September 27, 2005

Hendrix tightens grip on contest

Detroit\'s rookie Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has six weeks to change voters' minds; they say he is less trustworthy and less suited to the job than his opponent Freman Hendrix, a new poll suggests. He needs more over- 40 voters and at least a few white voters and must ignite his base of young black voters, the polling indicates. \"Kilpatrick is too young to be mayor. He\'s like my 31-year-old nephew and I wouldn\'t elect him to be dogcatcher,\" said Bill Blake, 41, a Wayne State University employee. Lanita Stewart, 32, a records clerk at Wayne State University , is typical of Kilpatrick supporters -- under 40 and African American. \"There\'s no concrete evidence against him that he\'s really destroying the city,\" said Stewart. \"I see a lot of houses being built, parks being renovated and he\'s had to make some hard choices.\" Katrina Bannister, 30, a records clerk at Wayne State University , said she voted for the mayor four years ago, but voted for Hendrix in the primary. Now, she\'s leaning toward Kilpatrick because she says the news media have not reported all the good things the mayor has done. She said the mayor has been involved in getting a lot of after-school programs up and running that he gets no credit for. \"I\'ve seen more of what the mayor is doing,\" said Bannister. \"I\'m trying to keep it business, not personal. I want to know during the next four years, what do they plan on doing? How do they plan to fix the problem with police layoffs and firemen layoffs? I\'m hoping the mayor has a bigger plan.\"

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