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Detroit: Council Votes Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Out; Lawyer Demands Kilpatrick's Right to Veto That Vote

by PEP | May 21, 2008 at 08:15 am | 188 views | add comment | 0 recommendations

After carpet-bombing the "n" word on television in an official speech, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, facing felony ethics charges, is fighting for his job and political life. The city's corporate counsel has now entered the battle.

John Johnson Jr. says that the city council's vote to ask Kilpatrick to resign erred by not allowing Kilpatrick a veto. Yea, if you followed that in this convoluted mess, it means that Johnson thinks Kilpatrick should be able to veto the city council's votes about him. That pretty much would nullify the council's will, which is clear--get outta town, Kilpatrick.

The city council's attorney thinks they're within their rights to remove Kilpatrick's veto in certain cases. William Goodman hand-delivered a plea to Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to intervene in the mess.

Kilpatrick, whose illicit affair and cover-up led to obstruction of justice, felony perjury, and misconduct in office charges, alleges that all his problems have been caused by racism against him. However, the city council is 99% African-American, so he's having a tough time with that defense in the public eye. There have been many protests against Kilpatrick.

The city's top lawyer is claiming Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick should have had a chance to veto a resolution seeking his ouster, complicating a historic push to implore Gov. Jennifer Granholm to remove the mayor on accusations he violated the city charter.

Hours after the council's attorney, William Goodman, drove from City Hall to Lansing on Tuesday to hand-deliver a request that Granholm invoke a rarely used law and oust the mayor, corporation counsel John Johnson Jr. accused members of violating the charter themselves by rushing the request.

In a letter to the panel, Johnson claimed a resolution passed 5-4 by the council last week to seek intervention from Granholm was received just Tuesday by the Mayor's Office. Johnson maintained the city charter gives Kilpatrick until May 27 to approve or veto the legislation