Sheila Dixon
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sheila Ann Dixon (born December 27, 1953) is an American politician who served as the forty-eighth mayor of
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, Maryland. When the former mayor,
Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as the 61st Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. O'Malley ...
, was sworn in as governor on January 17, 2007, Dixon, the president of the
Baltimore City Council The Baltimore City Council is the legislative branch that governs the City of Baltimore and its more than 600,000 citizens. It has 14 members elected by district and a president elected at-large; all serve four-year terms. The Council holds reg ...
, served out the remaining year of his term. In November 2007, she was elected mayor. She was the first African-American woman to serve as president of the City Council, Baltimore's first female mayor, and Baltimore's third black mayor. On January 9, 2009, Dixon was indicted on twelve felony and misdemeanor counts, including perjury, theft, and misconduct. The charges stem partly from incidents in which she allegedly misappropriated gift cards intended for the poor. On December 1, 2009, the jury returned a "guilty" verdict on one misdemeanor count of fraudulent misappropriation and Dixon received probation provided she resign as mayor as part of a plea agreement, effective February 4, 2010. She was succeeded by the City Council president,
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake (born March 17, 1970) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 50th Mayor of Baltimore from 2010 to 2016, the second woman to hold that office. She has also served as secretary of the Democratic Nationa ...
, on February 4, 2010. By December 2012, Dixon had completed all of the terms of her probation. The case closed by the end of 2012. In 2016, she unsuccessfully sought election as Mayor of Baltimore; she was defeated in the Democratic primary by State Senator
Catherine Pugh Catherine Elizabeth Pugh (born March 10, 1950) is an American former politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the 51st mayor of Baltimore from 2016 to 2019, when she resigned amid a scandal that eventually led to criminal char ...
. She then unsuccessfully challenged Pugh as a
write-in candidate A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...
in the general election. In the 2020 Baltimore mayoral election, she again sought the Democratic nomination, but narrowly lost in the June 2 primary to
Brandon Scott Brandon Maurice Scott (born April 8, 1984) is an American politician serving as the mayor of Baltimore, Maryland since 2020. The city of Baltimore uses a strong mayor-council structure for their government, meaning Scott holds strong mayoral po ...
.


Early life and education

Dixon was born and was raised in the Ashburton neighborhood of West Baltimore. Her father, Phillip Dixon Sr., was a car salesman, and her mother, Winona Dixon, was a community activist. Dixon attended the Baltimore City public schools and graduated from Northwestern High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from
Towson University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university h ...
and a master's degree from
Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...
.


Career


Education and government

After graduating from college, Dixon worked as an elementary school teacher and adult education instructor with the Head Start program. She then worked for 17 years as an international trade specialist with the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. In 1986, Dixon was elected to the Baltimore City Democratic State Central Committee representing the 40th Legislative District. In 1987, she won a seat on the Baltimore City Council representing the 4th Council District, where she served twelve years.


Shoe comment

In 1991, Dixon waved her shoe at white colleagues on the
Baltimore City Council The Baltimore City Council is the legislative branch that governs the City of Baltimore and its more than 600,000 citizens. It has 14 members elected by district and a president elected at-large; all serve four-year terms. The Council holds reg ...
and yelled, "You've been running things for the last 20 years. Now the shoe is on the other foot." This incident led many people, including some of her supporters, to view her as a divisive person. Dixon explained her earlier comment by stating that she had "matured" since making the shoe comment and that she now attempts "to communicate better with individuals."


City Council presidency

In 1999, Dixon was elected president of the Baltimore City Council, the first African-American woman elected to this position. In 2003, she won her re-election race for president of the Baltimore City Council, defeating her nearest competitor (
Catherine Pugh Catherine Elizabeth Pugh (born March 10, 1950) is an American former politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the 51st mayor of Baltimore from 2016 to 2019, when she resigned amid a scandal that eventually led to criminal char ...
) by 21,000 votes.


