Detroit council looks at pay-to-play ordinance

By COREY WILLIAMS

DETROIT (AP) - As federal authorities continue a probe into public corruption in Detroit, the city council on Monday moved forward with a law designed to end pay-to-play in the awarding of contracts.

A council committee discussed a proposed ordinance that would place stringent requirements on no-bid contracts. The issue will be taken up about three weeks from now so the city's Law Department has more time to consider the matter.

The proposal arises from the investigation into a $47 million waste hauling contract approved in 2007 by the City Council by a 5-4 vote. First-term Councilwoman Monica Conyers originally voiced opposition to the deal, but later voted for it.

Conyers, wife of Democratic U.S. Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, has become one of the central figures in the scandal.

A person has told The Associated Press that she is "Council Member A" listed in a document as receiving more than $6,000 for her vote in 2007 in favor of the sludge contract with Synagro Technologies of Houston.

The information comes from a person with knowledge of the investigation who asked not to be named because the person was not authorized to speak publicly.

Conyers repeatedly has refused to comment on the case, and whether she is working out a plea deal with authorities.

While the ordinance does not address overt acts of bribery or other criminal behavior, it would prohibit awarding no-bid contracts over $25,000 to individuals or businesses making contributions to the offices of mayor, council or city clerk.

Contributions are defined as payments, gifts, loans, donations and anything of monetary value "made for the purpose of influencing the nomination or election of a candidate, or for the qualification, passage or defeat of a ballot question."

The ordinance also would limit amounts that can be contributed to elected officials through political action committees and candidate committees. Businesses violating the ordinance would not be eligible for no-bid contracts with the city for four years.

"You can't prohibit all campaign contributions," University of Detroit Law School professor Peter Henning told The Associated Press. "It's one of those areas; one of the deep, dark secrets of American political life, lobbying and campaign contributions."

Written too tightly, the ordinance may hamstring campaign financing and "lead to candidacies by people who are wealthy, but written too loosely, "the rules have no teeth," he said.

The proposal likely will undergo much discussion and refinement before it's ready for a council vote.

The Synagro scandal may have provided the impetus for it, but the ordinance would apply to anything that has the potential for public corruption, said David Whitaker, head of Research and Analysis for the council.

"That's not good public policy for people to come with a basket of money and throw it and say `I want to play,"' he said.

Detroit businessman Rayford Jackson, a Synagro contractor, pleaded guilty last week to conspiracy to commit bribery to win the deal. In January, Synagro's Michigan representative, Jim Rosendall, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery.