Monica Conyers
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Monica Ann Conyers (Esters, October 31, 1964) is an American politician from Detroit, Michigan. Elected to the
Detroit City Council The Detroit City Council is the legislative body of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The full-time council is required to meet every business day for at least 10 months of the year, with at least eight of these meetings occurring at a locatio ...
in 2005, she was elected by its members to serve as '' president pro tempore'' of the council for the four-year term. She was convicted of accepting bribes in 2009 and sentenced to 37 months in prison.


Background

Monica Ann Esters was born in
River Rouge, Michigan River Rouge (, ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,224 at the 2020 census. The city is named after the River Rouge, which flows along the city's northern border and into the Detroit River. The cit ...
, on October 31, 1965. She had four brothers and one sister. She grew up with her mother in west Detroit and attended Henry Ford High School. Her father had a record for
breaking and entering Burglary, also called breaking and entering (B&E) or housebreaking, is a property crime involving the illegal entry into a building or other area without permission, typically with the intention of committing a further criminal offence. Usually ...
. One of her brothers was imprisoned for
robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person o ...
, and another for weapons violations. Esters graduated from high school and went to college, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education and Political Science from
Bennett College Bennett College is a private university, private historically black colleges and universities, historically black liberal arts college, liberal arts Women's colleges in the Southern United States, college for women in Greensboro, North Carolin ...
. She also completed a master's in Public Administration from
Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a Public university, public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1892 as a private normal school and became a state institution in 1895. CMU is one of the eigh ...
. Conyers later attended the
University of the District of Columbia The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a public historically black land-grant university in Washington, D.C., United States. The only public university in the city, it traces its origins to 1851 and opened in its current form in 1 ...
School of Law and received a Juris Doctor.


Career

Monica Conyers worked as a teacher for mentally challenged teens. She was selected for jobs in school administration and became a vice administrator for
Detroit Public Schools Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is a school district that serves Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, and high school students in Highland Park, Michigan. The district, which replaced the original Detroit Public Schools (DPS) in 2016, ...
. Conyers got more involved with politics. She is a member of the Democratic Party. In 2005, Conyers ran and was elected to a four-year term on the
Detroit City Council The Detroit City Council is the legislative body of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The full-time council is required to meet every business day for at least 10 months of the year, with at least eight of these meetings occurring at a locatio ...
. At that time, all candidates ran
at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...
, meaning they had to attract a majority of votes across the city. She was elected by other members to serve as '' president pro tempore'', and Kenneth Cockrel, Jr. was elected to serve as President of the City Council. In 2008 a turbulent time for Detroit Mayor
Kwame Kilpatrick Kwame Malik Kilpatrick (born June 8, 1970) is an American former politician who served as the 72nd mayor of Detroit from 2002 to 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the 9th district in the Michigan House of Repre ...
ended with his resignation at midnight on September 19, 2008. At that time council president Kenneth Cockrel, Jr. succeeded him as mayor of Detroit until a special election could be held. In keeping with the city charter, Monica Conyers advanced from ''president pro tem'' of the city council to president. The special election for mayor was held on May 5, 2009. Kenneth Cockrel, Jr. ran for the office, but he was defeated by
Dave Bing David Bing (born November 24, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player, businessman and politician who served as the 74th mayor of Detroit, Michigan from 2009 to 2014. He is a member of the Democratic Party. After starring at ...
. Conyers initially wanted to investigate whether the city charter guaranteed her being able to keep the position as President of City Council. She learned that it did. But after learning that the council's legal analyst position was that Cockrel had rights to return to the position of Council President, she decided not to contest the changes. She returned to president pro tempore for the remainder of her term.


