Ex-Mayor of Detroit to Speak at Library…via Skype

Kwame Kilpatrick is coming to the Detroit Public Library — sort of — in two weeks. The controversy is already there.

Jonathan Kinloch, vice president of the library commission, said Friday that residents have called him to complain about the former Detroit mayor’s book signing, scheduled for the evening of Oct. 19. Kilpatrick plans to appear via Skype, an audio and video service that allows people to interact over the Internet. The co-author of his memoir will appear in person.

At issue is an e-mail the library sent out Friday that said people who attend will “learn the truth behind (Kilpatrick’s) meteoric rise in politics, the crippling controversies surrounding his administration, his downfall and, ultimately, his redemption.”

Story from the Detroit Free Press.