In politics perceptions often count for something.
Fox 2's M.L. Elrick goes after rookie Detroit Councilwoman Mary Sheffield for posing at her June 7 birthday party with a man convicted of bribing ex-Councilwoman Monica Conyers and posting it on her Facebook page.
The convicted man, Rayford Jackson, was sentenced to five years in federal prison for bribery, and when he posed for the photo with Sheffield, he was still in a halfway house serving his term, Elrick reports.
"I couldn't help but wonder why she would want a picture with Rayford Jackson and then post it on her Facebook page," Elrick says in his report that aired Wednesday night.
In his report, Elrick hounds Sheffield at city hall, but as the video shows, she refuses to talk to him about the matter. He also calls repeatedly and gets rebuffed for an interview.
Elrick says in his report that he's not suggesting she's involved in wrongdoing, but may have used bad judgment. Elrick suggests that the photo, which has since been taken down from her Facebook page, sends the wrong message to citizens.
After the report, Elrick was in the studio with Fox 2 anchor Huel Perkins, who mentions that Sheffield's father Rev. Horace Sheffield had expressed concern months ago that some questionable people had been hanging out with his daughter, trying to gain undue influence. Elrick said Jackson was not involved in those allegations.
Perkins also says that Sheffield had sent him a response. Fox 2 aired most of the response, but not all. In an email on Thursday morning, Sheffield asked that Deadline Detroit publish the full response.
“I have been contacted several times regarding a photo I was in with members of the public while attending a public event. This is an unfortunate distraction and I have not commented thus far because I have been focused on more important issues like moving the city forward. This was one of many photos that I am regularly asked to take. I have no further comments on this matter. My efforts will be focused on increasing the quality of life for the citizens of Detroit.”
Perkins said that Jackson might appear on the Fox 2 talk show "Let It Rip" on Thursday night to address the issue.
-- Allan Lengel
