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In March 2009, Conyers led a group of five Detroit City Council members that blocked the transfer of ownership of Detroit Cobo Hall (the home of the North American International Auto Show) to a regional authority consisting of representatives from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties. During a heated council meeting discussing the deal, she told Isaac Robinson, a white official of the Teamsters union, that most of the people that work at the show "don't look like me. They look like you."<ref>''Macomb Daily News'', 6 March 2009, [http://www.macombdaily.com/articles/2009/03/06/news/srv0000004845958.txt Cobo dispute reopens racial rift]</ref> She was quick to deny any implications of racism to the media when questioned about the comments. Conyers went on to claim Black people "cannot be racist".<ref>Carol Cain, ''Detroit Free Press'', 29 March 2009, [http://www.freep.com/article/20090329/COL24/903290379/ Conyers sparks reaction on race, Cobo]</ref>
In March 2009, Conyers led a group of five Detroit City Council members that blocked the transfer of ownership of Detroit Cobo Hall (the home of the North American International Auto Show) to a regional authority consisting of representatives from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties. During a heated council meeting discussing the deal, she told Isaac Robinson, a white official of the Teamsters union, that most of the people that work at the show "don't look like me. They look like you."<ref>''Macomb Daily News'', 6 March 2009, [http://www.macombdaily.com/articles/2009/03/06/news/srv0000004845958.txt Cobo dispute reopens racial rift]</ref> She was quick to deny any implications of racism to the media when questioned about the comments. Conyers went on to claim Black people "cannot be racist".<ref>Carol Cain, ''Detroit Free Press'', 29 March 2009, [http://www.freep.com/article/20090329/COL24/903290379/ Conyers sparks reaction on race, Cobo]</ref>


On June 26, 2009, Conyers pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe in the Synagro sludge hauling scandal. <ref>[http://www.detnews.com/article/20090626/METRO/906260408/Monica-Conyers-guilty-in-Synagro-bribery-scandal] <ref
On June 26, 2009, Conyers pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe in the Synagro sludge hauling scandal. <ref>[http://www.detnews.com/article/20090626/METRO/906260408/Monica-Conyers-guilty-in-Synagro-bribery-scandal] </ref> She faces five years in jail.
> She faces five years in jail.


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 16:53, 26 June 2009

Monica Conyers is a Detroit City Council member and temporarily served as the president pro tempore of the Detroit City Council.[1] She was first elected to the Detroit City Council in 2005, and became its interim President in September 2008. She is the spouse of United States Representative John Conyers.[2]

Background

Conyers attended the University of District of Columbia School of Law and received a Juris Doctorate, has a Masters in Public Administration from Central Michigan University and also a Bachelor of arts in Secondary Education/ Political Science from Bennett College.

Prior to being elected to Council, she worked as both a teacher for mentally challenged teens and vice administrator for Detroit Public Schools. She has two sons, Carl and John Jr. Conyers.

At midnight on September 19, 2008, former President Kenneth Cockrel, Jr. took the helm as mayor of Detroit following the resignation of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. On the same day, Monica Conyers made her full transition from Vice President of City Council to President. She returned to being president pro tem after interim Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr. was defeated by Mayor Dave Bing in a special election held on May 5, 2009. Though Conyers initially wanted to investigate whether the city charter guarantees that position,[3] she did not fight the position of the council's legal analyst that Cockrel would return to the position of Council President.[4]

Positions and votes

Conyers has sometimes made headlines for breaking with her colleagues in the Michigan Democratic Party and the City Council (which consists entirely of Democrats). She was critical of the party for running ads in a mayoral race in Flint, Michigan.[5] During the lengthy legal and political crisis of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, Conyers was the only member of Council to vote against a resolution demanding that he resign.[6]

Controversies

Synagro Bribery Scandal

On June 16, 2009, it was announced that Conyers had been linked to an ongoing corruption investigation in Detroit, involving alleged bribes offered by Synagro Technologies. Originally, case documents had referred only to "Council Member A" receiving bribes totaling more than $6000 to influence passage of a contract with the city, but on June 16 the United States Attorney's Office confirmed that two Synagro representatives had named Conyers as the recipient. [7] [8]

