Detroit thread. Post Kwame, Monica, and $1 houses here.

[Savonarola]

Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!

Monica Conyers convicted of conspiracy
She faces up to 5 years in prison
By BEN SCHMITT, JOE SWICKARD, JIM SCHAEFER, DAVID ASHENFELTER, M.L. ELRICK and ZACHARY GORCHOW • Free Press Staff Writers • June 26, 2009

Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Monica Conyers pleaded guilty this morning to conspiring to commit bribery and is free on personal bond.

U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn said, "The defendant now stands convicted."

The one count of conspiring to commit bribery is punishable for up to five years in prison.

Conyers entered the courtroom at 10 a.m. in a beige linen skirted suit and plastic cat-eyed glasses. She sat down and immediately leaned over and began chatting with her lawyer. Behind her in the first two rows of public seating sit seven agents from the FBI. The rest of the courtroom is filled with reporters and court workers from throughout the building who wanted to see the plea deal unfold.

Conyers, the wife of powerful Democratic congressman U.S. Rep. John Conyers, appeared before Cohn to answer charges in connection with the wide-ranging probe of wrongdoing at Detroit city hall.

She has long been under suspicion in the Synagro bribery probe, not least because she had been a vocal opponent of the contract before suddenly switching her sentiments. She became the deciding voice in the city council's 5-4 vote to approve the sludge-hauling deal in November 2007.

Conyers' plea does not mean she will immediately leave office automatically, said Detroit attorney Bill Goodman.

Goodman, who represented the City Council in its fight to oust ex-mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, said the city charter requires a council member to step down "the minute he or she is convicted of a felony. In federal court, that process is complete at the sentencing."

No resignation letter has been submitted by Conyers to Detroit City Council as of this morning, according to the council clerk's office, Council President Ken Cockrel Jr.'s office, and council's legal office.

The federal plea document released today cites two instances in late 2007, in the days surrounding the approval of the now-infamous Synagro Technologies sludge-hauling contract, when Conyers accepted cash bribes from a Synagro consultant.

The document does not cite the specific amount of the bribes, but previous court documents have said that Conyers, identified previously by the feds as Council Member A, took at least two bribes of $3,000 each, among other bribes.

In both cases cited in the court documents today, Conyers was handed the cash in an envelope by a individual representing Rayford Jackson, a Detroit businessman doing work for Synagro who pleaded guilty to bribery earlier this month.

On one of those two occasions, Conyers was accompanied by an aide. Previous court documents indirectly identified former Conyers aide and political consultant Sam Riddle as having participated in the bribery scheme.

The charge reads: Monica Ann Conyers beginning on a date unknown and continuing until or about December 2007, did knowingly and voluntarily conspire and agree with an aide and others to corruptly solicit and demand for the benefit of herself and others and to accept and agree to accept things of value from persons while an agent of the City of Detroit, an entity that received more than $10,000 in federal funding during the calendar year of 2007, with intent that Conyers would be influenced and rewarded in connection with any business transaction or series of transactions of a value of $5,000 or more with the City of Detroit.

Overt acts: On Nov. 20, 2007, at approximately 3:15 p.m., Conyers met with an individual sent by Rayford Jackson in the parking lot at Butzel Family Center and received an envelope containing cash. On Dec. 4, 2007, at approximately 2:30 p.m., an individual sent by Rayford Jackson met Conyers and her aide in a McDonald's parking lot in Detroit at which time the individual delivered an envelope containing cash.

She has been at the center of FBI questioning for months about the city's sludge disposal contract with Synagro Technologies and her activities as a member of the city pension board.

Also attending the hearing is David Whitaker, director of research and analysis division of Detroit City Council, sitting in the back row with coworker Marcel Hurt. Whitaker said they are to report back what happened to city council today.

"What happens next depends on what the council wants us to do, and what the charter requires," Whitaker said. He said if Conyers pleads and a change is required on council, JoAnn Watson becomes mayor pro tem.

Rayford Jackson's brother Lennie is believed to be the courier who met with Conyers.

Elizabeth Jacobs, Lennie Jackson's attorney, declined to comment on Conyers' plea or plea document.

"The thing speaks for itself," Jacobs said today.

U.S. Attorney Terrence Berg will hold a news conference immediately after the guilty plea.

A person who answered the phone this morning at the Washington D.C. office of John Conyers said no one there was immediately available to comment on the plea agreement.

In January, James Rosendall, the Michigan-based Synagro vice president, pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge for his role in the Detroit Synagro contract and was fired by the company.


Rosendall, 44, of Grand Rapids admitted to plying Detroit officials with cash, contributions, chartered flights and a case of Cristal champagne -- which costs thousands of dollars -- to win approval of the $1.2-billion sludge disposal contract.

He is faces 11 months in prison and a fine of up to $200,000 for his role in the scheme, which began in 2001.

Synagro suspended him without pay last summer after the Free Press revealed that federal officials were probing a deal to build a sludge disposal facility in Detroit.

Come back to Freep.com for more developments.

Staff writer Tammy Stables Battaglia contributed to this report.

Love that city charter.

[Savonarola]

Council members react to Conyers' plea
BY ZACHARY GORCHOW AND JOE SWICKARD • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS • June 26, 2009

Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers is likely now a former member of the council with her guilty plea to felony bribery charges, even though she hasn't resigned, Council President Ken Cockrel Jr. said today.


Cockrel told the Free Press that he has asked council attorneys to research the issue, but based on research so far, Conyers is done.


"I think at this point a letter of resignation is probably moot," he said. "I think for all practical purposes, this is probably her last day on the council."


After former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to felonies last year, he was allowed to remain mayor for another 14 days, but Cockrel said this situation is different because a mayoral transition is much more complicated than a council departure.


Cockrel said he has mixed feelings. He called it a sad day for the city and another black eye. But he said it's also good that federal authorities are moving so that the cloud over the council lifts.


Asked for his thoughts on the departure of Conyers, who had some infamous outbursts while a council member, Cockrel said, "I'd be lying if I didn't say there's a certain amount of relief there."

Council member Sheila Cockrel called on Conyers to resign right away.


"Now is the time for Ms. Conyers to step aside so the remaining council members can get about the business of the city without her presence," said Sheila Cockrel, who has frequently clashed with Conyers.


"This is a very sad day for the city council, but it comes with a certain sense of relief that the cloud of Synagro can begin to dissipate," Sheila Cockrel said.


She said the plea is a further cleansing from the recent years of corruption including the jailing of Kilpatrick in last year's text-message scandal.


"This is a day of shame and disgrace but an important step in the city recovering from the trauma and tragedy of the past few years," she said.

Party at Chateau de Shrek tonight!

[DontSayBanana]

Huh. What does this do to John Conyers' standing, now that his wife is a convicted felon?

[MadImmortalMan]

Huh. What does this do to John Conyers' standing, now that his wife is a convicted felon?

He's gonna have to step it up to keep the family finances going. He's the sole source of bribery cash in the household now.

[Neil]

So, are they going to execute her?

Only if they can try her in Ohio as well; the death penalty was abolished in Michigan in 1846.

Didn't they get her on a federal beef?  Surely the laws of Michigan are irrelevant.

[alfred russel]

I feel betrayed by the guilty plea. I was anticipating months of ridiculous trial updates from Sav.

[Savonarola]

Only if they can try her in Ohio as well; the death penalty was abolished in Michigan in 1846.

Didn't they get her on a federal beef?  Surely the laws of Michigan are irrelevant.

Oops, you're right.  Fire away!

[Neil]

It would have been even better than the Jack Thompson disbarment.

[Savonarola]

I feel betrayed by the guilty plea. I was anticipating months of ridiculous trial updates from Sav.

I was disappointed too, but Detroit City Government is like what PT Barnum said; "You can always find another clown."

[Caliga]

Ok, so will $1 houses soon be convicted and sentenced to prison? 

[MadImmortalMan]

Any chance she can claim the city felony rule only applies to state law?

[Savonarola]

Editorial from the FREEP:

Conyers' plea sends bad message about city, strong signal to voters
FREE PRESS EDITORIAL BOARD • June 26, 2009

With Monica Conyers now headed for the federal slammer, it's worth pondering how many cities could claim to be facing a more robust culture of corruption than Detroit.

First, former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick went down for lying and then firing cops and pilfering public funds to cover his lies. Now, just months later, the president pro tem of the City Council, the second-highest ranking member of the city's legislative arm — and the wife of a powerful Detroit congressman — admits to conspiring to take bribes. The Conyers scandal is totally separate from Kilpatrick's entanglements and may yet yield even more convictions.

This is crookedness at a level you might expect in the capital of some Third World country, not in the largest city of an American state. It's the kind of sorry distinction that Detroit and indeed all of Michigan — already fighting a battered national image — just don't need. In reflects a ruthless selfishness on the part of elected officials, putting themselves above the law and ahead of the people they serve. It's just a fine way to say "Welcome to Detroit."

That said, the process of ferreting out the rogues in city government is important, overdue and ultimately cathartic. It may be the only way — in a city that has failed in the past to use the democratic process as a check against breaches of public trust — to shock the public conscience enough to inspire change.

Maybe now Detroiters will demand a charter that contains ironclad ethical guidelines and powerful mechanisms to enforce them. The city has got to take the charter revision process seriously and elect charter commission members who have a keen sense of appropriate governmental conduct.

Maybe now Detroiters will also demand more of the officials they elect to represent them. Conyers, remember, was elected four years ago on sheer name recognition — the wife of Congressman John Conyers, chair of the House Judiciary Committee. But that proved a shallow judgment of her character and the absolute wrong reason to elevate her to public office.

She was bar brawling in northwest Detroit before she even took her seat. She was foul-mouthing and disrupting council meetings within months.

And four years later, you'd have to strain to point out a single significant contribution she has made while on the council. Meanwhile, we now know she was taking money illegally.

Detroiters have 167 choices on the fall council ballot. They've got to choose more wisely, based on record achievement, work ethic and character.

If there's a glimmer of hope on this dark day in Detroit, it's in the understanding that should now be prevalent in the city.

Crooks don't belong in public office. And if Motown doesn't want to be known as Roguetown, it will need to avoid electing bad actors like Monica Conyers in the first place.

Well, it might wake up the electorate in the city.  This has been a really awful council; but I suspect the city will just elect a different group of buffoons and criminals in November.

The city charter could be a real means of change; we'll see who gets elected onto the board and how they behave once they get elected.

[Savonarola]

More on the Packard Plant:

Tallying up Detroit's absurdities
BY BILL MCGRAW • FREE PRESS COLUMNIST • June 29, 2009

It is difficult to identify the most absurd aspect of a city as eccentric, loony and unpredictable as Detroit.

But let's go with the Packard Plant today.

The 43-building complex, perhaps the largest decrepit building in the country, burned again Sunday night in a two-alarm fire that tied up nearly 25% of Detroit's fire rigs for hours. Black smoke, blown by westerly winds, drifted over a slice of Detroit's east side toward Grosse Pointe.

Some crews remain on the scene this morning.

This fire was actually fires, plural.

The big blaze burned on the upper floors on the east side of the six-story complex, along Concord Street. One fire burned below that, in an area on the first floor, in a football-field-sized room that is home to tens of thousands of old shoes that someone dumped. Another fire burned in a bunch of wooden pallets that someone dumped in a courtyard on the Packard's west side.

Needless to say, officials believe the fires were deliberately set.

Absurdity No. 1: Parts of the Packard Plant burn on a regular basis.

"We're here about every other week," said Deputy Chief Reginald Amos.

"This place is a death trap," Battalion Chief Greg Best said.


Three weeks ago, a smaller, more contained fire broke out in the middle of the plant after dark. That one made news because officials decided to let it burn itself out, which it did, in about 24 hours.

Fire crews fought Sunday's infernos because the fires were more accessible, and they broke out in daylight, about 7:30 p.m.

"If we let this burn, it would burn for days," said Best. "It's spreading through the whole top floors."

Absurdity No. 2: The Packard complex, near Mt. Elliott and I-94, has 3.5 million square feet and is abandoned except for a small chemical company that was not affected by Sunday's fire.

The complex exists in an advanced state of decay and is totally open to trespass. It is filled with collapsing ceilings, crumbling walls, gaping holes, tons of garbage, tens of thousand of dumped items, two-story-tall roof trees and loads of graffiti.

"I smoke blunts," someone had written near the scene of the fire.

At one point Sunday, officials backed Ladder Co. 20 away from the building because they feared the entire six-floor wall might collapse.

The huge shards of glass in the broken window frames would act like the blade of a guillotine if they fell on a passerby or firefighter.

Absurdity No. 3: As usual, firefighters battled the blaze with their usual array of limping apparatus. The first ladder truck on the scene, Ladder 16, could not raise its ladder. As usual, several rigs from the city's 66-vehicle fleet were out of service Sunday, so the 13 or so rigs at the fire left large swaths of the city without their primary fire responder.


