Detroit Mayor's Troubles

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s Chief of Staff, Christine Beatty, put in her letter of resignation Monday amid allegations that she and the mayor lied under oath about their affair.
The allegations came to light when the Detroit Free Press reported details of steamy text messages between Mayor Kilpatrick and Beatty. The newspaper examined 14,000 messages, which revealed a flirty and sometimes sexually explicit dialogue about where to meet and how to conceal their meetings. An example, on October 16, 2002, Kilpatrick reportedly wrote Beatty, “I’ve been dreaming all day about having you all to myself for three days. Relaxing, laughing, talking, sleeping and making love.” There was also evidence that Kilpatrick and Beatty used city funds to arrange their romantic getaways.
The mayor and Beatty testified in a trial last summer that they did not have a physical relationship in 2002 and 2003, when the messages were reportedly sent. The text messages contradict this testimony with such messages as: Beatty: "And, did you miss me, sexually?" Kilpatrick: "Hell yeah! You couldn't tell. I want some more.
The case involved a lawsuit filed by two police officers who alleged they were fired for investigating claims that the mayor used his security unit to cover up extramarital affairs. The trial records read like an episode of the HBO hit series “The Wire”. The mayor and the Detroit City Council voted to settle the pair of whistle-blower lawsuits against Kilpatrick for $8 million 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 whistle-blower trial. Kilpatrick said "I've humbly concluded that a settlement ... is the correct decision for my family and the entire Detroit community."
The mayor is married with three children. Ms Beatty was married at the time of the messages and has two children. The two have been friends since they attended the same Detroit high school. He appointed her as his chief of staff when he became the state House minority leader in 1999 (the first Black to hold a leadership position in the Michigan Legislature) and she managed his campaigns for the state House of Representatives and the mayor’s office.

The newspaper did not explain exactly how it obtained the messages, but this just goes to show you that all your phone calls, text messages, emails, etc., can be monitored. When you run for public office, remember it is just that, PUBLIC.


Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, age 37, was on everyone’s list of the rising stars for the future. 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. He is currently Vice President of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors. He graduated from Florida A&M University with honors. He was also captain of the football team. He earned his law degree from the Michigan State University College of Law. Prior to his election as a state representative, Kilpatrick was a middle school teacher at Marcus Garvey Academy in Detroit.

His mother, U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, serves as President of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Since taking office as mayor in 2002, Kilpatrick has spurred unprecedented reinvestment in the city’s neighborhoods and downtown while making and implementing a series of difficult decisions to wipe out an inherited deficit and rescue the City from the threat of receivership.

"The New York Times" Travel Section recognized the city’s tremendous progress when it listed Detroit in December as one of 53 “must-see” destinations around the world for 2008. Detroit received national recognition for its success hosting the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 2005, Super Bowl XL in 2006 and the 2006 World Series. Those accolades enticed The IndyCar® Series and American Le Mans Series to add the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix to their schedule every Labor Day weekend through 2011. It also brought the National Association of for the Advancement of Colored People’s (NAACP) 98th Annual National Convention. The Kilpatrick Administration also landed the 2008 NCAA Men’s Basketball Regional Finals, 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four, and 2010 NCAA Men’s Hockey Frozen Four.