Detroit council delays election decision

DETROIT, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- The Detroit City Council unanimously decided Tuesday to delay a decision to hold a special election to fill out the term of resigning Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

Observers had expected the council to approve a plan to hold a special primary Feb. 24 and a special general election May 5, but council members delayed, saying they wanted more time to study the legalities, the Detroit Free Press reported.

No decision is needed until December to meet those deadlines, the newspaper said. Concerns have been raised about the $3 million cost of holding a special election when the regular mayoral election is already set for November 2009.

Meanwhile, Detroit City Council President Ken Cockrel, the incoming interim mayor, said Tuesday he would be a candidate in the special election to fill out Kilpatrick's term. Cockrel will take over from Kilpatrick Sept. 19, when the current mayor leaves to serve a jail sentence for a perjury conviction.