The City Of Detroit Swears In A New Mayor
Ken Cockrel, Jr. has been sworn in as the new mayor of Detroit, MI today as the city tries to move forward and heal the destructive shame brought about by the criminal actions of former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. After being sworn in as the city’s new mayor, Cockrel asked for hope and patience as he works to move the City of Detroit towards a more positive and productive future. Here are a couple pics of Cockrel’s swearing in ceremony at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Building in Detroit, MI this morning:
Newly sworn-in Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr. declared this morning after taking the oath of office that “this is our time for hope and renewal” after eight months of scandal that forced out former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. “From this moment on, the past is the past and we as a community, as a city, and as a region are moving forward,” he said. Some of the topics Cockrel addressed in the speech were Cobo Center expansion, mass transit for the region, cleanliness of the city and an environmentally friendly agenda. He also said he would fix the city’s troubled financial books. And he had a message for criminals in the city while promising to fight crime with the spirit of his late father, Kenneth Cockrel Sr., whose activist work led to the abolition of the STRESS police unit that was infamous for shooting black men. “To those of you out there who are bad actors, to those of you who are stealing gutters, air-conditioning units, and wires from our citizens and businesses, to those of you who are terrorizing our senior citizens,” he said. “We are coming after you. And we will get you.” The new mayor said he looked forward to working with new Council President Monica Conyers and the council to achieve the city’s needs. And he promised “full cooperation” with authorities in the continuing investigations of City Hall. There is a federal probe into city contracting, and it snared Cockrel’s former chief of staff who was caught on surveillance video accepting cash. Cockrel was greeted by a thunderous standing ovation from a jammed City Council auditorium that was standing-room only … Cockrel, an avid movie and television fan, confessed “I’m a geek” and quoted the famous line from “Star Trek”: “to boldly go where no one has gone before.” “I believe this is relevant because no one has ever had to assume the office of mayor under circumstances like this,” he said.
Surely the City of Detroit can benefit from the leadership of this avid Trekkie, right? I keed, I keed … this is actually the most hopeful development to happen in the City of Detroit in a very long time. Now that Kwame has been sentenced to jail and there is no hope that he can ever get his grubby hands on the governance of Detroit ever again, I am really looking forward to a better and brighter future for Detroit. I realize that Cockrel is not taking on an easy task of governing the city but I am confident that he will be able to undo some of the damage that Kwame has brought to the city.
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September 19th, 2008 at 8:56 am
oh, the news was a gem last night. it showed kwame packing up in his baggy velour suit and heading straight to the airport for a little “R&R” in dallas, texas. ugh. i’m so glad he’s gone! new mayor, new police chief…things are finally looking up for the place i call home.
good riddance kwame! do us all a favor and just stay away.
September 19th, 2008 at 10:53 am
The big question is: where do you start? Good luck to everybody involved.
September 19th, 2008 at 11:04 am
I think he will be able to run for office again but not for five years and thats after he pay restitution, or at least thats the way i understood it, either way im glad hes gone.
September 19th, 2008 at 11:04 am
“Detroit- you done set me up for a comeback.” -Kwame Kilpatrick.
5 years goes by fast, lets hope the city of Detroit doesn’t forget all the illegal activities of this man when he’s able to run for public office again.