Kwame

Went searching this morning about my city's "Hip-Hop" mayor. From an article before he was elected:

He points to the cement factories on the river bank and says he will move them “within 18 months” of his administration. “They’ve got to go. They’re stopping real development from happening down here.”

*************
One of the key issues in this election is the Detroit school system. And only one of the candidates has small children, raising a key question for Kilpatrick: Will he send his kids to public schools here?

“Hopefully, we will,” says the candidate.

“I’m hopeful that there are some Detroit public schools that can teach my kids what they need to know to compete in the new world economy,” Kilpatrick says. “We’re going to weigh that decision very carefully. But my kids aren’t experiments. They won’t go to public school just to say they go there.”

I later asked him how he could expect people to move into Detroit — another hallmark of his campaign — if he isn’t sure he can send his kids to the public schools? He says, first of all, Detroit should attract all kinds of new residents including “empty nesters,” young professionals and other childless folks. And furthermore, “I would love for my kids to go to Detroit public schools. But we are going to look at all the options,” including private and charter schools. Currently, his kids go to kindergarten at the same private day care they’ve attended since they were 2

Cement factories are still there, and to the best of my knowledge, the mayor's kids do NOT attend Detroit school. AFter all ... they aren't an "experiment."