The greatest absurdity: The city seems incapable of doing anything about this situation that endangers citizens and its own employees, sucks up precious city resources and — even by Detroit standards — looks like hell.

Who owns the place?

That's murky.

The complex is ostensibly owned by a company called Bioresource Inc., which emerged with the title after a lengthy court battle with the city.

Yet Detroit officials say the firm has failed to pay city taxes since it bought the plant in 1987. And state records show Bioresource has not filed an annual report since 2000, and was declared dissolved by the state in 2003.

Absurd.

Contact BILL McGRAW: [email protected].

[Savonarola]

How business gets done in Detroit:

Conyers took cash and jewelry, ex-aide says
Riddle details questionable transactions she brokered; John Conyers' name used but role unclear
BY M.L. ELRICK, JIM SCHAEFER, ROCHELLE RILEY and GINA DAMRON • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS • June 29, 2009

Monica Conyers has admitted accepting bribes in a sludge deal, but the Detroit councilwoman's political adviser and onetime chief of staff told the Free Press she received cash and jewelry for brokering other questionable transactions.

The aide, Sam Riddle, said Conyers even helped draft a letter sent by her husband, Congressman John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., to help a man with whom she had financial ties. It is unclear whether John Conyers knew of his wife's alleged link to the businessman.

In that deal, Riddle said, Monica Conyers arranged for Riddle to get a $20,000 contract with Greektown entrepreneur Dimitrios (Jim) Papas in about 2007. Riddle said Papas hired him for crisis consulting and political advising -- but he was never asked to do any work. She then demanded $10,000 of that money as a "finder's fee," Riddle said.

At some point after Papas paid him, Riddle said, John Conyers sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in support of a controversial hazardous waste injection well in Romulus that one of Papas' companies was seeking to operate.

Federal investigators examined a variety of Monica Conyers' dealings. U.S. Attorney Terrence Berg said Sunday: "We didn't have any evidence the congressman was knowingly or intentionally involved in Ms. Conyers' illegal conduct."

Monica Conyers' lawyer wouldn't discuss Papas. And Papas did not return messages seeking comment.

Karen Morgan, John Conyers' spokeswoman, declined to discuss the letter.

Riddle: How deals got done
Monica Conyers' relationship with Riddle was complicated.

She was often his client. She was once his boss. And she sometimes found consulting work for him that put cash or jewelry in her pocket, Riddle told the Free Press on Friday in an exclusive interview.


There was the consulting deal he said Conyers set up for him with Papas -- a deal that garnered Conyers half of Riddle's $20,000 fee.

Riddle said Conyers also introduced him to the owner of Zeidman's Jewelry & Loan, a pawnshop whose efforts to relocate and expand in Southfield have become part of a federal probe into public corruption.

In that deal, Riddle said, Conyers collected jewelry from Zeidman's for her role, while Riddle received a five-figure fee and a watch from the pawnshop. Riddle said he gave some of that money to a Southfield councilman.

Conyers' lawyer Steve Fishman said of Riddle's account: "There is a factual basis for the guilty plea contained in the written plea agreement. Anything beyond the plea agreement is pure speculation."

Papas didn't return messages at his home and restaurant, nor did his attorney. Zeidman's owner, Tom LaBret, hung up on a reporter seeking comment.


On Friday, when Conyers pleaded guilty to bribery conspiracy in the $1.2-billion Synagro sludge-hauling deal, federal prosecutors said that they would describe other wrongdoing at Conyers' sentencing. They did not provide details.

Peter Henning, a Wayne State University law professor and a former federal prosecutor, said evidence of other misdeeds could convince U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn to impose a strict sentence on Conyers. Her deal with prosecutors called for a maximum of 5 years in prison.

"I think the government's going to come after her -- both barrels," Henning said. "I would not be surprised if they ask for the max."

The Papas deal
Riddle said Conyers not only arranged his deal with Papas, she drove him to Papas' Greektown office.

"The councilwoman said she had a client for me, that she would do a contract and would do a retainer for me. And it was Jim Papas," Riddle told the Free Press on Friday.

Riddle said Conyers had brokered similar deals.

"She knew she couldn't pay me" as a consultant, "so she would go about the business of finding me clients," he said.

Something about this deal was different, however.

