Posted on 04/17/2005 3:14:52 PM PDT by Dan from Michigan
Time magazine lists Kilpatrick among worst big city mayors
4/17/2005, 3:30 p.m. ET
The Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) — Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who is facing an election this year as the city struggles with a deficit of more than $300 million, is being dubbed one of the worst big city mayors by Time magazine.
The list of Time's five best and three worst big city mayors appears in the issue of the magazine that hits newsstands Monday. Neither list was ranked, and the mayors were listed in alphabetical order.
The magazine criticized Kilpatrick in part for the city's signing of a $24,995, two-year lease for a red Lincoln Navigator for police to use to drive the mayor's wife and children, despite the growing deficit.
The magazine said Kilpatrick "inspired Detroit voters with his energy and determination when he rode into office three years ago. But a ... red Lincoln Navigator has put a big dent in his reputation."
A Kilpatrick spokesman said Sunday the mayor's office planned to release a statement about the list.
The magazine said it consulted with "urban experts" to choose from the 29 mayors of cities with populations greater than 500,000. San Diego's Dick Murphy and Philadelphia's John Street also were on the worst list.
Time mentioned Murphy's handling of a $1.3 billion deficit at San Diego's city's public-employee pension fund and corruption allegations involving a member of Street's administration in Philadelphia.
Time's list of the country's best big city mayors included New York's Michael Bloomberg, Atlanta's Shirley Franklin, Baltimore's Martin O'Malley, Chicago's Richard Daley and Denver's John Hickenlooper.
At least he helped Ford/Lincoln/Mercury's business......
He is horrible, but I'm surprised they admitted it.
Jane Campbell- the mayor of Cleveland- would have won but so many people have left the city, there's no longer 500,000.
Time magazine must be filled with racists!
I don't know about Franklin, but the fact that O'Malley and Bloomberg are on this list destroy any chance this survey had for credibility regarding the best big city mayors.
Kilpatrick has us longing for the good old days of Coleman "Bananna Republic" Young. Yes, there was that deal with the police jet, private bodyguards with M16's and that illegit kid, but at least he could run the city.
Then again, recent Detroit Loins seasons has us longing for the glory days of Wayne Fontes.
Bet you do too.
(steely)
The competition must not be very stiff if those are the top 5. And I am pretty sure that Atlanta doesn't break 500,000 population. Census population as of 2000 - 416,474.
I think the reason why Chicago is doing okay nowadays is that despite the Democratic machine politics, the citizens of that city have great pride in that city, especially given its very colorful history and the fact Chicago is essentially the transportation hub of the middle of the USA. Of course, it also helps that Chicago has a better variety of ethnic restaurants than almost everywhere else in the USA.
He's more than horrible, he's a thug and a thief.
Wow. Must've fluttered the click (had a coordination problem).
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