Monica Conyers enrolled at divinity school

Detroit –Monica Conyers is yearning for peace and enrolled in divinity school.

The outspoken former Detroit City Council member told The Detroit News today that she’s re-enrolled in an unnamed divinity school since resigning from the panel last year and pleading guilty to a felony bribery charge.

“I like it,” said Conyers, the wife of U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit. “It gives me peace. With all this craziness, I should have fallen down, plopped over and killed myself. But I don’t give up like that.”

Conyers wouldn’t divulge the name of the school, saying she fears the media would hound it. But she said she has no ambitions of becoming a pastor. Instead, she’d like to become a counselor.

In the meantime, Conyers is fighting last month’s 37-month sentence for accepting cash for her 2007 vote on Synagro Technologies Inc. She expressed optimism about her appeal, but declined comment on the case at her lawyers’ suggestion.

Conyers isn’t nearly as sanguine about claims from a city attorney this week that she’s refused to cooperate in an ongoing federal lawsuit accusing her of retaliation.

The attorney, Grant Ha, filed papers saying he wants to stop representing Conyers against allegations from Theodis Collins. He claims he lost his job at the Mariners Inn substance abuse center in 2009, one day after leading an unsuccessful recall effort against Conyers.

Conyers said she urged the city to file motions to dismiss the case because it is without merit.

“I’m tired of everyone just piling on trying to get the city to settle and get a settlement and the city rolling over,” Conyers said.

Read more about the conversation at detnews.com/cityhallinsider.