proved there was a relationship with Christine Beatty, his former chief of staff and ex-lover were illegally obtained. But at the same time, everyone knew - and would know, whether he was convicted or not - he was guilty, regardless of any eventual court verdict.

It's become exceptionally clear to everyone other than those who willingly blinded themselves that he was shamefully corrupt...and seemingly amoral. Despite numerous financial shennanigans detailed in an accounting of his expeditures (and many more that never saw the light of day, since the corrupt bits had to be documented in triplicate and detailed in quadrupule. I know this, because I dated the woman who did the audit) he was re-elected for a second term, so it's clear there are plenty willing to blind themselves to his misdoings.

But reality was still visible to everyone else, perhaps most importantly people in other states who's image of Michigan as a whole is largely influenced by what small amount of news they hear and read about Detroit. This includes the folks who decide where and when to locate and/or expand a business of any type .

Again, like it or not, the state of Michigan is largely seen only in the context of Detroit by people in other states. Kilpatrick, his behavior, and his attempts to cling to his office embarassed the city, the state, and all of us. Which is, quite honestly, far more meaningful to the rest of us than his embarassment of himself, though there's that aplenty. The longer he was in office, the longer the state suffered, and the longer we all suffered in one manner or another, be that economically or just in terms of the images others carry . His resignation is FAR more important than the jail time he serves. It makes the rest of us, and our state, look a whole lot better now that the mayor of our largest city isn't clearly and openly known as corrupt.

His plea deal most certainly won't satisfy those who hungered for his scalp, and he unquestionably got a far, far, far better deal than an "average Joe" would have. Had any person even vaguley connected to the realm of being an average person stolen 8.4 million dollars from their employer to hide a lie, yes, they'd get a far longer, far more painful, and far more appropriate sentence. But Kwame Kilpatrick isn't an "average Joe". He's the mayor of one of America's largest cities. And the rules are hugely different for politicians, the rich, the powerful, and the famous, despite how completely backwards that is. He had hoped to broker a deal resulting in resigning but spending no time in jail. Be glad he's going to do time at all.

On a related note, per the Freep,

Detroit Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings announced her retirement today through a news release just minutes after Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two felonies and agreed to resign.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080904/NEWS01/80904037

This is great news as well. She's less publicized outside the Detroit area, but oh, is she ever a peach. Among powerful folks who abuse their positions and treat people like utter, absolute dirt, she's known for being at the top of that skills list.

Anyhow, Kilpatrick intends to address citizens in a televised press conference scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight.