Resign
The recent announcement of criminal charges against Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is a nail through a coffin long nailed shut.
Kilpatrick, in the throes of a scandal that has garnered national attention, faces eight criminal charges ranging from perjury to misconduct in office.
There could not be a clearer sign that the embattled mayor should resign.
When reports first circulated that Kilpatrick had charged personal expenses on the city's tab, his conduct became questionable. When the Detroit Free Press revealed text messages indicating that Kilpatrick had lied under oath during a whistle-blower trial that cost the city $9 million, resignation was in order.
But Kilpatrick stood firm. Now, as formal charges challenge more than his reputation, his resignation feels long overdue.
Kilpatrick has claimed to be on a mission from God to lead Detroit, and said not even the most carnivorous of media coverage will cause him to give up on the city. How touching.
However, as report after report has surfaced of Kilpatrick's abuses, be it perjury or nepotism, it's clear that if Kilpatrick is anything of divine origin, he is a plague.
A plague that, sweeping across an already beleaguered citizenry, has devoured taxpayers' money to finance his frivolous spending - and worse yet, to keep hidden a certain romantic affair, detestable as both infidelity and professional misconduct.
And despite his colossal damage to the city's coffers and reputation, Kilpatrick persists.
Kilpatrick's bold business plans to herald in a prosperous Detroit are dwarfed by his despicable conduct.
Detroit needs to move forward. The city needs to shake itself of this scandal and start anew, with someone who has comparable ambition but not a tenure tainted by abuse.
In some distorted way, Kilpatrick's interest in Detroit is sincere. It's challenging to reconcile his conduct with a desire to improve the city, but his lashes against the media suggest he doesn't think these abuses are such big a deal.
Unfortunately, $9 million is a big deal. Perjury is a big deal. Misconduct is a big deal. And the list goes on.
It's not that the Free Press' reports are meaningless personal attacks - they're noting Kilpatrick's particular vices that have come at the city's expense.
Though Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has said the criminal charges will not be dropped even if Kilpatrick resigns, his resignation would be a sign of respect for Detroit, and finally would let the city move on.
It's the least he could do.
