Labor vet Obama's choice in Michigan

[Omaha Steve]

http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080614/POLITICS01/806140318/1022/POLITICS

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Kilpatrick says he won't appear with Dem candidate in Detroit.
Gordon Trowbridge / Detroit News Washington Bureau

Barack Obama's campaign will name a veteran Michigan political official with close ties to organized labor to head its Michigan campaign.

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Amy Chapman, a Madison Heights resident with significant experience in Michigan and national campaigns, was to be announced within the next few days, according to officials with knowledge of the decision.

She is a former head of political campaigns for the AFL-CIO and a former director of Midwest political operations for the Service Employees International Union. Those labor ties may be especially significant in Michigan, where unions have significant political influence.

Meanwhile, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said Friday he won't appear with Obama when the candidate visits Detroit on Monday.

"I will not be there. It's my choice," the embattled mayor, who faces several felonies, said Friday.

"I would love for Barack Obama, the next president of the United States, to have this opportunity free from all of the scrutiny that may come from the Kwame Kilpatrick moment."

As Obama prepares to make his third Michigan visit in a month, Democratic Party officials will meet in Lansing today to select the last of the state's delegates to the national convention.

Detroit News Staff Writer David Josar contributed to this report.