Sheila M. Cockrel née Sheila Murphy (born November 3, 1947) is an American politician and consultant. She was a member of 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 ...

from 1994 to 2009. The widow of Kenneth Cockrel, Sr. and stepmother of Kenneth Cockrel, Jr., she "had fractious relationship with"

Monica Conyers Monica Ann Conyers (née Esters; October 31, 1965) is an American politician in Detroit, Michigan. Elected to the Detroit City Council in 2005, she was elected by its members to serve as ''president pro tempore'' of the council for the four-year ...

, whose resignation she called "an appropriate decision". When

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 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party. After starring at ...

proposed a water rate hike, she was among those who voted in favor.

2009 activities

In 2009, Cockrel joined the adjunct faculty of Wayne State University's Irvin D. Reid Honors College. She taught two seminars and joined the Board of Visitors. She became the founder, CEO and president of Crossroads Consulting Group, a firm that assists companies in helping local governments.

Testimony

In 2008, Cockrel testified to a grand jury regarding John Clark, former chief-of-staff to Kenneth Cockrel, Jr., allegedly taking bribes from Synagro Technologies, which won a $47-million sludge disposal contract with the city. She was one of five members of the council who voted in favor of this deal despite protests from residents.

Education

Cockrel has a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and a Master of Arts in urban planning from

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

Personal life

Cockrel is a Detroit native whose parents, Louis and Justine Murphy, founded the

Catholic Worker Movement The Catholic Worker Movement is a collection of autonomous communities of Catholics and their associates founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in the United States in 1933. Its aim is to "live in accordance with the justice and charity of Jesu ...

there. They oversaw the operations of the St. Martha House of Hospitality, a home for men and a soup kitchen for the needy. She married Ken, Sr. in 1978 and they had a daughter, Katherine, in 1985. In 1988, Ken died.

Archival collection

Some of Cockrel and her husband's work is preserved in th
Ken and Sheila Cockrel Papers
at the

Walter P. Reuther Library The Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, located on the campus of Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, contains millions of primary source documents related to the labor history of the United States, urban affa ...

in Detroit.

References

Detroit City Council members Living people 1947 births Women city councillors in Michigan Wayne State University alumni 21st-century American women {{Michigan-politician-stub