An Open Letter to Monica Conyers

City Council President Pro-Tempore Conyers,

I respect your husband's dedication to the people of Southeast Michigan. Many of my neighbors in the region feel the same way, which is why his endorsement of you, his wife, in 2005 was taking with such merit.

I generally respect the politicians that represent me at every level, whether I agree with them or not. As a youth in northern Michigan, I respected and liked both of the U.S. Senators from Michigan, despite them being political polar opposites. They seemed like kind, genuine people who meant well, and that was enough to earn my respect.

When I moved to metro Detroit, I had heard the stories about the corruption and comical disorder in city politics. Living in Oakland County for three years, I heard all of the bias against the city of Detroit and its residents from those in the suburbs. I can understand how frustrating things like the Cobo Hall issue must be for you, a lifelong Detroit resident, who is forced to deal with the obvious anti-Detroit sentiment from someone like Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson. Having seen first-hand how frustrating the political system can be, I cannot imaging how tough it must be to be in the midst of it on a daily basis.

Now I come to the real reason I write this letter. You see, all of the previous paragraph taken into consideration, it is still far past time for your political career to come to a close. Put simply, It's Time for You to Resign.

We've all heard about the time you called City Council President Ken Cockrel "Shrek" in the middle of a meeting. We saw your foolish attempts to defend yourself to a child:

We've heard about the alleged bar fights, the rumors of guns, of mocking other City Council members physical disabilities, and your intended fight for control of the City Council last month. All of which call your character and your ability to lead into question.

Then we heard this week that a federal indictment should be expected any day on corruption and bribery charges. Your response, as we should have anticipated, was neither coherent or respected: "If you're not praying for me, you're adding to the problem." (As an aside, Councilwoman Conyers, I'd encourage you to read the words of Laura Berman in the Detroit News while they are still available on line.) You are facing what could potentially be a long time in prison because of lying and taking bribes. This is the type of situation that a public servant should either: defend vigorously because of their innocence or resign immediately because of their guilt. Your arrogance toward the situation tells us that you don't care, a very similar public response given by a certain former mayor of Detroit.

Councilwoman Conyers, I believe you when you say "I love helping people; I love my city. It's all about helping people in the city of Detroit." I think that reflects the reason why you entered city politics in the first place. The difficulty is that leadership requires a certain character that is beyond reproach. And with the resume of bad behavior and mistakes you have made, it is past time for the city of Detroit to have you out of leadership.

I realize that the November elections are not far off, and you could take the easy route and leave it in the hands of the voters at that time. But as someone who, like you, loves my city, I'm asking you to take the route of difficulty and decency and officially withdraw from reelection. It will save our city and its people the heartache and humiliation that another political trial and scandal would cause. Please have pity on your constituents and do not make us go through it all over again. We can't afford it.

Sincerely,

A Concerned Citizen of Detroit