Former mayor Sheila Dixon discusses her past and why voters should trust her to run Baltimore again
BALTIMORE -- Former Mayor Sheila Dixon wants her old job back—and is in a tight rematch with Mayor Brandon Scott in the Democratic Party primary.
On Wednesday, she received the pivotal endorsement of rival Thiru Vignarajah, which came with controversy after the Scott campaign accused Vignarajah of selling that endorsement in exchange for a position running city schools or the Baltimore Police Department.
Dixon and Vignarajah said he was not promised a position in a future Dixon administration and Vignarajah declined to comment on "private conversations" with Scott.
In this Campaign 2024 spotlight, WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren sat down with Dixon, who talks candidly about how she left office and why she wants another chance to run Baltimore City.
Hellgren asked Dixon why she wanted to be mayor again.
"That's a good question, and I have to say I gave it a lot of thought. Over the years I was out of public office, I was still very engaged in the community," Dixon said. "People literally twisted my arm. They stopped me on the street. They begged me at church. They said please just give it one more time."
Hellgren asked, "Do you think this is your last time to run?"
"Oh, this is it," the former mayor replies.
For Sheila Dixon, her final campaign is personal.
"We can't keep going around and around and dealing with the same issues as it relates to public safety, inadequate education for our young people, being the dirtiest city in America, the graffiti that's everywhere out of control," she said.
It's also about redemption.
More than 14 years ago, Dixon left office in disgrace—an embezzlement scandal—using gift cards meant for the needy.
WJZ covered every second of the trial that made national headlines.
Today, she does not run from it.
"I know I have to show other individuals who don't trust me because of my past mistakes that I'm going to be transparent, that I have to gain that trust back," Dixon said.
"What do you say to those voters? How do you get past that?" Hellgren asks.
"Some people will never forgive me, and I get that, and I have to move forward. But I serve a god that is forgiving, and I know based on my faith and my love for the people of this city," Dixon said. "I may not ever get certain people's support, but ultimately, when people see my actions and what I'm going to do, then I believe that will help to change people's minds."
She wants to clean up the trash and focus on the crime fight.
A recent Goucher/Banner poll found 71 percent of voters think litter is a major issue. 88 percent say crime is a major issue.
While murders and non-fatal shootings are down significantly, Dixon said many do not feel safe.
"When you are coming out of your house to take your child to school or go to work and your car is gone, that's a huge impact," Dixon said.
Speaking on her past administration, she said, "We did it in a strategic manner, not by locking everybody up that the mayor is accusing me of. That's so incorrect. We were very targeted. We were getting guns off the street, but we were also dealing with quality-of-life crimes," she said.
"We're short now 600 to 700 officers. People are leaving faster than ever. We were able to maintain officers and recruit," Dixon said.
She has the endorsement of top city prosecutor Ivan Bates among others.
Dixon said she wants to improve how City Hall functions.
42 percent of voters graded the city a "D or an "F" when it came to delivering overall services.
"I just saw the city was beginning to be very dysfunctional," she said.
The former mayor called for balance in the massive redevelopment project at the Inner Harbor.
"I think having some apartments would be great for Harborplace, but I don't necessarily think we need 900," she said.
In the interview, Dixon strongly rejected Mayor Scott's criticism she cut rec centers.
While the latest polling shows Scott slightly ahead, Dixon, who is also a second-degree black belt in karate, remains a formidable challenger
"Former Mayor Sheila Dixon has a really strong base of support, an almost unshakeable base of support. The question is always with the Dixon candidacy—is can she expand beyond that base, especially if other candidates get into the race to split up an anti-incumbent vote?" said Goucher College's Mileah Kromer.
Dixon acknowledges her support.
"I have a solid base in this city, and it's not a small base. It's a pretty significant base," she told Hellgren
Asked what she wants her legacy to be, Dixon said, "The city has all the jewels and the ingredients to be successful. 20 years from now, people will see because my contribution and what I did throughout this entire city, that I made that impact."
This is Sheila Dixon's third campaign for mayor.