"I didn't have to do a lot of work," Riddle said. "And the councilwoman insisted on half of my retainer as a finder's fee."

Riddle said Papas gave him checks totaling $20,000. He said he then paid the councilwoman $10,000 cash.

"While I felt it was a bit exorbitant, it didn't feel that bad given the workload, which was nil," Riddle said, adding, "It was clear he was dealing with me because of Monica, not because of any special skill set he was hoping to gain with me."

Despite the deal, Conyers was not in a position to aid Papas directly.

One of his companies, Environmental Geo-Technologies (EGT), had entered into an agreement to operate the Romulus hazardous waste injection wells for Detroit's Police and Fire Retirement System, which had invested millions in the troubled project. Conyers served on the city's general retirement fund, a separate pension for retired municipal workers.

While the police and fire pension fund supported EGT's takeover of the well, the project still needed approval from federal regulators.

Riddle said that at some point after Papas hired him, Monica Conyers' husband, U.S. Rep. John Conyers, wrote a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency seeking favorable treatment of the well project. John Conyers, the 21-term congressman, chairs the House Judiciary Committee.

Riddle gave the Free Press an unsigned copy of the letter along with a fax cover sheet from the congressman's office addressed to "Mrs. Conyers" listing her City Council fax number. Under "Comments" it says: "Draft Letter for approval." The cover letter says it was sent by Mustafa Ali, whom the congressman's spokeswoman confirmed once worked in his office.


Riddle said Monica Conyers told him she wanted him to deliver the letter to Papas, but changed her mind. He said he did not know if Papas ever got a copy of the letter.

"She generated the letter," Riddle said of Monica Conyers.

It is unclear whether Papas' alleged payments to Riddle were in any way connected to John Conyers' subsequent letter to the EPA.

In any event, at some point, John Conyers signed the letter and sent it to the agency. The Free Press independently obtained a copy of the signed letter. It is identical to the draft Riddle provided.

Ethics rules prohibit House members from contacting federal agencies on matters in which they have a personal financial interest. It is unclear whether John Conyers knew of any financial connection between his wife and Papas.

John Conyers' spokeswoman would not answer questions about the congressman's letter, including why he sent it, or whether he knew if his wife had indirectly benefited from Papas.

Federal prosecutors previously have cleared Congressman John Conyers of any role in his wife's crimes.

Riddle was unable to provide the Free Press with copies of his contract with Papas, but said federal investigators have copies. A person familiar with the probe confirmed federal agents inquired about the deal.

The EPA later rejected the specific requests sought in the Conyers letter.

The Zeidman's deal
Riddle said Conyers introduced him to Tom LaBret, the owner of Zeidman's, which was seeking to move its Southfield location to 10 Mile and Evergreen. That transaction is now under federal investigation.

"She told him that I could help him out in Southfield," Riddle said.

He said he was paid a five-figure retainer, and the wristwatch he was wearing Friday when he spoke with a Free Press reporter.

He said Monica Conyers negotiated his deal with LaBret and took jewelry for herself.

LaBret hung up on a reporter who called Saturday. He did not return a subsequent message left on his cell phone.

A person familiar with the situation confirmed Riddle's account. The person requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation.

Riddle said he gave some of his retainer to a Southfield councilman for a community project. Riddle would not name the councilman or detail how much money he gave him. He said he did not know what the community project was or whether the money ever got there.

The person who confirmed much of Riddle's account told the Free Press the councilman was William Lattimore. Lattimore is cooperating with federal authorities probing the Zeidman's transaction in Southfield. The person said Lattimore received at least $7,500.

Lattimore denied taking money and said Saturday the "city's process was not corrupted."

Lattimore accused Riddle of trying to "save his own ass."

"Unlike Sam, I'm not going to comment on my testimony to the U.S. Attorney's Office. I can't. Whatever Sam chooses to do or chooses to relinquish, I guess that's his business. I've been told I cannot comment on my testimony."

Riddle and former state Rep. Mary Waters, who live together, are caught up in the Southfield portion of the federal inquiry, though Riddle insists Waters was not involved.

"Mary Waters had absolutely nothing to do with that other than she introduced me to a councilman she knew out there," Riddle said.

The FBI tapped Riddle's phones from August 2007 until April 2008.

In return for his retainer, Riddle said, he "engaged in aggressive consulting ... quasi-lobbying," including mediating conflicts between Zeidman's and the councilman, showing renderings of the Zeidman's project and obtaining a letter of support from the councilman.

