Sheila Dixon

After graduating from college, Dixon worked as an elementary school teacher and adult education instructor with the Head Start program.[7] She then worked for 17 years as an international trade specialist with the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development.[8]

In 1986, Dixon was elected to the Baltimore City Democratic State Central Committee representing the 40th Legislative District.[9] In 1987, she won a seat on the Baltimore City Council representing the 4th Council District, where she served twelve years.[9]

In 1991, Dixon waved her shoe at white colleagues on the Baltimore City Council and yelled, "You've been running things for the last 20 years. Now the shoe is on the other foot."[10] This incident led many people, including some of her supporters, to view her as a divisive person.[11]

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."[12]

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) by 21,000 votes.[13]

As City Council President, Dixon was first in the Mayoral line of succession and became Mayor of Baltimore in January 2007 when then-Mayor Martin O'Malley resigned after being elected Governor of Maryland in November 2006.[14]

Mayor Sheila Dixon addressing Baltimore's Annapolis delegation on two Baltimore City gun related bills.

During her tenure, Baltimore's homicide rate dropped for the first time in the 30 years.[15] 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.[16] 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.[17] By April 15, 2008, the number of murders in the city had grown to 54,[18] 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.[19]

Dixon (front, third from left) cuts the parade ribbon at the 2007 Baltimore Greek Independence Day Parade with Congressman John Sarbanes.

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,[20] cracked down on the possession of illegal guns,[21] and actively secured federal and state funds for crime-fighting programs.[20]

Several city developments were completed during Dixon's tenure such as Baltimore's Inner Harbor East community, the Legg Mason Tower, and the Baltimore Hilton Hotel.

As mayor, Dixon was a member of the former Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition.[22]

Dixon ran for a full term as mayor in the 2007 election and won the Democratic Party primary in September.[23] 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 Afro-American, the AFL-CIO, former Rep. Kweisi Mfume, Minority Contractors Association, SEIU, SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, Gov. O'Malley, Comptroller Peter Franchot, Unite Here, United Auto Workers, 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,[24] but Dixon was attacked by Mitchell and Carter for not doing enough.[25] Dixon's crime plan departed from previous Mayor Martin 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.[24]

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 was the only statewide elected official to endorse Dixon until an August 13 rally where Governor Martin O'Malley gave his endorsement. Former Congressman Kweisi Mfume also endorsed Dixon at the same event in front of Baltimore's City Hall.[26] State Delegates Tom Hucker (Montgomery County), Maggie McIntosh, Curt Anderson, Cheryl Glenn, Melvin L. Stukes, Talmadge Branch, Senators Nathaniel J. McFadden and Catherine Pugh and Baltimore City Council members Robert Curran, Bernard "Jack" Young, Ed Reisinger, Stephanie Rawlings Blake and Agnes Welch have endorsed Dixon and were at the rally as well.

Dixon won the 2007 Baltimore Democratic Mayoral Primary over her closest opponent, Keiffer Mitchell Jr., with 63 percent of the total votes; she won against Republican Elbert Henderson in the general election in November.

The Democratic primary results were:[27]

General election:[28]

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."[29]

In 2008, investigators from the Office of the State Prosecutor executed a search warrant 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 filed to support a search warrant on the company Doracon was published by The Baltimore Sun in June 2008; the affidavit stated that Dixon was being investigated regarding bribery.[30][31]

On January 9, 2009, Dixon was indicted by a Baltimore grand jury on twelve counts: four counts of perjury, two counts of misconduct, three counts of theft, and three counts of fraudulent misappropriations.[3]

In November 2009, Dixon was tried for three counts of felony theft, 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.

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,[32] a PBJ is not a conviction, thereby enabling her to keep her $83,000 pension.[33] 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.[34]

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 endorsed her leading opponent, Catherine Pugh in April 2016.[35] Pugh won the Democratic primary with 37% of the vote to Dixon's 35%.[36]

On December 14, 2019, Dixon announced she was running for mayor of Baltimore in the 2020 election.[38] 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.[39] In the June 2, 2020, Democratic primary, she narrowly lost to Brandon Scott.[5]