America's first Hip-Hop Mayor reminiscent of Lewinsky scandal...

nobody@vox.com(INTERNET) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:21:33 -0400

As I mentioned previously, America's first "hip-hop mayor," Kwame Kilpatrick of Detroit (my home town), has recently admitted to having an affair with one of his staff members. Similar to the case with former president Bill Clinton, Kilpatrick is now being charged with perjury, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and misconduct in office. If convicted, he will be expelled from office.

However, unlike the case of Clinton (and unlike the article claims: "The 37-year-old "Hip-Hop Mayor" who brought youth and vitality to the job in this struggling city of 900,000"), Kwame's entire career in office has been strewn with corruption. From the mysterious death of a stripper, to coke and embezzlement scandals, to threatening to shut down the Detroit Zoo (the oldest zoo in America and one of Detroit's only cultural attractions still alive today) as a method of getting his budget passed, Kilpatrick has mostly been a shitty mayor who has done little to help the city with the decline of the auto industry and the economic depression that's overtaken Michigan. In addition to notorious crime rates, Detroit doesn't even have decent public transportation, the "pride" of which being the people mover, a monorail train that runs a circular 2.9 miles.

I love Detroit. How could I not? It's my home, and also the home of what I think is probably the finest local music scene in the country (of course I'm biased). However, I've seen Kilpatrick do nothing positive for the city except worsen its reputation.

I'm personally conflicted. I think one's own sex life is personal and not the business nor concern of the public, and one should never lose their job because of what is, at the most, a marital problem. In the wake of all of these sex scandals, most notably that of Gov. Spitzer, it would be nice if the justice system would, for once, be blind to what is typically deemed "immoral." Also, while Kilpatrick has not been the best for Detroit (in my eyes), I doubt that bringing in someone less experienced as his successor would do any good either.

I swear, the city must be cursed.

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Not a big truck.

America's first Hip-Hop Mayor reminiscent of Lewinsky scandal...