Mayor of Baltimore

As City Council President, Dixon was ex officio
mayor pro tempore ''Pro tempore'' (), abbreviated ''pro tem'' or ''p.t.'', is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a ''locum tenens'' (placeholder) in the absence of ...
, and ascended as mayor when
Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as the 61st Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. O'Malley ...
resigned after being elected
Governor of Maryland The Governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers ...
in November 2006. During her tenure, Baltimore's homicide rate dropped for the first time in the 30 years. In 2007 she introduced a crime plan that focused on more community policing and using police resources to target the most violent offenders. To combat crime, Dixon appointed Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III, who supported her neighborhood crime strategy. In February 2008, the Baltimore City Police reported a sharp decline in homicides in Baltimore. According to police there were 14 murders in the city for the month of January, the lowest monthly total in 30 years. As of April 2008, there had been a 40% reduction in murders in the city after experiencing a record high in 2007 during Dixon's first year in office. By April 15, 2008, the number of murders in the city had grown to 54, the lowest total to this time of the year in recent memory, putting the city on pace for 189 murders in 2008. By the end of 2008, the murder count was 234—a 17% reduction over the previous year. While her critics complained that crime had risen in Baltimore during her tenure and that she did not pay enough attention to the issue, her record shows that she had increased police patrols,Topic Galleries – baltimoresun.com
/ref> cracked down on the possession of illegal guns, and actively secured federal and state funds for crime-fighting programs. Several city developments were completed during Dixon's tenure such as Baltimore's Inner Harbor East community, the
Legg Mason Tower Legg Mason Tower is a 24-story glass high-rise located at 100 International Drive in Baltimore's Harbor East development. Completed in May 2009, the waterfront skyscraper was developed by Harbor East Development Group, and reaches a height of ...
, and the Baltimore Hilton Hotel. As mayor, Dixon was a member of the former
Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition Everytown for Gun Safety is an American nonprofit organization which advocates for gun control and against gun violence. Everytown was created in 2013 when Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America joined forc ...
.


2007 mayoral election

Dixon ran for a full term as mayor in the 2007 election and won the Democratic Party primary in September. Dixon maintained a strong fundraising advantage throughout the campaign. Scores of public officials, unions and newspapers endorsed the Mayor's campaign. This includes ''
The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'', ''
The Baltimore Afro-American The ''Baltimore Afro-American'', commonly known as ''The Afro'' or ''Afro News'', is a weekly African-American newspaper published in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the flagship newspaper of the ''AFRO-American'' chain and the longest-running Africa ...
'', the AFL-CIO, former Rep.
Kweisi Mfume Kweisi Mfume ( ; born Frizzell Gerald Gray; October 24, 1948) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for Maryland's 7th congressional district, first serving from 1987 to 1996 and again since 2020. A member of the Democratic ...
, Minority Contractors Association,
SEIU Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union representing almost 1.9 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States and Canada. SEIU is focused on organizing workers in three sectors: healthcare (over half of members ...
, SEIU United Healthcare Workers East,
Gov A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
. O'Malley,
Comptroller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior-level executi ...
Peter Franchot Peter Van Rensselaer Franchot (born November 25, 1947) is an American politician who is the 33rd Comptroller of Maryland. A member of the Democratic Party, Franchot served for 20 years in the Maryland House of Delegates representing Takoma Park ...
,
Unite Here UNITE HERE is a labor union in the United States and Canada with roughly 300,000 active members. The union's members work predominantly in the hotel, food service, laundry, warehouse, and casino gaming industries. The union was formed in 2004 by ...
,
United Auto Workers The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers (UAW), is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States (including Puerto Rico ...
, and others. A major issue during the primary mayoral campaign was crime. By mid-2007, homicides in Baltimore were on pace to surpass 300 for the year, the most since the early years of the O'Malley administration. On June 19, Dixon presented her crime plan to 500 Baltimore police officers, but Dixon was attacked by Mitchell and Carter for not doing enough. Dixon's crime plan departed from previous Mayor
Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as the 61st Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. O'Malley ...
's as it stressed community policing and focusing on apprehending the most violent offenders as opposed to zero tolerance. As of June 19, there were 146 homicides and 340 non-lethal shootings in the city. By the end of July 2007, Dixon's campaign had been endorsed by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council of the Maryland AFL-CIO collectively as well as several individual union endorsements. Maryland Comptroller
Peter Franchot Peter Van Rensselaer Franchot (born November 25, 1947) is an American politician who is the 33rd Comptroller of Maryland. A member of the Democratic Party, Franchot served for 20 years in the Maryland House of Delegates representing Takoma Park ...
was the only statewide elected official to endorse Dixon until an August 13 rally where Governor
Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as the 61st Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. O'Malley ...
gave his endorsement. Former Congressman
Kweisi Mfume Kweisi Mfume ( ; born Frizzell Gerald Gray; October 24, 1948) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for Maryland's 7th congressional district, first serving from 1987 to 1996 and again since 2020. A member of the Democratic ...
also endorsed Dixon at the same event in front of Baltimore's City Hall. State Delegates Tom Hucker (Montgomery County),
Maggie McIntosh Margaret L. "Maggie" McIntosh (born December 22, 1947) is an American politician from the state of Maryland. She was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1993 to 2023. She is a former Baltimore City Public School teacher who now chai ...
,
Curt Anderson Curtis Stovall Anderson (born October 12, 1949) is an American politician, lawyer and former broadcast journalist. He was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1983, is the chairman of the Baltimore City Delegation, and past cha ...
,
Cheryl Glenn Cheryl Diane Glenn (born May 27, 1951) is an American politician. She was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Maryland's 45th legislative district which is situated in northeast Baltimore. She resigned in December 2019 in ...
, Melvin L. Stukes,
Talmadge Branch Talmadge Branch (born January 30, 1956) is an American politician who represents the 45th legislative district in the Maryland House of Delegates. Branch has been in office since 1995 and is currently the House majority whip. Delegate Branch i ...
, Senators Nathaniel J. McFadden and
Catherine Pugh Catherine Elizabeth Pugh (born March 10, 1950) is an American former politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the 51st mayor of Baltimore from 2016 to 2019, when she resigned amid a scandal that eventually led to criminal char ...
and Baltimore City Council members Robert Curran, Bernard "Jack" Young, Ed Reisinger,
Stephanie Rawlings Blake Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake (born March 17, 1970) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 50th Mayor of Baltimore from 2010 to 2016, the second woman to hold that office. She has also served as secretary of the Democratic Nationa ...
and Agnes Welch have endorsed Dixon and were at the rally as well.


