Sheila Dixon | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Dixon in 2007 | |
| 49th Mayor of Baltimore | |
| In office January 17, 2007 – February 4, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Martin O'Malley |
| Succeeded by | Stephanie Rawlings-Blake |
| President of the Baltimore City Council | |
| In office December 1999 – January 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Lawrence Bell[1] |
| Succeeded by | Stephanie Rawlings-Blake |
| Member of the Baltimore City Council from the 4th District | |
| In office December 1987 – December 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Kweisi Mfume Michael Mitchell[2] |
| Succeeded by | Catherine Pugh[2] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sheila Ann Dixon December 27, 1953 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Juan Dixon (nephew) |
| Education | Towson University (BA) Johns Hopkins University (MA) |
Sheila Ann Dixon (born December 27, 1953) is an American politician who served as the 48th mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, after mayor Martin O'Malley was sworn in as governor on January 17, 2007. Dixon, then president of the Baltimore City Council, served out the remaining year of her term and won the mayoral election in November 2007. Dixon 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 by then State prosecutor Robert A. Rohrbaugh, on twelve felony and misdemeanor counts, including perjury, theft, and misconduct. The indictment alleged the personal use of gift cards, donated by two prominent Baltimore real estate developers, Patrick Turner and Ronald Lipscomb.[3] In December 2009, the jury delivered a guilty verdict on one count of "fraudulent misappropriation by a fiduciary" and acquitted her on two counts of felony theft, and one count of misconduct in office.[4] As part of a plea agreement made in December 2009, Dixon received probation in exchange for stepping down as mayor. She was succeeded by then City Council president, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.[5]
Dixon has remained active in the Baltimore community and sought reelection for mayor in 2016. She was defeated in the Democratic Primary by then State Senator Catherine Pugh, who received 2,408 more votes than Dixon.[6] Dixon challenged Pugh as a write-in candidate in the general election, but lost with 51,716 votes.[7] In the 2020 Baltimore mayoral election, she again sought the Democratic nomination, but narrowly lost to candidate Brandon Scott.[8] On September 7, 2023, she announced a third election bid to return to the mayoralty in 2024, but was once again defeated by Mayor Scott in the 2024 Democratic primary. [9]
- ^ "Baltimore City Council Presidents, 1923-present". msa.maryland.gov. Maryland State Archives. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ^ a b "Baltimore City Council, 1923-present". msa.maryland.gov. Maryland State Archives. Archived from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ^ https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc5300/sc5339/000113/012000/012811/unrestricted/20100688e-018.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Baltimore Mayor Guilty of Gift Card Theft - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. December 1, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ "Ex-Baltimore mayor resolves probation violations". WBAL-TV. December 7, 2012. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
- ^ "2016 Election Results". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ "2016 Election Results". elections.maryland.gov. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ^ Opilo, Emily; Richman, Talia (June 9, 2020). "Baltimore's Democratic voters nominate Scott for mayor in narrow primary victory over former officeholder Dixon". Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- ^ Opilo, Emily (September 7, 2023). "Former Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon to run again in 2024, apologizes again for crimes that forced her from office". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.