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Detroit Mayor Perjury Plea Deal Near As Hearing Goes On

Posted on: Friday, 5 September 2008, 07:00 CDT

By Ed White; Corey Williams / Associated Press

Prosecutors accusing Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick of lying on the witness stand to cover up an extramarital affair with a top aide said Wednesday that a plea deal is expected soon in the case, though the mayor's attorneys insisted one had not been struck yet.

The surprise move came as Gov. Jennifer Granholm heard evidence in an extraordinary hearing that could result in the mayor's removal from office. The outcome of the criminal case does not necessarily bear on the governor's hearing.

The City Council is trying to have Kilpatrick removed, saying it was misled when it approved an $8.4 million settlement last year with fired police officers.

Council members say they didn't know the deal carried secret provisions to keep a lid on steamy text messages between Kilpatrick and Christine Beatty, who was his chief of staff, on city-issued pagers.

The office of Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy said Wednesday that an agreement in the perjury case was expected soon, first saying it would come that afternoon and later saying it would be this morning.

Kilpatrick attorney James Thomas, who was at the governor's hearing Wednesday, agreed it was "apparent that they are close" to a plea deal, but said it was not a sure thing.

Kilpatrick spokesman Chris Garrett said that a statement from the mayor's office was not expected Wednesday night and that negotiations continue.

The mayor would automatically be expelled from office if he is convicted of a felony. But even if he avoids a felony conviction in the perjury case and persuades the governor not to remove him, he still faces assault charges stemming from a confrontation in July.

The settlement between the city and the mayor in the case of the fired police officers was the product of an "incredible pattern of deception and nondisclosure," council lawyer William Goodman said at Wednesday's removal hearing.

"It was settled to cover up the truth. It was fast and it was rushed," Goodman said. "These are not minor transgressions. ... They have brought this city to a grinding halt,"

In her opening statement, the mayor's attorney, Sharon McPhail, covered much ground - some of it unrelated to the case at hand. She predicted unnamed council members who want Kilpatrick kicked out are awaiting indictment on "far worse charges."

McPhail urged the governor, like Kilpatrick a Democrat, to resist calls to fire the mayor.

Michigan governors are allowed by the state constitution to remove elected officials for misconduct, but the target never has been the leader of the state's largest city. The last time was in 1982, when Gov. William Milliken let a township official stay in office if he stopped drinking.

If Kilpatrick is forced from office, City Council President Ken Cockrel Jr. would succeed him until a special election is held.

Source: Commercial Appeal, The

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