Bing, Cockrel survive Detroit primary

DETROIT, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Former Detroit Pistons player Dave Bing and Interim Mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr. will face off in the city's May 5 mayoral election, primary results indicate.

With all precincts reporting, Bing had 29 percent and Cockrel 27 percent of the vote in a 15-candidate primary to narrow the field of candidates hoping to serve out the term of former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, The Detroit News reported Wednesday.

The job came open when Kilpatrick resigned last year after pleading guilty to corruption charges. Cockrel, then the president of the Detroit City Council, became interim mayor and held whatever power of the incumbency that might have been exerted in the special primary.

But he was bested by Bing, 65, a former standout NBA player for the Pistons and now a successful businessman as the president of Bing Steel, the New York Times reported.

After the results were tabulated, Cockrel challenged Bing to debate every week until the election, but Bing refused, telling the News he won't share a stage with Cockrel until the interim mayor releases his personal finances.