Thou Shalt Not Lie

It's in the Good Book. Moses climbed the mountain, stood upon holy ground and received the commandment, "thou shalt not lie," along with nine others from God himself. In our law-governed society, that commandment is particularly sacred in the justice system. Breaking it in court, while on a witness stand, under oath can send you to prison.

I just returned from my annual trip home to Detroit for the North American International Auto Show during which another controversy involving Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick dominated the news cycle on television and in print. "Mayor Kilpatrick, chief of staff lied under oath, text messages show," was the headline in the Detroit Free Press on Thursday, January 24th. The Free Press obtained transcripts of 14,000 text messages sent by Kilpatrick and Beatty to each other on their city-issued SkyTel pagers. The night before, Freep news partner WXYZ-TV was the first television news operation able to share some of the messages with viewers in advance of Thursday morning's paper. And, it's juicy stuff.

The city's collective jaw dropped upon hearing and reading the messages. The man, dubbed Detroit's "hip-hop" mayor caught in another scandalous and possibly criminal situation. This, after narrowly winning re-election to a second term and promising to do better, to not embarrass the great Motor City. Hmmm. I would say he has failed.

Now, don't get me wrong. I really don't care what what the mayor and his chief of staff do with each other behind closed doors. Both were married when this affair apparently happened, but Kilpatrick says he and his wife were going through difficult times and have since reconciled and put this painful chapter in the past. Beatty is now divorced.

The real issue here isn't the affair. The real issue is blatant disregard for truth and the law. Many people in Detroit seem to be missing or discounting that. Kwame Kilpatrick is a lawyer and the elected chief executive officer of America's 11th largest city. Christine Beatty is said to be a law student. I'm sure they know about perjury and its consequences. They should know better than to lie on the witness stand. And, why would they think communicating on city-issued text messaging devices would not leave a paper trail that could come back to bite them? This is yet another demonstration of a lack of judgement on the part of the mayor and a key staffer.

Kilpatrick has weathered several controversies including rumors of a wild party with strippers at the mayor's official residence and a luxury SUV leased for his wife and paid for with city funds. This latest situation is tied a whistleblower trial in which two fired Detroit police officers sued Kilpatrick and the city claiming their dismissals were tied to their involvment in investigating the Kilpatrick-Beatty affair. They won the trial costing the city nearly $9 million.

I don't live in Detroit anymore, but it's still my hometown. I'm tired of seeing the city bruised and battered by its own mayor as it tries desperately to rebound and rise to new heights. I appreciate all of the good things-- downtown development, Super Bowl XL, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, neighborhood revitalization and more-- that Kwame Kilpatrick has been able to do during his time in the mayor's office. But, for the City of Detroit's future, I think this latest transgression warrants Kwame Kilpatrick's resignation.

Oh, Good Evening!

Photos from The Detroit Free Press