RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
Detroit got a sober apology last night from its energetic, engaging and now scandal-plagued mayor.
Mayor KWAME KILPATRICK (Democrat, Detroit): To all of you who prayed for me, I'm sorry - for the embarrassment and the disappointment the events of the past few days have caused you.
MONTAGNE: Kwame Kilpatrick has flirted with controversy since he was elected Detroit's mayor at age 31, seven years ago. But last night's apology refers to a scandal that could destroy his promising political career. He's being investigated for lying under oath when he denied having an extramarital affair with his former chief of staff.
We're joined now by Ron Dzwonkowski, who is editorial page editor of the Detroit Free Press.
Good morning.
Mr. RON DZWONKOWSKI (Editor, Detroit Free Press): Good morning.
MONTAGNE: Now, your paper uncovered some 14,000 text messages the mayor and his former aide exchanged and what did they reveal?
Mr. DZWONKOWSKI: They revealed some very romantic exchanges, on their city-paid text messages, between the mayor and his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty, in which they talked about planning rendezvous, eluding their security guards - all in direct contradiction to some very pointed questions he was asked under oath. And she was asked under oath in a civil trial filed by two police officers who came upon the affair while they were investigating misconduct on the mayor's security detail. These were essentially internal affairs officers. And so the text messages clearly undercut the mayor's sworn testimony about these matters.
MONTAGNE: Now, this was all tied to a whistle-blower lawsuit, and altogether, it's cost the city something like $9 million to settle - going back to basically this affair, right?
Mr. DZWONKOWSKI: Yes. Actually, a jury awarded the two officers who the mayor was attempting to get rid of. A jury awarded them $6-point-some million. The mayor was - who had testified in the trial and the jury only went out about three hours before they decided to find against the city and against the mayor. The mayor initially said he was blown away by the verdict and was going to appeal. And then, subsequently, a few weeks later, reversed himself and said the city should settle.
MONTAGNE: Right.
Mr. DZWONKOWSKI: They came out with a figure of about $9 million which they paid the officers.
MONTAGNE: And is the city upset?
Mr. DZWONKOWSKI: The city is upset about the $9 million. I think the mayor and his family at least earned some sympathy with his pretty effective apology last night. But it was interesting that in his speech, which ran about 10 minutes or so, he never said the word affair, never mentioned the $9 million, never talked about the legal issues.
Only said there are some things I just can't discuss. It was an entirely personal speech in which he said I'm sorry seven times and it was, obviously, an attempt to regain some standing with the voters of Detroit. But there's still an awful lot of question that he just did not address last night.
MONTAGNE: Now, we just have a few seconds - I'm sorry to say - but altogether, does this scandal ruin his promise to revitalize the city?
Mr. DZWONKOWSKI: I think the business community, the jury is still out and they're the big players in this revitalization of Detroit. Downtown has, obviously, had some pretty good growth under Mayor Kilpatrick. A lot of that is due to private investment, which the mayor has nurtured and has been pretty effective in doing. I think the business community is still waiting to see how this is all going to shake out in terms of a possible criminal case. If the business community were to pull the rug out financially from under the mayor, then I think his career definitely would be in jeopardy.
MONTAGNE: Thank you very much for talking with us.
Mr. DZWONKOWSKI: Glad to do it. Thank you.
MONTAGNE: Detroit Free Press editor Ron Dzwonkowski.