In a city waiting for answers and at a church where he prays, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick sat with his wife Carlita on Wednesday night before a single camera and apologized -- to his sons, his wife and to the city he's led since 2002.
His famed bravado absent, a somber and contrite Kilpatrick said he alone was responsible for the turmoil that has roiled his administration and his city for a week, since romantic text messages between him and his chief of staff surfaced.
"Let me start by saying to the citizens of this great city: I'm sorry," Kilpatrick said during a 10-minute address televised across the region from the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ, a northwest Detroit church where he worships.
The 37-year-old Kilpatrick, nicknamed the "Hip Hop Mayor" upon his election, dismissed notions of a resignation -- "I would never quit on you, ever" -- and vowed to commit to the city and to repair a damaged marriage. He touted the city's successes: new homes, riverfront development, neighborhood parks, and said it is work he intends to continue.
"I love you and I'll see you at work tomorrow," he said in closing.
But the speech did not address daunting questions: Did the revelations of intimate text messages between Kilpatrick and long-time chief of staff Christine Beatty -- who last summer denied under oath that they had an affair -- constitute perjury? And did the city shell out more than $9 million for a legal settlement in an attempt to keep those messages secret?
The mayor said legal considerations prevented him from speaking in further detail.
Cause we love Kwame so much, we found this video that sums up our feelings:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGG-PDWv6hA
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