Kwame Kilpatrick suffers public humiliation via a street art stencil throughout the city.

 
What can you say about Kwame Kilpatrick, Mayor of Detroit? It all depends on your perspective. Currently the mayor is well into his jail sentence, but Kilpatrick is better known for his reputation as the “Hip Hop Mayor.” Before I go too far I want to say that I believe that Kilpatrick once had good intentions for the city, but he clearly lacked the professionalism required to be a great mayor. With some success in office, his main highlights are undoubtedly the turn around in the downtown area. Once in shambles, downtown shows signs of new life.  
     

  Rock Financial recently announced they would be building on two possible sites downtown. Other successes include reforms in taxes and city services. Kilpatrick also has a devious and corrupt side that he has been unable to downplay. Well after vowing to remove his diamond earring, his reputation is tarnished from the years he conveyed the image as the “Hip Hop Mayor.” In 2005, Time magazine listed Kilpatrick as one of the three worst mayors in the United States. After numerous scandals, Kilpatrick’s shady tactics far outweigh his accomplishments as mayor.
Local media criticizes Kilpatrick daily.
  
     
When Kilpatrick was elected, he was one of the youngest, and clearly inexperienced mayors to hold office in a major American city. His youth, energy, passion, and connection to the people of Detroit won the election. From the beginning, he mainly focused on the downtown area. Currently, the River Walk is nearing completion. Abandoned buildings have been torn down all over downtown, as well as in residential areas. There are clear signs of new life in the city. After years of negotiations and on and off construction, the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel opened in 2008. The historic Hotel Fort Shelby was renovated by the same development group, and also opened in 2008. Roads have been repaved. For the first time in decades, you don’t have to worry about potholes downtown. In fact, Kilpatrick has brokered deals for new developments in almost every vacant building downtown. Super Bowl XL went off without a hitch, but Kilpatrick failed to maintain a balanced budget amid the toughest economic climate in the country.  

     

 

In spite of all this progress, a dark cloud still hangs over the city… and it all stems from Kilpatrick’s misconduct. His first major scandal occurred during his first term. At the time, the city was in financial turmoil. Reduced revenue was forcing the city to cut funding from the fire department, consolidate and reduce police service, and discontinue bulk trash pick up, in addition to many other cuts. With no regard to the city’s situation, Kilpatrick leased a $57,000 Lincoln Navigator for his wife. According to a receipt obtained by local media, the cost of the lease was $24,995. Just five bucks more and this procurement would have required approval from the city council. For weeks, Kilpatrick denied the existence of the Navigator until it was discovered hidden in a police department garage. Kilpatrick then claimed its purpose was for undercover police operations. Kilpatrick finally came clean admitting it was for his wife, Carlita Kilpatrick.

 

 

 

 

The stencil to the left and others like it appeared throughout the city shortly after Kwame's indictment.
     
As scandal continues to follow the mayor, he was criticized for accepting a $50,000 donation to his election campaign from a taxpayer funded, homeless shelter and mental health services agency. After receiving the donation, Kilpatrick wrote a letter of recommendation to award that same agency with a multi-million dollar city contract. Again, still in his first term, allegations surfaced that the Mayor threw a wild party at the Manoogian Mansion involving the Mayor's security detail, strippers and drugs. This incident led to the firing of former Deputy Chief Gary Brown, and bodyguard Harold Northrop. Then, in May 2005, the Detroit Free Press reported that Kilpatrick charged over $210,000 on his city issued credit card for travel, meals, and entertainment. With hesitation, Kilpatrick repaid a small portion of the charges he could not justify as business expense after public outcry.  
     
Kilpatrick’s second term has not been much better, even after he “changed his image,” things only got worse. In May of 2007, the mayor was busted raiding a tax-exempt fund of nearly $10,000 to go on a trip to one of the most expensive resorts in the Unites States, the LaCosta Resort and Spa in southern California. The Mayor's press secretary attempted to cover the trip up by claiming the cash was for a business trip. Kilpatrick then later confessed that it was in fact a personal trip. Public money had been used to fly the Mayor’s family to the resort as well. Receipts showed Kilpatrick even hired a baby sitter for his children at the resort. At the time, the mayor’s sister was in charge of operating this fund, a tax-exempt fund, meant to directly benefit the people of Detroit. Later, in early 2007, the Mayor and select city employees were scheduled to attend a conference in Hawaii. Some of these city employees were caught ditching the conference, again by Detroit’s local investigative media. Before Kilpatrick arrived, hotel reservations were discovered under Kilpatrick’s name at a resort on Maui, far from the conference. Because of the awaiting media in Hawaii, Kilpatrick bowed out of the conference, leaving the city to pay the bill. Kilpatrick later vacationed elsewhere to “work on his marriage.”   After Brown and Northrop were fired, they filed suit against Kilpatrick and the city. On September 11 of 2007, a jury found Kilpatrick guilty. The jury believed the two officers were fired because they investigated the unconfirmed party at the mayor's mansion, and the homicide of Tamara Green who supposedly worked as a stripper at the party. The legal bill for the trial exceeded $575,000 before the trial even started. The city hired four law firms to defend the city and Kilpatrick, costing up to $345 per hour. Still refusing to take responsibility, Kilpatrick announced he would appeal. Several weeks after vowing to appeal this decision Kilpatrick agreed to settle for $8.4 million! Most recently, the family of Tamara Green filed a staggering $150 million lawsuit against Kilpatrick and the city of Detroit. Green was killed in a drive by shooting shortly after the alleged party, and the bullets used to kill her came from a police gun. Green’s family claims that she was killed to stop her from talking about the party, and the mayor and members of the police department blocked the investigation. Officers who were working on the investigation had their offices broken into and files dealing with the case stolen. They also had their computers tampered with.
     

 

Yet another form of public scrutiny.

  

In the trial, testimony was also given stating that the mayor's protection unit was billing the city for excessive overtime. It was also alleged that the mayor had been having an affair with his chief of staff, Christine Beatty. Beatty is also notorious in the local media, having had several incidents with Detroit Police officers during traffic stops. Beatty was ticketed for not having proof of insurance. That ticket somehow was "misplaced" or "lost" by high-ranking police within the department. Kilpatrick has cost the city across the board. He has stolen money directly from Detroiters for his personal use. His misconduct has cost the city millions in legal bills. His actions as Mayor have done nothing but strengthen the dark, gritty, corrupt image of the city… one that he has been trying to change for years. It is clear he is not an honest person in the wake of his resignation from the Mayor’s office. Kilpatrick began a 4-month jail sentence in October of 2008 for perjury. Christine Beatty will finish her sentence for perjury in May of 2009.