Detroit mayor ouster sought

DETROIT, May 9 (UPI) -- A Michigan lawmaker has asked Gov. Jennifer Granholm to remove Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from office because of a scandal involving a mayoral aide.

State Rep. David Law, a Republican from Commerce Township, told the governor Kilpatrick's refusal to resign hurts the state's largest city and the Metro region.

The city of Detroit "is crumbling," he said, because of a lack of public trust, the Detroit News reported.

The Detroit City Council met Tuesday to discuss ousting Kilpatrick but did not announce a final decision.

Council President Ken Cockrel Jr. said after the meeting that asking Granholm to remove the mayor was probably the best course for the city, and would avoid a long and expensive court case.

A confidential report to the council by its attorney, Bill Goodman, concluded that a settlement of a lawsuit by former police officers was designed to hide Kilpatrick's affair with his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty, and the role both played in firing police officers.