Lattimore denied signing such a letter.


Waters acknowledged that her political prospects had been damaged by the federal probe. "I think I have some explaining to do to the people, which I intend to do," she said, adding, "I did not believe that Sam or Bill, two people that I knew, were doing anything criminal."

Riddle said he didn't break the law.

"I never bribed anyone," he said. "I never attempted to buy any votes."

Staff writers Jennifer Dixon, Tina Lam and Joe Swickard contributed. Contact JIM SCHAEFER: 313-223-4542 or [email protected]. Contact M.L. ELRICK: 313-222-6582 or [email protected].

[Savonarola]

There's still a chance for a media circus:

Cockrel to Conyers: Quit or be forced out
David Josar / The Detroit News
Detroit -- City Council President Kenneth Cockrel Jr. says he will begin forcing embattled Councilwoman Monica Conyers from office unless she resigns by Tuesday.

At a press conference today in City Hall, Cockrel said he and colleagues are ready to move forward with a set of resolutions that could be voted on Tuesday to strip Conyers of all her powers and then hire attorney William Goodman to begin the process to remove her from office.

Goodman was hired to do the same with former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

"It is my opinion that pleading guilty to a federal crime, she has essentially forfeited her seat," said Cockrel, who was joined at the press conference by fellow council members Sheila Cockrel, JoAnn Watson, Brenda Jones, Alberta Tinsley Talabi and Kwame Kenyatta.

Cockrel did not know how soon forfeiture proceedings, if she refused to resign, would begin.

Cockrel said he spoke briefly with Conyers on Sunday night. She pleaded guilty on Friday to a single count of conspiracy to commit bribery.

"I did sense some degree of remorse," he said. "But she wants to take some time to make her decision."

Cockrel said Conyers indicated she wants time to consult with her husband, U.S. Rep. John Conyers, and her family.

Sheila Cockrel called on Monica Conyers to do the right thing.

"She owes it to the city of Detroit to resign immediately and save another media circus. For Detroit's sake, resign," she said.

Jones added that Conyers should resign "for the sake of her family."

The other councilmembers chose to remain silent.

Not attending were Councilwomen Martha Reeves and Barbara-Rose Collins.

Earlier today, before Cockrel's ultimatum, Conyers' spokeswoman, Denise Tolliver, said the councilwoman would attend today's council session for a scheduled vote on the expansion of Cobo Center. No such vote is on the agenda, however. Tolliver couldn't be reached for further comment.

Conyers is scheduled to chair a budget committee meeting this afternoon. As of 10:15 a.m., she was not in City Hall.

Kenneth Cockrel said parts of the council's next plan, such as what to do with Conyers' staff, are still being ironed out.

The 44-year-old Conyers admitted Friday in federal court to taking cash from a Houston-based company in exchange for her vote on a city sludge-treatment contract.

Monica Conyers faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when she's sentenced. Cockrel said last week that city attorneys were looking into whether Conyers will forfeit her council seat immediately, or whether that will happen after she's sentenced.

Last summer, council tried to begin removal proceedings against Kilpatrick, but the process was scuttled after a Wayne County judge ruled the City Charter was too vague. Kilpatrick resigned as part of a plea deal, although at the time of his decision, Gov. Jennifer Granholm had begun a proceeding where she could have used her powers to oust Kilpatrick.

This morning, Goodman said he believes the process to remove Conyers could be done "in a few weeks."

He said there was no uncertainty that the "conviction of a felony" is a clear reason for council to remove an elected official from office.

The Wayne County judge affirmed that a conviction of a felony is a valid reason to remove an elected official.

However, he also ruled that council could not remove "an elected official (who) violates any provision of the charter punishable by forfeiture" because that reason is too vague.

Council wanted to oust Kilpatirck, alleging he had used his office for private gain, that he failed to disclose a secret side deal to settle police lawsuits in return for hiding embarrassing text messages and that he spent taxpayer money while committing a charter violation.

Goodman added that he "would be honored" to help the city and the council "solve and resolve" the controversy swirling around Conyers.

If it was anyone else I'd be sure he or she would resign quietly; but Monica never ever does anything quietly.  The city charter is such that I doubt the council would be able to oust her; at least not before her term expired anyway.  Still I can't see what she would gain by remaining on the council.