Positions and votes

Conyers has sometimes made headlines for breaking with her colleagues in the
Michigan Democratic Party The Michigan Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Michigan. It is based in Lansing. Curtis Hertel Jr. is the party's current chair. Structure Residents of the state of Michigan at least 16 years of age are ...
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 Flint is the largest city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Flint River (Michigan), Flint River northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan, Mid Michigan region. Flin ...
. During the lengthy legal and political crisis of Detroit Mayor
Kwame Kilpatrick Kwame Malik Kilpatrick (born June 8, 1970) is an American former politician who served as the 72nd mayor of Detroit from 2002 to 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the 9th district in the Michigan House of Repre ...
, Conyers was the only member of council to vote against a resolution demanding that he resign.


Controversies


Synagro bribery scandal and conviction

On June 16, 2009, it was reported 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 $6,000 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. Conyers was given a pre-indictment letter and offered a
plea deal A plea bargain, also known as a plea agreement or plea deal, is a legal arrangement in criminal law where the defendant agrees to plead guilty or no contest to a charge in exchange for concessions from the prosecutor. These concessions can include ...
in the case. On June 26, 2009, Conyers was charged with conspiring to commit bribery and pleaded guilty. On June 26, 2009, Conyers pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe in the Synagro Sludge scandal. Three days later, Conyers officially resigned from the Detroit City Council, effective July 6.David Josar and Darren A. Nichols
"Conyers to resign from Detroit City Council on July 6"
''
Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the ''Detroit Tribune'' on February ...
'', June 29, 2009.
Her former chief of staff, Sam Riddle, faced prosecution as well. Riddle's later trial included wiretap recordings of conversations with and about Conyers, in which he describes her as "crazy." Testimony given during Riddle's trial on February 4, 2010, indicated that Conyers often left a downtown Detroit restaurant without paying for the meal; the restaurant's owner estimated that Conyers owed him about $3,000. On March 10, 2010, Conyers was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison. During the sentencing hearing, Conyers requested to withdraw her guilty plea, which the judge denied. She filed notice to appeal.


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 London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. The pension board also claimed she had not submitted receipts for trips to
Grand Cayman Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the territory's capital, George Town, Cayman Islands, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles (121 km) southwest of L ...
and
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
. In April 2009, Conyers admitted she had helped her brother, Reggie Esters, a convicted felon, obtain a city job that was originally scheduled to last four months. It was extended to two years, ending only when Esters' absenteeism became an issue. Esters is reported to have submitted a false resume. She originally denied helping her brother.


Personal/professional conduct

In February 2008, ''
The Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United S ...
'' reported details of an exchange between Conyers and DeDan Milton, an aide to Mayor Kilpatrick. Conyers allegedly made reference to a gun in an argument with Milton. Conyers has denied the allegations. The police reports have since been withdrawn. In April 2008, Conyers got into an argument with City Council President Ken Cockrel, Jr. during a public hearing. Cockrel reprimanded Conyers for interrupting fellow councilwoman JoAnn Watson, and Conyers turned on Cockrel. The argument escalated until Conyers referred to Cockrel as "
Shrek ''Shrek'' is a 2001 American animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, and written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman, loosely based on the 1990 children's picture boo ...
", after the animated film character. Cockrel tried to call for a recess, but Conyers continued insulting him. Video of the incident exists on YouTube. In February 2009, Conyers was involved in a confrontation with fellow council member 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 to a woman", to which Kenyatta replied that when he was with a woman, he would do so. Conyers had to be restrained by a council staffer and a council security officer as she attempted to approach Kenyatta. Conyers later sent an apology letter, which was rejected by Kenyatta; he thought it was insincere. Conyers subsequently said that re-election "might not be worth it," in view of the constant public criticism of her. In February 2009, the ''
Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...
'' editorial board opined that Conyers was no longer fit for office due to her increasingly "volatile" behavior. In March 2009, Conyers led a group of five members of the Detroit City Council who blocked the proposed transfer of ownership of Detroit
Cobo Hall Huntington Place (formerly known as Cobo Hall, Cobo Center, and briefly TCF Center) is a convention center in Downtown Detroit, owned by the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority (DRCFA) and operated by ASM Global. Located at 1 Washi ...
(the home of the
North American International Auto Show The Detroit Auto Show, formerly known as the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan. Hosted at Huntington Place (formerly Cobo Center) since 1965, it is among the largest auto shows in ...
) to a regional authority. The latter was to have representatives from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, which make up the metropolitan area. Council hearings about the proposed deal became heated. She said to Isaac Robinson, a white official of the
Teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) is a trade union, labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of the Team Drivers International Union and the Teamsters National Union, the union now represents a di ...
union, that most of the people who customarily worked at the large annual show "don't look like me. They look like you." When questioned about her remarks, she denied any intention of racism. Conyers said, "Black people cannot be racist". The subject reportedly lost her weekend radio show job at 910 AM Superstation (WFDF-AM) primarily for unapproved hotel lodging expenses in March 2017. In 2022, Conyers filed to run for Wayne County Executive. She was ruled ineligible to run due to her being a convicted felon.


