Detroit's scandal-plagued mayor quits

Mired in a sex scandal that crippled the governance of Detroit all year, the city's troubled mayor chose Thursday to walk out of office rather than run the risk of being heaved out.

The tawdry drama of Kwame Kilpatrick, 38, the once-promising Democratic mayor of the nation's 11th-largest city, ended in a courtroom when a subdued Kilpatrick, after months of defiant claims of innocence, pleaded guilty to reduced felony charges and agreed to serve four months in jail and pay up to $1 million in restitution.

"I lied under oath," Kilpatrick told the court, conceding what growing numbers of Detroiters suspected for months: He hid an affair with his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty, as part of a lawsuit settlement that cost the city $8.4 million.

Kilpatrick, elected amid great fanfare in 2001, is scheduled to leave office no later than Sept. 18.

"I think there is a giant sense of relief in the city and the entire state over the events of today," said Larry Dubin, a professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. "This is like opening up an artery and permitting the blood to flow again for the city."

Kilpatrick will be succeeded by Ken Cockrel Jr., 42, the City Council president and one of five council members who voted in May to begin ouster proceedings against the mayor. Cockrel as will serve until a special election is held.

Cockrel said it was "a very sad day for the city of Detroit, but I think we also have to recognize it's also a day of hope and renewal."

But as the fate of Kilpatrick became clear, a new layer of potential pitfalls came into view for the city. The City Council is known for its volatility. Cockrel and Monica Conyers, who will become president of the council, were recently involved in a public shouting match that has become a running joke.

Some council members are under federal investigation for possibly taking payoffs before approving a multimillion-dollar sewage contract.

"Moving forward will require all of us to put aside the anger and bitterness of the past few months and heal as a community," Cockrel said late Thursday. He said that chief among his responsibilities will be "restoring the credibility of not only the mayor but also of the city of Detroit."

In an evening address, Kilpatrick acknowledged what he called his "poor judgment," asked the city to throw its support behind Cockrel.

Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings, a mayoral appointee, announced her retirement immediately after Kilpatrick's plea, and a variety of other city officials and employees are expected to leave their jobs.

In recent weeks it became clear time was running out for Kilpatrick. Business and religious leaders and the city's African-American newspaper said Kilpatrick should quit. The prurient nature of the scandal made Detroit the butt of late-night talk-show jokes. Sales transactions aimed at balancing the city's budget were stalled. And Wednesday, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm began expulsion hearings.

Granholm, who halted Thursday's scheduled hearing after Kilpatrick's plea, called the events "a sad but historic story" that is coming to an end.

Such a scenario did not seem likely seven years ago, when the charismatic state legislator and son of a powerful congresswoman took over the reins of the shrinking city and seemed to energize the city by force of will. Spending irregularities began to multiply and reports circulated of a wild party at the mayor's mansion, involving strippers and members of the mayor's security detail. While Kilpatrick was re-elected in 2005, he had earned a reputation of political immaturity.

The scandal stemmed mainly from the revelation that the mayor had an extramarital affair with Beatty and his efforts to keep that affair secret. Kilpatrick was accused of forcing three police officers out of their jobs, and, when they sued, of using $8.4 million in public money to settle to avoid the affair coming to light during a trial. The affair became public anyway, and evidence of it contradicted testimony Kilpatrick had given under oath, resulting in eight felony charges.

Later, he was charged with two more felonies for assault when, investigators said, he interfered with police officers trying to serve a subpoena.

Kilpatrick will serve his sentence in county jail for the guilty pleas to two felony counts of obstruction of justice. He also pleaded no contest to one of the assault charges. The others were dismissed.

As part of the plea deal, he will also give up his pension and law license, will be on probation for five years and cannot run for any elected office for five years.

Beatty will go to court Sept. 11. A plea deal is expected.

Information from The New York Times and The Associated Press is included in this report.