Kwame Kilpatrick

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Kwame Kilpatrick
Image:Kwame Kilpatrick.jpg

In office
January 1, 2002 – Present
Preceded by Dennis Archer
Succeeded by Incumbent
Born June 8 1970 (1970-06-08) (age 39)
Detroit, Michigan
Political party Democratic
Spouse Carlita Kilpatrick

Kwame M. Kilpatrick (born June 8, 1970) is the mayor of Detroit, Michigan. Elected at age 31, he is the youngest mayor in the history of Detroit, as well as the second youngest current mayor of any major U.S. city. Kilpatrick briefly addressed the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

Prior to defeating City Council President Gil Hill (former Detroit police detective who also appeared in the Beverly Hills Cop films) in the 2001 mayoral election, Kilpatrick served as the leader of the Democratic Caucus when elected to the Michigan State House of Representatives, making him the first African American to hold a leadership position in the Michigan Legislature.

Kilpatrick grew up in Detroit and attended Pelham Middle School and Cass Technical High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science in political science from Florida A&M University, where he was also captain of the football team. The City of Detroit website claims that he also earned a teaching certificate from Florida A&M University. He holds a Juris Doctor from the Detroit College of Law (now part of Michigan State University). His mother, U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, represents Michigan's 13th District in the United States House of Representatives, and serves as the President of the Congressional Black Caucus in the 110th United States Congress. His father, Bernard Kilpatrick, served as Chief of Staff to former - Wayne County Executive Edward H. McNamara.

Kilpatrick is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition[1], an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston mayor Thomas Menino. He is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the oldest intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans.

Contents

[edit] First Term

By April 2005, Kilpatrick's approval rating in Detroit was sharply declining due to the scandals and a perceived lack of improvement in the city. As a result, the April 17, 2005 issue of Time Magazine listed him as one of the three worst big-city mayors in the United States [2][3], along with Dick Murphy of San Diego and John F. Street of Philadelphia.

In May 2005, the Detroit Free Press reported that over the first 33 months of his term, Kilpatrick had charged over $210,000 on his city-issued credit card for travel, meals, and entertainment.

In October 2005 Kilpatrick caused controversy with an advertisement which compared media criticism of him to lynch mobs. [4]

[edit] 2005 Re-Election Campaign

In 2005, both Kilpatrick and his challenger Freman Hendrix – both Democrats - initially claimed victory but as the count proceeded it became clear that Kilpatrick had come back from his stretch of unpopularity to win a second term in office. Only three months ago most commentators declared his political career over after he was the first Detroit incumbent mayor to come in second in a primary. Pre-election opinion polls predicted a win for Hendrix; however, Kilpatrick won with 53 percent of the vote.

Kilpatrick touted his accomplishments -- improved city services, new homes, and downtown construction -- for the revitalization of Detroit.*

[edit] Second Term

Kilpatrick was hospitalized in Houston, Texas, in July 2006, diagnosed with diverticulitis. Dr. Aaron Maddox, Kilpatrick's personal physician indicated that Kilpatrick's condition may have been caused by Kilpatrick's high-protein weight-loss diet. [5]

In July 2006, Detroit's city council voted unanimously to approve Kilpatrick’s tax plan, which he said he hopes will provide homeowners some relief from the city’s high property tax rates. The cuts ranged from 18% to 35%, depending on the property’s value. [6] The City of Detroit is currently in debt.

[edit] Civic Fund Controversy

On May 8, 2007, WXYZ-TV reported that Kilpatrick used $8,600 from his secret Kilpatrick Civic Fund to take his wife, three sons and babysitter on a week long vacation to a a five-star California resort, the La Costa Resort and Spa[7]. The fund, controlled by Kilpatrick's sister and friends, was created to improve the city of Detroit through voter education, economic empowerment and crime prevention. Tax and accounting experts said Kilpatrick's use of the fund was a violation of IRS regulations[8].

[edit] Whistleblower Trial

In August, 2007, Mr. Kilpatrick was sued by two ex-members of his bodyguard staff for violation of the Whistleblower Law. It was claimed that he fired them in retaliation for them investigating his personal actions. The trial ended on September 11, 2007, after 3 hours of jury deliberation in a verdict awarding the plaintiffs $6.5 million in damages.

Minutes after the verdict for the trial came in, in an angry speech in front of City Hall, Kilpatrick blamed the "wrong verdict" on white suburbanite jurors. In a separate article, Kilpatrick is quoted as saying, "There's race in this, and we run from it in this region. And I think it's impossible for us to move forward as a region without confronting it head-on. But I don't want what has happened in the past 24 months to be erased by what has happened in the last two days."[2] - From STEPHEN HENDERSON article, Detroit News, September 13, 2007.[citation needed]

One member of the Whistleblower trial jury took offense to the implication of Kilpatrick that Jurors were racist suburban liars. He said that he believed that the mayor and his chief of staff were liars, and that jurors were united from the moment they began their deliberations. In an interview , the juror is quoted in a Sept 12 Detroit Free Press Article, calling Kilpatrick "a spoiled little brat who has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, was sent to the corner and is now pouting,"

Kwame Kilpatrick's mother, Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, appeared on Detroit TV Station WXYZ the day after the verdict, and said "We will appeal no matter how much it costs the city".

According to a Detroit News October 12 article, the city of Detroit has already paid $525,000 in legal fees thus far in the Whistleblower trial.

On October 18, according to a Detroit Free Press Oct 19 article, Kwame Kilpatrick decided to not appeal the verdict and offered an 8 million dollar settlement to the two officers involved in the civil suit, and an additional $400,000 to a third officer who was ready to begin civil proceedings related to the whistleblower trial. Kilpatrick said "I've humbly concluded that a settlement ... is the correct decision for my family and the entire Detroit community."

According to an October 24 article in the Post Chronicle, the Detroit City Council voted to settle the pair of whistle-blower lawsuits against Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick for $8.4 million.

[edit] Sale of City Parks

According to a Detroit Free Press October 26 article, Kwame Kilpatrick has proposed selling off 92 city parks. City officials estimate it could generate 8.1 million dollars from the sale of the lands. It has been noted that the sale of the 92 city parks will generate a substantial portion of the funds required to pay the settlement of the lawsuit against Kwame Kilpatrick filed by two ex-city employees.

[edit] Electoral history

  • 2005 Race for Mayor (Detroit)
  • 2001 Race for Mayor (Detroit)
    • Kwame Kilpatrick (D), 54%
    • Gil Hill (D), 46%

[edit] Trivia

  • He has been nicknamed "America's First Hip-Hop Mayor," in part due to an earring that he wore in his left ear. He removed the earring during the 2005 campaign and has since not replaced it.
  • A former offensive lineman for the Florida A&M University football team, Kilpatrick stands at 6'4", and weighs upwards of 300 lbs.
  • Eminem has referenced Kilpatrick in late rapper Proof's song "Pimplikeness" in the lyric "Toss a bitch out the house like Kwame Kilpatrick"
  • Hush has also referenced Kilpatrick "Cause I'm trying to bring Detroit up like Kwame Kilpatrick".

[edit] References

  1. ^ Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members. Retrieved on June 19, 2007
  2. ^ Sting of whispers hurts Kilpatrick the most, [1]

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Dennis Archer 		Mayor of Detroit
2002– 		Succeeded by
'Incumbent'
de:Kwame Kilpatrick

fr:Kwame Kilpatrick

Retrieved from "http://india.smashits.com/wikipedia/Kwame_Kilpatrick"
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