DETROIT -- Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has resigned from his position as the mayor of Detroit. He accepted a plea deal Thursday in a perjury case that has forced an end to his tenure as the city's mayor and will send him to jail.

In a letter sent to Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm early Thursday afternoon, Kilpatrick said his resignation will be effective Sept. 18, 2008.

Kilpatrick gave his resignation speech Thursday evening.

Speech: Watch Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's Resignation Speech

“You have to stand strong for the city of Detroit, I have always said I would stand strong for the city of Detroit,” he said. “But sometimes standing strong means stepping down.”

Kilpatrick said he wanted to emphasize that he took full responsibility for his actions and poor judgment.

It was after “much deliberation” and a “difficult decision” that Kilpatrick said he would “step down as mayor of the city of Detroit.”

Kilpatrick spoke of his administration’s accomplishment during what he called the worst economy since the Great Depression. He said it was “just short of a miracle” the great things the city has come to produce.

“I turn my attention to the healing that I need to do with my family,” Kilpatrick said.

Kilpatrick proclaimed a “new beginning” for the city of Detroit with his exit and asked that community members offer their support for Ken Cockrel Jr., who will become the next mayor.

To read more about Kilpatrick’s speech, click here.

Kilpatrick's chief lawyer, Dan Webb, said Kilpatrick agreed to plead guilty after weighing the impact on his family and deciding he no longer could effectively govern.

Webb said Kilpatrick came to the conclusion that the “decks were stacked against him.”

Webb also said the plea deal decision “was not made until shortly before this case went into court this morning.”

Read more of Webb's comments here.

Wayne County Circuit Court Judge David Groner presided over the court case in which Kilpatrick agreed to plead guilty to two felony counts of obstruction of justice by committing perjury.

Part of the plea agreement includes immediate resignation within 14 days; restitution payments totaling $1 million; and four months in jail.

The court will asses the $1 million restitution fee based on how much Kilpatrick already has and how much he can pay.

Kilpatrick will be sentenced Oct. 28 at 2 p.m.

Kilpatrick is barred from running for public office for five years, according to the plea deal.

He will also have to hand over his law license and turn over his state pension to the city of Detroit.

Groner read aloud all of the charges against Kilpatrick and told him all but two would be dismissed.

He also asked Kilpatrick several questions regarding his guilty plea, and whether he was doing it on his own willingness and whether he was satisfied with what was taking place.

Groner asked Kilpatrick if he understood he was giving up the right to be innocent until proven guilty.

"I gave that up a long time ago," Kilpatrick replied.

Kilpatrick answered each question and stated that he knew exactly what was taking place and was agreeing to plead guilty.

"I lied under oath in the case of Gary Brown and Harold Nelthrope versus the city of Detroit, Case No. 03317557NZ, regarding information that was relevant to claims made by Gary Brown and Harold Nelthrope. I did so with an intent to mislead the court and jury and to impede and obstruct the fair administration of justice," Kilpatrick told the judge.

Kilpatrick, 38, is in his second four-year term as mayor. He was charged with 10 felonies in two cases.

In the first case, he and Christine Beatty were charged with perjury, conspiracy, misconduct and obstruction of justice. They are accused of lying during the 2007 whistle-blowers' trial about having an extramarital affair and their roles in the firing of a deputy police chief.

Text messages from Beatty's city-issued pager contradicted their testimony.

Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick said she supports her son’s decision to resign as mayor and plead guilty to felony charges.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy told the media after the court hearing there was not a lot she was prepared to say at that point.

"I am going to wait until this final sentence is announced. A plea is never final until the judge signs off on the sentencing," Worthy said. "We did not give an inch, and these conditions were basically to a letter of what we wanted all along."

In a second case, Kilpatrick was charged with two counts of assault after he allegedly shoved a Wayne County detective into an investigator while they were trying to serve his friend a subpoena.

The Michigan Attorney General's Office offered a new plea to Kilpatrick on Thursday.

Doug Baker said the two sides had agreed to an agreement that if Kilpatrick pleads no contest on the first count of assault, the second count will be dismissed at the time of sentencing.

Baker said that deal would require Kilpatrick's immediate resignation from his job as the mayor of Detroit and will spend jail time concurrent with the previous plea deal.

Also, Granholm announced just after noon on Thursday that she is adjourning the hearings that were scheduled to determine whether Kilpatrick should be ousted from office based on the court proceedings that took place earlier in the day.

"No matter what happens from this point on Mayor Kilpatrick will remain in my mind one of the most gifted young black leaders of the 21st Century, his deficiencies not withstanding. I would hope that as we look back upon his legacy that this tragic end will be pale in comparison of his overall contribution to Detroit," said The Rev. Horace L. Sheffield III.

Meanwhile, Kilpatrick-appointed Police Chief Ella Bully comings announced her resignation from the force and offered her prayers to Kilpatrick and his children.

Another city official and current Detroit City Council Ken Cockrel Jr. also offered his sympathies to Kilpatrick and his family during this difficult time, as he announced he is ready to be the next Detroit mayor Thursday at a news conference.