Bribery conviction

On June 16, 2009, the
United States Attorney's Office United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...
said that two Synagro Technologies representatives had named Monica Conyers as having received bribes from the company totaling more than $6,000, paid to influence passage of a contract with the City of Detroit. The information was gathered during an
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
investigation into political corruption in the city, and Mayor
Kwame Kilpatrick Kwame Malik Kilpatrick (born June 8, 1970) is an American former politician who served as the 72nd mayor of Detroit from 2002 to 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the 9th district in the Michigan House of Repre ...
was also named in the probe. Conyers was given a pre-indictment letter, and offered a
plea bargain A plea bargain, also known as a plea agreement or plea deal, is a legal arrangement in criminal law where the defendant agrees to plead guilty or no contest to a charge in exchange for concessions from the prosecutor. These concessions can include a ...
deal in the case. On June 26, 2009, she was charged with conspiring to commit bribery. She pleaded guilty. On March 10, 2010, she was sentenced to 37 months in prison, and also received two years of supervised probation. She served her time at the
Alderson Federal Prison Camp The Federal Prison Camp, Alderson (FPC Alderson) is a minimum-security United States federal prison Incarceration of women in the United States, for female inmates in West Virginia. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of ...
in West Virginia. She was released from prison after 27 months on December 21, 2012, and began supervised probation. She was admitted to a residential re-entry program in the Detroit area. She was released to home confinement in the Detroit area on January 25, 2013.
Federal Bureau of Prisons The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Justice that is responsible for all List of United States federal prisons, federal prisons ...
spokesman Ed Ross said Conyers earned 108 days of credit for good behavior, and she was released from federal custody officially on May 16, 2013. To fulfill the work requirement for her parole, Conyers worked part time as a cashier for an auto parts store and as a ticket agent at the Greyhound Station.


Personal life

On June 4, 1990, Esters married
John Conyers John James Conyers Jr. (May 16, 1929October 27, 2019) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as a U.S. representative from Michigan from 1965 to 2017. Conyers was the sixth-longest serving member of Congress and the lo ...
, a long-serving Congressman from Detroit. She was 25, and he was 61. They had two sons together, John James Conyers III and Carl Edward Conyers. In October 2015, the ''
Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...
'' reported that Conyers had filed for divorce in Wayne County Circuit Court from September 3, 2015, after 25 years of marriage. The filing cited "a breakdown of the marriage relationship to the extent that the objects of matrimony have been destroyed and there remains no reasonable likelihood that the marriage can be preserved." In 2016, the divorce action was ended and the couple remained married, until his death in 2019.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conyers, Monica African-American city council members in Michigan Detroit City Council members Michigan Democrats Bennett College alumni Central Michigan University alumni University of the District of Columbia alumni Living people 1965 births American politicians convicted of bribery American politicians convicted of federal public corruption crimes Michigan politicians convicted of crimes Women city councillors in Michigan 21st-century Michigan politicians 21st-century American women politicians John Conyers Henry Ford High School (Detroit, Michigan) alumni 21st-century African-American women politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American women politicians 20th-century American women politicians