An Affront to the city? Or just business as usual?

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has denied repeatedly over the past four years that he had a sexual relationship with his chief of staff, Christine Beatty.

Still believe that the Manoogian Mansion party is an urban legend? 

I commend his wife for standing by her man........

I am not surprised but I am frustrated.................
The Free Press today broke the news today that folks knew & gossiped about, but did not have evidence. The Skytel texts between him and his Chief of Staff definitely proved that both of them lied during their testimony at last summer's trial. The cost (according to the Detroit Free Press) to the city was around 9 Million dollars for the settlements with the dismissed officers which could have paid salaries for fire/city/ police personnel and etc. I feel that since Marion Jones is going to jail for perjury, our most illustrious Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his chief of staff, Christine Beatty should do so also. Those salacious texts tell a lot about our mayor and his Chief of Staff. I just hope Kym Worthy is an ethical person and does her job, because our Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox who also has his own issues of being a philandering husband, has indicated that “Usually the county prosecutors get first crack at that. I’m really not interested in stepping on any jurisdictional toes", which translates as "I am not going to touch that hot potato with a ten foot pole."

Online and on the airways, folks are having a talk fest and exchanging views. This scandal is national and international. Here was some notable mentions:

I Am Inspired Blog: How to eff up Dr. King's Dream Class 101

Akindele Unleashed: Mayor Kilpatrick Failed Democratic Leadership

On the USA Today website article (borrowed from the Detroit Free Press) one of the comments made by "Dan", brought up a very valid point:

“The issue hear is not race,"sex", or the affair per se. The real issue is that they railroaded two police officers out of their jobs in order to cover up their philandering. While performing this cover up they both lied on the stand. To add insult to injury Kwame could've settled out of court for pennies on the dollar - which was what the arbitrator strongly recommended. However, Kwame's hubris forced him to go to trial and subsequently lose to the toll of $9 million dollars or the Detroit's money. ...I feel bad for their spouses, children, and colleagues. He needs to step down tomorrow afternoon at 4:30 PM regardless of any of the other finer details.”

I listened to several talk radio shows today. Some I listen to everyday, some occasionally and some that I only listen to when I want to hear the outsider perspective. Midday on one major urban radio station, the hosts still had Kilpatrick's back as expected, and they likened the situation to former President Bill Clinton's scandal during his presidency. I already knew that the female host worshiped the ground that Mayor Kilpatrick walked on, when I once witnessed her ferociously defending the mayor on the WDIV TV show “Flashpoint” hosted by Devin Scillian. What bothered me about one exchange on her show today, was when one of her guests, who has worked as a political consultant for Mayor Kilpatrick and former Mayor Coleman Young, indicated that there was no point of Mayor Kilpatrick stepping down. He also suggested (along with the Detroit News editors) that the mayor should clean house by removing Ms Beatty, whose other past antics does not help her case.

The political consultant felt that Ms. Beatty would be able to find another job, since she had political experience and is a law student at Wayne State. However after this scandal, Ms. Beatty may not be able to obtain a law degree. He assumes that she would survive the political fallout, but he has not been keeping tabs on Monica Lewinsky. As I watched Monday on the ABC network show “The View,” Barbara Walters who keeps in touch with Ms. Lewinsky, talked about how Lewinsky who earned a masters degree from the London School of Economics, still finds it difficult to find a job. To me, it just goes to prove that folks do not easily forget and forgive.

As a woman, I was so surprised that the political consultant's comments did not provoke or enrage the female radio host, whom I must give credit as usually providing very empowering messages to women on her show. All I could think that the female host must have not been a fan of Ms. Beatty. Soon after the political consultant's comments, the female radio host mentioned that the other guest, who is a prominent TV newscaster/radio personality on other stations in the area, was interested in Ms. Beatty's job. I was appalled at the timing when the prominent TV newscaster/radio personality, openly expressed his interest in the mayoral Chief of Staff position on the that radio show today. I wanted to call in and tell the guy that he should stay at his TV news job to keep his career/reputation viable. I truly believe that even though he is confidentially “out” there, the prominent TV newscaster/radio personality really can't navigate the treacherous waters of Detroit politics. I so disgusted that I had to turn off the radio after his revelation.

Right now for me, this ongoing scandal of Kwame Kilpatrick as Mayor of Detroit is such an embarrassment for the residents of Detroit, and does not encourage me to keep an investment here. Many folks have already shown what they thought: They just packed up and left. I do not believe that all the foreclosures in the city are due to the loss of jobs or mismanagement of funds. Now this week, it was announced that the Detroit's Carl Chop House, is trying to get a license to become a strip club. Most already think that this city is a cesspool. My naive optimism has deflated long ago, and that news along with the mayor's issues, are reinforcing that view. I can't help but wonder about the thoughts on the minds of the major business investors that are betting their money on downtown regarding the mayor and his antics. Will they hold their cards, or fold and run?

As I told my outstate family:

“Enjoy and appreciate where you are..........”