Results

Dixon won the 2007 Baltimore Democratic Mayoral Primary over her closest opponent,
Keiffer Mitchell Jr. Keiffer Jackson Mitchell Jr. (born September 28, 1967) is an American politician from Baltimore, Maryland, who once served in the Maryland House of Delegates and the Baltimore City Council and was a candidate in the 2007 mayoral election. Backg ...
, with 63 percent of the total votes, virtually assuring her of a full term in this overwhelmingly Democratic city. She then defeated Republican Elbert Henderson in the general election in November, becoming the first woman elected in her own right as mayor. The Democratic primary results were: General election: In her first inaugural address as Mayor, Dixon alluded to what she considers people's wrong impression of her and stated, "I want you to know that I am much more than a newspaper headline or a sound bite on the evening news."


Prosecution

In 2008, investigators from the Office of the State Prosecutor executed a
search warrant A search warrant is a court order that a magistrate or judge issues to authorize law enforcement officers to conduct a search of a person, location, or vehicle for evidence of a crime and to confiscate any evidence they find. In most countries, ...
at Dixon's residence in southwest Baltimore. Around the same time, several subpoenas were issued to aides. The investigation looked at gifts, including several fur coats, as well as Dixon's spending habits. Two of Dixon's associates—campaign chair Dale Clark and Mildred Boyer, a businesswoman who had hired Dixon's sister—pleaded guilty in 2008 to tax charges and cooperated with prosecutors during the Dixon investigation. The
affidavit An ( ; Medieval Latin for "he has declared under oath") is a written statement voluntarily made by an ''affiant'' or '' deponent'' under an oath or affirmation which is administered by a person who is authorized to do so by law. Such a statemen ...
filed to support a search warrant on the company Doracon was published by ''
The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'' in June 2008; the affidavit stated that Dixon was being investigated regarding bribery. On January 9, 2009, Dixon was indicted by a Baltimore grand jury on twelve counts: four counts of
perjury Perjury (also known as foreswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an inst ...
, two counts of
misconduct Misconduct is wrongful, improper, or unlawful conduct motivated by premeditated or intentional purpose or by obstinate indifference to the consequences of one's acts. It is an act which is forbidden or a failure to do that which is required. Misc ...
, three counts of
theft Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...
, and three counts of fraudulent misappropriations.


