Michigan governors have the constitutional authority to remove elected officials for misconduct. Democrat Governor Jennifer Granholm is therefore going to the "whipping stick" and moving ahead with an extraordinary public hearing that could cost Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick his job in a scandal over steamy text messages and millions of tax dollars.
"The way this is set up, the governor has free rein to be the judge, jury and executioner,"---James Thomas Attorney for Kilpatrick
Granholm, a fellow Democrat, has pared the case to two issues: Did Kilpatrick settle the lawsuits for personal gain because he feared release of the text messages? And did the mayor conceal information from the City Council?
The council's attorney, William Goodman, is promising to present a "robust and interesting" case to the governor. "Stay tuned," he told reporters.
It's not known whether the mayor will testify or even attend. Kilpatrick attorney James Thomas said the removal process seems stacked against the accused.
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