Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s crisis manager for public relations has a track record of dealing with thorny issues.

Past and present clients of Judy Smith and her Washington, D.C.-based Impact Strategies L.L.C. include former presidential intern Monica Lewinsky, the family of slain congressional aide Chandra Levy and Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, last week named the National Basketball Association’s Most Valuable Player.

Kilpatrick’s usual image handler is Bob Berg of Detroit-based Berg Muirhead & Associates.
But in March, Kilpatrick announced he’d hired Smith’s firm. She accompanied him March 25 at his arraignment on charges of perjury, official misconduct and obstruction of justice. Kilpatrick and former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty face the charges in connection with testimony in a police whistle-blower trial last year.

Smith said she actually first advised the mayor more than five years ago, when reports of an alleged Manoogian Mansion stag party surfaced. But Smith doesn’t remember exactly how Kilpatrick first found her.

Kilpatrick is on a long list of individuals and companies who’ve sought Smith’s communication, legal and political skills when facing complex public-relations attacks.

Among her current clients are U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., facing federal bribery and racketeering charges; U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, embroiled last year in allegations of lewd conduct in an airport restroom; and actor Wesley Snipes, recently convicted of federal income tax evasion.

Her client list includes high-profile professional sports figures such as former heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe, NBA players Chris Webber and Juwan Howard, former San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds, and track stars Marion Jones and Kelly White.

Smith has worked on corporate recalls, lawsuits and other issues for companies such as BellSouth, Union Pacific, Starwood Hotels, Nextel, Federated Department Stores, United Healthcare, Americhoice, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Radio One, Waste Management Corp., Deloitte & Touche and American International Group Inc.

She has represented the city of Cincinnati and Prince George’s County, Md., and provided communications advice to leaders in Haiti, the Philippines, Zimbabwe and Saudi Arabia.
Crisis management for politicians and executives is similar to doing the same thing for high-profile sports stars, entertainers or politicians, Smith says.

In a best-case scenario, clients will follow advice, but that’s not always the case, Smith admits.
Local crisis communications veterans from Detroit-area public-relations firms say Kilpatrick’s attempts to shift blame for the crisis from himself to the media was ill-advised - and likely wasn’t advised at all.
An example was when Kilpatrick straying from prepared text for his State of the City speech March 11 to include an assault on the media.

“Not my advice at all,” Smith admits.
Mike Layne, principal at Farmington Hills-based marketing and public-relations agency Marx Layne, called antagonizing the media “a terrible strategy.”
“It’s hard to win an argument with someone who buys the ink by the barrel.”
The mayor himself, and not the allegations, could be a big hurdle for Smith and her colleagues in controlling spin.
“The biggest challenge they’ve had is their client,” said Matt Friedman, of the Farmington Hills-based public-relations agency Tanner Friedman.
“You can give the best advice in the world, but the client is often the barrier to success. Trying to paint the media as the villain, that’s not going to go very far,” he said.
Still, Kilpatrick in recent weeks has followed many of the concepts that Smith and her D.C. team espouse.

He’s working aggressively and visibly on city business and projects, addressing groups that support him, and letting his lawyers and public-relations staffers respond to criticism in the media and in court.
Robert Ankeny: (313) 446-0404, bankeny@crain.com
Bill Shea: (313) 446-1626; bshea@crain.com
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The ABC’s of crisis PR
Once a crisis breaks, Judy Smith and her Washington, D.C.-based Impact Strategies L.L.C. recommends these steps to manage the situation:
* Identify strategic objectives. The company needs goals other than “get us out of this mess.”
* Target audiences. Tailor messages’ nuances and needs to different stakeholders.
* Address issues directly, which may require an apology or an acceptance of responsibility.
* Cultivate allies. Keep them engaged and up to date on all developments. Allies provide support and can help with changing public opinion.
* Have a “truth squad.” Monitor what’s being said against what is true. Accuracy can be the difference between a one-day story and a monthlong ordeal.
* Refocus attention. Start communicating positive messages about endeavors that have nothing to do with the crisis.
* Move the ball forward. Don’t let a crisis paralyze normal business operations or, for a politician, the execution of duties as an elected official.

Crain’s Detroit Business
May 12, 2008
Mayor’s crisis manager a veteran of high-stakes cases
BYLINE: Robert Ankeny, Bill Shea
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 67
LENGTH: 823 Wörter