DETROIT -- Two major conferences have decided not to come to Detroit because of the legal problems surrounding Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, according to the head of the Detroit Convention and Visitors' Bureau.

Larry Alexander, president and CEO of the bureau, would not reveal the names of the groups that have pulled out, but he said they were both groups from out of state and both major conferences.

One decided to go to a suburban hotel and another picked another state altogether, Alexander said.

Alexander called it "disheartening" to see Detroit make a short list, but then have them pull out at the last minute. He told Local 4 that the reasons did involve the scandal surrounding the mayor.

And it's not only loss to hotels that were disheartening, Alexander said, but also loss of business from people out and enjoying city amenities.

In early March, the Conference of Black Mayors was scheduled to meet in Motown but pulled out, choosing Louisiana instead. Conference leaders said the mayor's ongoing drama was too much of a distraction.