Somewhere, whether in the Manoogian mansion or one of his ever more frequent trips out of town, Kwame Kilpatrick is smiling. Could the conduct of Detroit City Council President Pro-Tem Monica Conyers this week be any more inappropriate and pathetic?
At a time when Detroit is screaming out for professionalism, decorum and leadership, she conducts a public tirade more befitting an immature high schooler. By attacking Council President Ken Cockrel, by contrast a man known for his intelligence and level head, Conyers has effectively deflected attention from the real issues at hand while casting light once again on a council often chided for its ineffectiveness and unproductive in-fighting. This is who the public has enlisted their trust and representation?
While emotion can get the best of anyone, Conyer’s outbreaks included personal attacks based on appearance (“Shrek”) that all but rendered her repeated calls for respect moot and ridiculous. Who is the true grumpy ogre here? Once again an elected official from our region sends an outrageous message to the world. When will these officials take their role seriously? When will they consider the ramifications of their actions? Ditto the citizens that vote them into office.