Mayor names friends, family to jobs in cash-strapped Detroit

DETROIT (AP) - A newspaper says Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has appointed more than two dozen relatives and friends to city jobs.

City records examined by the Detroit Free Press show that at least 29 people with close ties to Kilpatrick have been appointed since he took office in 2002.

The city has cut more than 4,000 city jobs since then, including firefighters and nearly 1,000 police officers.

Kilpatrick spokeswoman Denise Tolliver defends the appointees.

She says they're not only well-qualified but also are part of a tradition in Detroit.

Naming friends or relatives to city jobs isn't illegal.