Detroit Mayor's Legal Woes Keeps Governor Home During Dem Convention

LANSING, Mich. -- Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's legal issues will cause Gov. Jennifer Granholm to miss some of the Democratic National Convention.

Associated Press

Thursday, August 21, 2008

LANSING, Mich. -- Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's legal issues will cause Gov. Jennifer Granholm to miss some of the Democratic National Convention.

Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said Wednesday that the governor will remain in Michigan to weigh final motions from Kilpatrick and the Detroit City Council lawyers.

Granholm has scheduled a hearing for Sept. 3 on the council's request that Kilpatrick be removed from office. Final motions before the hearing are due by the close of business on Monday.

Boyd says Granholm intends to issue an order on those motions "very soon after the final motions are submitted."

The governor will then leave for Denver. The convention begins Monday and runs through Thursday, when Barack Obama will speak after he is expected to formally win the nomination.

Invitations already have gone out for Granholm to be the special guest Tuesday night during a party with the Michigan delegates in downtown Denver. Boyd wouldn't say whether Granholm will be able to attend that event.

Granholm spoke during the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston but is playing a less visible role this year.

 

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