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Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is under fire for proposing to balance the budget by laying off almost 700 city employees, just days before he leased a $25,000 Lincoln Navigator that the city signed for. There were some screw-ups on communications. I'll take the lumps on that. I'm upset that we handled it the way we handled it, Kilpatrick said during a news conference at which he admitted to obtaining the vehicle for his wife. He initially denied using city funds to lease the SUV, according to the Detroit Free Press. Three years ago, critics charged that the 34-year-old Kilpatrick held wild parties in the mayor's mansion at taxpayers expense, complete with strippers, prostitutes and plenty of liquor. Kilpatrick and many close to the mayor called the claims a racist attempt to discredit him. As the charges simmered rising to the level of urban legend a state attorney launched a major probe into the allegations. The investigation found no wrongdoing on behalf of Kilpatrick and his staff. [more]

Mayor didn't want Navigator [more]