Businessman and professional basketball Hall-of-Famer Dave Bing has been elected Detroit's newest mayor and will serve through the end of the year. The 65-year-old Detroit Pistons great defeated incumbent and fellow Democrat Ken Cockrel Jr. today in a special runoff election, 52.3% to 47.7%.
Bing will serve out the remainder of Kwame Kilpatrick's second term, but he must run again in the Aug. 4 primary and win the Nov. 3 general election to hold onto the mayor's seat for a full four years. Bing, who founded the steel manufacturer The Bing Group, announced his run for mayor the day after Kilpatrick stepped down as part of pleas to two criminal cases. (More Dave Bing stories.)