Detroit City Council debates future

DETROIT, May 6 (UPI) -- The Detroit City Council emerged from a closed-door session Tuesday to discuss ousting Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick without a final decision.

Council President Ken Cockrel Jr. said after the meeting that asking Gov. Jennifer Granholm to remove the mayor is probably the best course for the city, the Detroit Free Press reported. Cockrel said that would avoid another 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. Both are now under indictment.

Councilwoman JoAnn Watson said there was "a lot of discussion and some debate" on the next steps.

"There is not one consensus at this point. There is not," she said. "There are very strong impassioned views with a number of options."