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Posted by Minni

Detroit Mayor Cockrel’s closet: Late disclosure of campaign contributions; $42,000 in fines.

Even though the campaign season for Mayor of Detroit has not officially started, mud is already being stirred around interim Mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr. The Detroit News ran a story this morning revealing Cockrel’s outstanding debt to Wayne County: $42,000 in fines.

Who was digging around in Cockrel's dirty laundry to find out about these late disclosures? None other than one of former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's biggest fans, Adolf Mongo. Mongo has been in Kwame's camp for a while and, as we all know, Cockrel has been one of Kilpatrick's biggest critics.

So the disclosure of this info is definitely political, but that doesn't mean it doesn't warrant investigation. The public has a right to now all the information available to become a truly informed voter..

As part of filing petitions to submit their name as a candidate for mayor, all hopefulls had to sign an affidavit stating that they are following campaign finance laws, and that they have no outstanding fees.

Cockrel signed that affidavit on Oct. 14th, but now all the contributions he waited to disclose until after he secured his spot as city council president are coming back to haunt him.

The Detroit news reports that Cockrel didn't disclose nearly $50,000 in late contributions until after the elections in 2001 and 2005.

Why would he wait and risk getting fined? The list of contributors may have turned off voters: Cockrel got $3,000 from Karl Kado, a West Bloomfield businessman who had held exclusive and lucrative contracts at Cobo Center and was recently charged with filing false income tax returns. He also got $8,500 from a political action committee connected to Anthony Soave, whose company has a contract to provide cab service at Detroit Metro Airport, according to the Detroit News.


Right now Cockrel’s 14 Mayoral opponents in the upcoming special election are probably taking notes for future negative adds. This mayoral election season in Detroit is so packed with candidates it’s bound to get ugly. No doubt that this bit of information on Cockrel’s outstanding debts will resurface in campaign rhetoric. That's assuming, of course that Cockrel can work out his debt with the Wayne County Clerk's office and keep his name on the ballot.


Cockrel’s spokesperson Daniel Cherrin told the Detroit news that Cockrel sent a letter to the County Clerk’s office asking for a waiver. So far no letter has been produced.