Conyers was given a pre-indictment letter and offered a plea deal in the case.[9] On June 26, 2009, Conyers was charged with conspiring to commit bribery and pleaded guilty.[10]

Financial

In January 2009, Detroit's General Retirement System notified Conyers that she owed $5,600 to the City, which included travel advances not spent on business class airfare to London. The pension board also claimed she hadn't submitted receipts for trips to Grand Cayman and Philadelphia.[11]

In April 2009, one day after denying the relation, Conyers admitted she helped her brother, Reggie Esters, a convicted felon, obtain a city job that was originally to last four months, but was extended to two years, ending only when Esters' absenteeism became an issue. Esters is reported to have submitted a false resume.[12]

Personal/professional conduct

In February 2008, details of an exchange between Conyers and an aide to Mayor Kilpatrick, DeDan Milton, were made available through The Detroit News.[13] Conyers allegedly made reference to a gun in an argument with Milton. Conyers has denied the allegations. The police reports have since been withdrawn.[14]

In February 2009, Conyers was involved in a confrontation with fellow councilmember Kwame Kenyatta. After Kenyatta insisted that Conyers submit in writing her request to cut his budget Conyers insulted Kenyatta about his hearing aid, health, and lack of education. Conyers stated that Kenyatta needed to "learn how to talk a woman", to which Kenyatta replied that when he was with a woman, he will do so. Conyers then had to be restrained by a council staffer and a council security officer as she attempted to approach Kenyatta.[15] Conyers later sent an apology letter, which was rejected by Kenyatta as insincere.[16] Conyers subsequently said that re-election "might not be worth it" in view of the constant public criticism of her.[16]

In February 2009, the Detroit Free Press editorial board opined that Conyers was no longer fit for office due to her increasingly "volatile" behavior.[17]

In March 2009, Conyers led a group of five Detroit City Council members that blocked the transfer of ownership of Detroit Cobo Hall (the home of the North American International Auto Show) to a regional authority consisting of representatives from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties. During a heated council meeting discussing the deal, she told Isaac Robinson, a white official of the Teamsters union, that most of the people that work at the show "don't look like me. They look like you."[18] She was quick to deny any implications of racism to the media when questioned about the comments. Conyers went on to claim Black people "cannot be racist".[19]

On June 26, 2009, Conyers pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe in the Synagro sludge hauling scandal. [20] She faces five years in jail.

References

  1. ^ Detroit City Council
  2. ^ Congressman John Conyers, Jr., official Congressional biography.
  3. ^ Patton, Naomi (May 7, 2009). "Conyers gears up for a fight over control of Detroit City Council". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  4. ^ Patton, Naomi (May 9, 2009). "Cockrel can lead council again". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  5. ^ "Monica Conyers: Dems should stay out of Flint race", The Flint Journal, November 2, 2007.
  6. ^ "Embattled Detroit mayor rejects City Council's request for him to leave office", Associated Press, March 18, 2008.
  7. ^ "Conyers offered deal in bribery probe". Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  8. ^ "Detroit councilwoman under scrutiny, scolds media". Retrieved 2009-06-18.
  9. ^ "Conyers offered deal in bribery probe". Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  10. ^ SWICKARD, JOE (2009-06-26). "Monica Conyers pleads guilty to conspiracy". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 16:08, Friday June 26, 2009 (UTC). {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ MacDonald, Christine (2009-01-24). "Conyers pays for travel advance; Council president returns $3,000 to retirement system, but she may still owe $2,600". Detroit News. Retrieved 2009-02-12. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ Detroit News, 3 April 2009, Conyers acknowledges ex-con brother after denying him
  13. ^ Report says Monica Conyers made threat
  14. ^ Pension board police reports withdrawn
  15. ^ Gorchow, Zachary (2009-02-11). "Insults escalated in spat between Conyers, Kenyatta". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2009-02-12. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ a b Gorchow, Zachary (2009-02-12). "Monica Conyers: Re-election might not be worth it". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2009-02-12. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ "Three strikes against Conyers". Detroit Free Press. 2009-02-11. Retrieved 2009-02-12. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ Macomb Daily News, 6 March 2009, Cobo dispute reopens racial rift
  19. ^ Carol Cain, Detroit Free Press, 29 March 2009, Conyers sparks reaction on race, Cobo
  20. ^ [1]
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