How did Adolph Mongo get his start working for Mayor Coleman Young?

Mongo says that as a newspaper reporter from Kalamazoo, he asked Young at a press conference who cut his hair. Young asked why he wasn’t working in Detroit, Mongo asked whether he had a job for him, and Young told him to call his secretary. He first got a letter saying there were no jobs, but about a month later he was called to meet Young at Cobo, where Young introduced him as his new deputy director of public information.

What was the lynching ad Mongo created for Kwame Kilpatrick's re-election?

Mongo says he put together a newspaper ad with a lynching image to say the media was lynching the mayor by giving him unfair press. It ran in the Michigan Citizen without getting any feedback, then in the Chronicle on the back of a special supplement that sold out 100,000 copies, and it went worldwide, with the Boston Globe picking it up. Asked why he thinks the ad won Kilpatrick his second term, Mongo says Kilpatrick got a raw deal in the way he was being beaten up.

What deal does Mongo say Kym Worthy offered Kwame Kilpatrick when the text messages broke?

Mongo says that before the text messages came out, Worthy told him she had them and that if Kilpatrick resigned, she would not charge him with 12 felonies. Mongo says he took the offer to Kilpatrick and called it a good deal because he could run for mayor again, but Kilpatrick said his people were talking to her people. Mongo says Kilpatrick had several opportunities, with Worthy and with the feds, and would be home if he had listened.

What is Mongo's take on the Kid Rock flag controversy?

Mongo says Kid Rock knew what he was doing with the flag, which he says caused a lot of people to die and stands for hate, bigotry and racism. When the NAACP planned to give Kid Rock an award for being a good corporate citizen, Mongo protested. He says the NAACP still gave Kid Rock the award, but Kid Rock later stopped flying the flag and wearing it on his back.

How does Mongo think Mayor Duggan should handle the issues raised in the inspector general report?

Mongo says what Duggan is going through is like Groundhog Day from the Coleman Young years, and that the way to survive it is to get out in front of it and deal with it. He says Young had real political people around him, while Duggan’s chief of staff, Alexis Riley, is a neophyte who, given what she did with the emails, should resign if she had any sense. He adds that in Young’s and Kilpatrick’s day, the media forced their hands.

Ep 7 Dec 25, 2019 with Adolph Mongo

Adolph Mongo Talks Detroit Politics

Name: Adolph Mongo Talks Detroit Politics
Uploaded: 2019-12-25T16:27:31-05:00
Duration: 44 min 59 s
Description: Political consultant Adolph Mongo joins Mike to talk about working for Detroit mayors Coleman Young and Kwame Kilpatrick, the lynching newspaper ad he created for Kilpatrick's re-election, Mayor Duggan and the inspector general report, and his protest over Kid Rock and the flag.

Political consultant Adolph Mongo joins Mike to talk about working for Detroit mayors Coleman Young and Kwame Kilpatrick, the lynching newspaper ad he created for Kilpatrick's re-election, Mayor Duggan and the inspector general report, and his protest over Kid Rock and the flag.

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About This Episode

Adolph Mongo is a Detroit-based radio host and political advisor who’s worked with and consulted countless Detroit political and legal figures. He’s worked alongside individuals such as Coleman Young, Kwame Kilpatrick, and six different Michigan court of appeals judges.

In 2015, he was involved in a controversial traffic stop in which he claims Detroit police mistreated him. In this episode of OpenMike, he and Mike go back decades and discuss the early days of Detroit, race in America, and the intricacies of the legal system and how citizens can best protect themselves legally.

Show Notes

00:00 Introduction to Dolph Mongo
00:31 Working for Coleman Young
02:35 Inside the Young administration
05:08 Young's political legacy
07:35 Consulting for Kwame Kilpatrick
10:22 The controversial lynching ad
12:30 Kilpatrick's downfall
15:00 Failed resignation advice
17:12 Campaigning for Mike Duggan
18:56 Current Duggan controversies
21:25 Duggan's management issues
23:54 City development challenges
26:19 Political leadership styles
28:54 The rebirth of downtown
31:08 Corporate responsibility
33:27 Kid Rock flag controversy
35:44 Racial symbolism and history
38:53 Founders Brewing scandal
42:50 PR strategies in crisis

Guest

Adolph Mongo

Adolph Mongo is a Detroit-based radio host and political consultant who has worked with Detroit political and legal figures including Coleman Young, Kwame Kilpatrick and six different Michigan Court of Appeals judges. He joined Coleman Young's administration as a deputy director of public information, and later ran Kym Worthy's campaign for prosecutor and worked on Duggan's campaign for prosecutor. In 2015, he was involved in a controversial traffic stop in which he claims Detroit police mistreated him.

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FAQs

Answers to common questions from this episode of Open Mike.

How did Adolph Mongo get his start working for Mayor Coleman Young?

Mongo says that as a newspaper reporter from Kalamazoo, he asked Young at a press conference who cut his hair. Young asked why he wasn’t working in Detroit, Mongo asked whether he had a job for him, and Young told him to call his secretary. He first got a letter saying there were no jobs, but about a month later he was called to meet Young at Cobo, where Young introduced him as his new deputy director of public information.
What was the lynching ad Mongo created for Kwame Kilpatrick's re-election?

Mongo says he put together a newspaper ad with a lynching image to say the media was lynching the mayor by giving him unfair press. It ran in the Michigan Citizen without getting any feedback, then in the Chronicle on the back of a special supplement that sold out 100,000 copies, and it went worldwide, with the Boston Globe picking it up. Asked why he thinks the ad won Kilpatrick his second term, Mongo says Kilpatrick got a raw deal in the way he was being beaten up.
What deal does Mongo say Kym Worthy offered Kwame Kilpatrick when the text messages broke?

Mongo says that before the text messages came out, Worthy told him she had them and that if Kilpatrick resigned, she would not charge him with 12 felonies. Mongo says he took the offer to Kilpatrick and called it a good deal because he could run for mayor again, but Kilpatrick said his people were talking to her people. Mongo says Kilpatrick had several opportunities, with Worthy and with the feds, and would be home if he had listened.
What is Mongo's take on the Kid Rock flag controversy?

Mongo says Kid Rock knew what he was doing with the flag, which he says caused a lot of people to die and stands for hate, bigotry and racism. When the NAACP planned to give Kid Rock an award for being a good corporate citizen, Mongo protested. He says the NAACP still gave Kid Rock the award, but Kid Rock later stopped flying the flag and wearing it on his back.
How does Mongo think Mayor Duggan should handle the issues raised in the inspector general report?

Mongo says what Duggan is going through is like Groundhog Day from the Coleman Young years, and that the way to survive it is to get out in front of it and deal with it. He says Young had real political people around him, while Duggan’s chief of staff, Alexis Riley, is a neophyte who, given what she did with the emails, should resign if she had any sense. He adds that in Young’s and Kilpatrick’s day, the media forced their hands.

Adolph Mongo Talks Detroit Politics

About This Episode

Show Notes

FAQs

How did Adolph Mongo get his start working for Mayor Coleman Young?

What was the lynching ad Mongo created for Kwame Kilpatrick's re-election?

What deal does Mongo say Kym Worthy offered Kwame Kilpatrick when the text messages broke?

What is Mongo's take on the Kid Rock flag controversy?

How does Mongo think Mayor Duggan should handle the issues raised in the inspector general report?

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