Bolding is mine.....
Monday, May 11, 2009
Cockrel: I didn't change locks on Conyers
Darren A. Nichols / The Detroit News
Detroit --A spokesman for Kenneth Cockrel Jr. is denying he changed the locks on the City Council president's office, blaming Monica Conyers for making his transition from interim mayor go poorly.
Daniel Cherrin, spokesman for Cockrel, said Conyers' own Executive Protection Unit officer changed the locks this morning. Today, she blamed Cockrel, who is returning as council president after serving as mayor since September.
"It's another example of Monica Conyers trying to play politics rather than focusing on the important issues of the city," Cherrin said. "She just continues to find ways to put Monica in the media. It wasn't (Cockrel) who said lock her out. When is it going to end with her antics?"
Earlier today, Conyers called the media to the office she is vacating to make way for Cockrel. She said Cockrel called a police sergeant to change the locks about 7:30 a.m. and claimed staffers didn't have access to the office until about 11:30 a.m.
"I get a call from my staff. They cannot get in the office," Conyers said. "No call to me on the phone, not nothing. I don't want any problems from anybody. (But) the first time something would have happened, you would have said Monica did it. That wasn't right."
Cockrel is expected to return to the Detroit City Council on Tuesday. He lost his bid to keep the job as mayor last week to Dave Bing, who was sworn in as mayor today.
Cockrel did not attend today's council session, but his nameplate is attached to the seat that's available for the president. Cockrel's office began making the transition late last week.
"How can you be the mayor and the president all at the same time?" Conyers said. "He's just overpowered our office with all of his stuff. You just can't come in and take over. That's not right. He's making it difficult."
Saturday, Conyers said she would willingly return to her old post as council president pro-tem -- the panel's second-in-command -- and said the media exaggerated tensions between her and Cockrel.
Last week, she asked council attorneys to clarify whether Cockrel would return to the council as president. But Conyers said she did so at the request of a voter.
