Hearings loom as plea talks stumble
Judge to rule today on mayor's bid to stop governor from considering removal; legal experts predict appeal.
Prosecutors and attorneys for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick didn't negotiate over the holiday weekend, leaving plea talks at an impasse on the eve of a crucial week in the mayor's tenure, according to a source close to the talks.
Wayne County Circuit Judge Robert Ziolkowski is set to rule at 10 a.m. today on Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's efforts to halt hearings set for Wednesday by Gov. Jennifer Granholm on the City Council's request that she remove him from office for public misconduct.
No matter Ziolkowski's decision, legal experts predict an immediate appeal, which could buy the mayor time to cut a deal before the hearings.
Kilpatrick's lawyers claim in court papers Granholm has already made up her mind to remove the mayor.
"There's going to be appeals," said Curt A. Benson, a law professor at Thomas Cooley School of Law. "That's the way the game is being played."
Even so, Granholm plans to begin the hearings if she wins in court -- even if the mayor appeals.
"We are planning on holding a hearing unless a court tells us otherwise," said Liz Boyd, the governor's spokeswoman.
Through his attorneys, Kilpatrick has signaled to prosecutors that he is willing to quit, plead guilty to two felonies and pay the city a six-figure restitution to resolve eight felonies stemming from the text-message scandal.
But his reluctance to serve jail time -- and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy's insistence that he does -- stalled talks again last week.
What Kwami doesn't realize because his ego is so gargantuan is you don't get to negotiate or arbitrate your punishment for a crime you committed.
You get sentenced and serve your punishment...that's how it works....imagine a world where convicted criminals got to debate what their sentence should be...right Kwami...only in your world.
And Granholm didn't decide a thing, what else could she do but follow the law and public outcry?...she had no decision to make it was made for her.
Welcome to Detroit and reality
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