Fraud trial

In November 2009, Dixon was tried for three counts of
felony theft Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...
, three counts of misdemeanor embezzlement/misappropriation, and a single count of misconduct of office. The trial began on November 10, 2009, with Arnold M. Weiner serving as lead counsel. During the trial, two counts (one theft charge and one embezzlement/misappropriation charge) were dropped when prosecutors declined to call a key witness. On December 1, 2009, after seven days of deliberations, the jury returned verdicts on four of the five remaining counts. Dixon was found not guilty of the two felony theft charges, and one count of misconduct of office. She was found guilty on one misdemeanor embezzlement charge relating to her use of over $600 worth of retail store gift cards that were intended to be distributed to needy families. The jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision regarding the final charge of misdemeanor embezzlement.


Resignation and Probation

On January 6, 2010, as part of a plea agreement reached with prosecutors, Dixon announced that she was resigning as mayor, effective February 4, 2010. Under the terms of the agreement Dixon will get probation before judgment (PBJ) in the recent case where she had been found guilty, as well as in a perjury trial that had been scheduled for March 2010. Under the Criminal Procedure Article, sec. 6–220 of the
Annotated Code of Maryland The Annotated Code of Maryland, published by The Michie Company, is the official codification of the statutory laws of Maryland. It is organized into 36 named articles. The previous code, organized into numbered articles, has been repealed. Amend ...
, a PBJ is not a conviction, thereby enabling her to keep her $83,000 pension. Also, under Maryland law, a PBJ may be expunged from one's record once the probationary period is over. Dixon was sentenced to four years of probation under the terms of the agreement. She also will be required to donate $45,000 to the Bea Gaddy Foundation and to serve 500 hours of community service at Our Daily Bread. In addition, she has agreed to sell gifts she received from developers, including a fur coat and electronics that she purchased with gift cards. She agreed to not seek office anywhere in the state of Maryland, including Baltimore during the term of her probation and she will not solicit or accept taxpayer money to pay her defense fees.


2016 Mayoral election

In 2015, Dixon made a second attempt at becoming mayor of Baltimore. She was the front-runner in the Democratic primary until early 2016, when Congressman
Elijah Cummings Elijah Eugene Cummings (January 18, 1951October 17, 2019) was an American politician and civil rights advocate who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1996 until his death in 2019, when he was succeeded by his predecess ...
endorsed her leading opponent,
Catherine Pugh Catherine Elizabeth Pugh (born March 10, 1950) is an American former politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the 51st mayor of Baltimore from 2016 to 2019, when she resigned amid a scandal that eventually led to criminal char ...
in April 2016. Pugh won the Democratic primary with 37% of the vote to Dixon's 35%.


2020 Mayoral election

On December 14, 2019, Dixon announced she was running for mayor of Baltimore in the 2020 election. After the first campaign finance reporting date in mid January of 2020, Dixon's campaign reported that it had raised roughly $100,000. Incumbent Mayor Jack Young, also running for mayor, had $960,000 cash on hand during the same reporting period. In the June 2, 2020, Democratic primary, she narrowly lost to
Brandon Scott Brandon Maurice Scott (born April 8, 1984) is an American politician serving as the mayor of Baltimore, Maryland since 2020. The city of Baltimore uses a strong mayor-council structure for their government, meaning Scott holds strong mayoral po ...
.


Personal life

Twice divorced, Dixon raised her two children, Jasmine and Joshua, as a single mom. She is the aunt of professional basketball player
Juan Dixon Juan Dixon (born October 9, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player and the current head coach for Coppin State University in Baltimore. Dixon led the University of Maryland Terrapins to their first NCAA championship in 2002 a ...
, who led the University of Maryland to the 2002 NCAA championship, and Jermaine Dixon, who played guard for the University of Pittsburgh Men's Basketball Team. An active member of Bethel A.M.E. Church and former church trustee, Dixon continues to serve as a member of the Stewardess Board. She serves on other boards, including the Institute of Human Virology, the Transplant Resource Center, the Urban Health Initiative, the Baltimore Public Markets Corporation, the Living Classrooms Foundation, and the
Walters Art Museum The Walters Art Museum, located in Mount Vernon-Belvedere, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, is a public art museum founded and opened in 1934. It holds collections established during the mid-19th century. The museum's collection was amassed ...
.


References


External links


CityMayors profile
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dixon, Sheila 1953 births 20th-century Methodists African-American mayors in Maryland African-American Methodists American female criminals Johns Hopkins University alumni Living people Maryland Democrats Mayors of Baltimore Northwestern High School (Baltimore) alumni People of the African Methodist Episcopal church Towson University alumni Women in Maryland politics Women mayors of places in Maryland African-American city council members in Maryland Maryland politicians convicted of crimes African-American women mayors