Mayor KilpatrickGood evening, Detroit. I want to start tonight by saying to the citizens of this great city, I'm sorry.To all of you who have believed in what we have been doing in this city since 2002
to all of you who have believed in me and my leadership
to all of you who have stuck with me through difficult times
to all of you who have prayed for me
I'm sorry.
For the embarrassment and disappointment the events of the past few days have caused you
For what you, as my supporters, have had to hear when you go to the beauty shop or the barber shop
For what you had to hear when you were in church this past Sunday from people who know that you have supported me
To those of you who have not always been Kwame Kilpatrick supporters, but who lift up our city, who live in our city, who support this town in various ways
I truly apologize to each of you individually
and to the city as a whole.Most of all tonight, I want to make a public apology to my entire family, and specifically to the four people who I love the most in this world. First, I want to apologize to my sons, Jelani, Jalil and Jonas.For the first time in my life I had to have a conversation with my twin 12-year-olds about very grown up things. It was without a doubt the hardest conversation that I've ever had in my entire life.Finally, and most importantly, I want to make a public apology to my wife, Carlita, who I fell in love with when we were 19 years old. We decided to build a family together and we did that.Our marriage has not been perfect, but it has been great. Now, I have put her in a situation which many couples deal with in the privacy of their homes. But in our case, it is on the front page of the newspaper. This dynamic, strong, caring woman has been forced to go through this very difficult experience because of me. I truly apologize to her.As many of you know, I am not the type of person who displays my emotions in public. But I have to tell you. . . I've felt more emotion in the last week than I have in the last 20 years.I have truly been hurting. I've been hurting because I know that many of you are hurting. And most of all, I've been hurting because I know my family is hurting. And I'm responsible for that.Over the past few days, there has been some speculation about who is in charge of the city.Make no mistake about it. Since 2002 I've been in charge of the city. There have been ups and downs. There have been hills and mountains and valleys. But through it all I remain in charge of the city.I believe we have built a team here that understands the mission and focus, and the commitment that we must have to serve our citizens. We've done some amazing things, but we have a lot of work left to do.Over the past few days there's also been a lot of speculation about me resigning from office. Let me be very clear tonight. I would never quit on you. Ever. We've got a lot of work to do. And, with your help, I am going to continue to lead this city in getting it done. I am truly blessed and grateful that my wife is beside me tonight to make some personal remarks of her own.
Carlita Kilpatrick: It is very difficult for me to talk to you at this moment, but I want you to know what is on my heart tonight. Like all marriages, ours is not perfect. Like all people, we are not perfect.But through our commitment to God, my husband and I will get through this. Yes, I am angry, hurt and disappointed, but there is no question that I love my husband. With the help of our Pastor and others, we are having very difficult and very frank discussions to work through some very painful issues.Most couples who work through problems in their marriage are able to do so privately. Unfortunately, that option is not available to us. Our family has endured the most painful and intrusive week of our lives, our most intimate issues have been laid out for all to see, for all to comment on, and to analyze and dissect.However, this private matter is between me, my husband and God. We are deeply committed to working through through these problems together as a family. As his wife, I know how committed he is to the City of Detroit.I'm asking the citizens of this city to be committed to him and our family, and the continued growth of our city as well. And please allow our familythe space and the privacy that is essential to anyone when they work through these very personal issues. Lastly, I would like to thank all of you for your prayers and uplifting words. Thank you.
Mayor Kilpatrick: This has been a very difficult time for my wife and family.I would ask from this point forward, that if you have to attack someone, attack me.I would ask that you don't follow my wife. Don't film my kids going to school. I ask that you leave them alone.I am the Mayor. I made the mistake. I'm accountable.Because there are legal matters pending at this moment, unfortunately I am unable to discuss any of those issues at this time But I do have some personal words I want to share with you tonight. Over the past week, our marriage has been opened up for public view. This has been a situation where, yes, it's been embarrassing, yes it's been painful. But through all of that, through the grace of God, we've also had a feeling of thankfulness and freedom.We have committed to moving forward together to make our marriage better and stronger. Last weekend was the first weekend since I took office in January 2002 that I just put everything else aside and focused only on my family. I know people have been wanting to hear from me.But I needed to do that first. I want to thank the people of Detroit for their patience in allowing us that time. We as a family needed to do that. I told my sons this past weekend that when you make a mistake, you learn from it,you get up, you dust yourself off, and you keep moving forward. Detroit, I am determined that we will keep moving forward. I am determined to continue the tremendous progress we are making in this city. In the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression Detroit, together we have managed to do great things.We have paved more streets than ever
we have built more new houses than ever
we have balanced our budget and wiped out a $300 million deficit
we have developed 75 buildings downtown large and small
we have built seven new hotels
we have built 3 new rec centers in neighborhoods that had not seen rec centers in 20 years
we are building out our riverfront.And we are not stopping now. Detroit, please keep praying for our family, for our city, and our continued progress.God bless you Detroit. I love you.
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Citizens of Detroit Responses:
http://www.clickondetroit.com/forums/index.html?q=http%3A//forums.ibsys.com/viewmessages.cfm%3Fsitekey%3Ddet%26Forum%3D58%26Topic%3D17320
