| Kenneth V. Cockrel, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| 69th Mayor of Detroit | |
| In office September 19, 2008 – May 11, 2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Kwame Kilpatrick |
| Succeeded by | Dave Bing |
| President of the Detroit City Council | |
| In office September 30, 2005 – September 18, 2008 |
|
| Preceded by | Maryann Mahaffey |
| Succeeded by | Monica Conyers |
| In office May 11, 2009 – December 31, 2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Monica Conyers |
| Succeeded by | Charles Pugh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 29, 1965 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Kimberly Cockrel |
| Alma mater | Wayne State University |
| Profession | Journalist, Politician |
Kenneth Vern "Ken" Cockrel, Jr.[1] (born October 29, 1965) is a Michigan politician who became mayor of Detroit on September 19, 2008. He was president of the Detroit City Council from 2005 until September 17, 2008, when he was sworn in as the interim mayor, with his term in office beginning September 19. The previous mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick had announced on September 4, 2008 that he would resign, causing the duties of the Mayor of Detroit to fall upon Cockrel.[2][3]
On May 5, 2009, former Detroit Pistons player and businessman Dave Bing defeated Cockrel 52% to 48% in a special election for Mayor of Detroit. On May 11, 2009, Bing was sworn in as the new Mayor of Detroit and Cockrel returned to his position as Council President.[4][5]
Contents |
Cockrel, a cum laude graduate of Wayne State University, is a former writer for the Detroit Free Press and a former Wayne County commissioner. He is the son of Kenneth Cockrel, Sr., a former Detroit city council member, attorney and self-proclaimed Marxist-Leninist who died from a heart attack,[6] and Carol Cockrel, a schoolteacher. He is a graduate of the St. Florian Church (Hamtramck, Michigan) High School.
In 1997, Cockrel became the youngest person ever elected to the Detroit City Council.[7] He became council president pro tempore in 2001, and was elevated to council president in 2005 after receiving more votes than any other city council candidate in that year's election. He is viewed by the city's business community as a moderate consensus-builder. In his first term as a city councillor, he secured passage of an ordinance requiring the city to pay vendors and contractors for goods and services within 45 days.[8]
Cockrel enjoys science fiction and action films. He concluded his inaugural address with quotes from Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Star Trek.[9]
He and his wife Kimberly have two sons, Kenneth III and Kyle Vincent, and three daughters, Kennedy Victoria, Kendal Imani and Kayla Lanette.[10] Former councilwoman Sheila Cockrel is his stepmother.[11]
As he became mayor, Cockrel stated that he planned to review the city budget, due to uncertainty around whether Kilpatrick was fully honest with the city council about the state of the city's finances, and to potentially renegotiate a pending deal with the city of Windsor, Ontario around management of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.[12] The existing deal would have seen Windsor take over full management of the tunnel in exchange for a $75 million loan to Detroit,[13] although Cockrel suggested that he would prefer to work out a new deal which would see the two cities maintain joint management of the tunnel. Windsor mayor Eddie Francis stated that he was confident that he could maintain a strong working relationship with Cockrel.[13]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kwame Kilpatrick |
Mayor of Detroit 2008-2009 |
Succeeded by Dave Bing |