Gary Brown says Kilpatrick verdict closes door on 'culture of corruption' in Detroit

DETROIT (WXYZ) - Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Gary Brown has released a statement reacting to the guilty verdicts against former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in his federal corruption trial.

The statement reads as follows:

The jury for the federal corruption case against former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and others reached guilty verdicts for racketeering, conspiracy, extortion and other charges today. Detroiters who have faced betrayal by an elected official and the dark clouds over our city should feel relief now.

I appreciate, as a Detroiter and an American, the unwavering dedication and commitment by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, Barbara McQuade, her prosecution team and the FBI investigators who took on this case with skill and fortitude for more than a decade. I'm also thankful to the jury and their families for dedicating nearly six months of their lives to making certain justice was delivered appropriately.

A ‘culture of corruption’ existed in Detroit for far too long. Eyes from around the world have been on this city, detracting from the progress we are making. It's time for Detroit – for all Detroiters – to close the era of wrong-doing, corruption and lack of integrity within our city. These issues brought about in the case are now in the past. We must focus on moving our city forward.

The young people in our city have watched this case and have been shown that values, integrity and character do count – they are all worth fighting for. We must remember that no matter how powerful one is or how many supporters an elected official has, that person must follow the law and hold himself or herself to the highest level of integrity and accountability.

I, for one, am encouraged that this day has come so we can move forward, once and for all, and finally put an end to that culture of corruption era in Detroit. We need our attention solely on addressing the challenges facing Detroiters every single day and creating an environment to thrive.

Brown has been part of controversies surrounding Kwame Kilpatrick since the very beginning.

He was one of the police officer who sued the city in the whistleblower case that triggered the text message scandal that end Kilpatrick's time in the Detroit Mayor's office and sent him to prison.