Students react to charges as Dixon prepares for trial
As Baltimore's first female mayor, Sheila Dixon has for the past few years overseen many projects and initiatives throughout the city. However, aside from running Baltimore, Dixon has also been the focus of an ongoing criminal investigation.Â
On Nov. 9, the mayor will appear in court to defend herself against a number of criminal charges. She stands accused of stealing charitable gift cards that were supposed to be given to low-income families.Â
Dixon also has two perjury counts against her for failing to report thousands of dollars worth of gifts given to her by her former boyfriend, Ronald Lipscomb.Â
However, the mayor's office is doing its best to project a confident attitude towards the pending trial.
When asked about the implications the trial might have on her office as well as the Democratic Party in Baltimore, official spokesman Scott Peterson was positive.Â
"We're not going to go ahead and think [that a conviction is likely] . . . She has declared her innocence and she will prevail," Peterson said.
Dixon's office went on to note that despite the pressure of her charges, the mayor has effectively utilized her time as mayor thus far. The mayor and her office are hopeful that the citizens of Baltimore will look beyond the scandal of a trial to what Dixon has accomplished as a leader in the community.Â
"I think if you look at some of what we've had to deal with this year in terms of budge and the current economic situation of Baltimore, I think that the citizens of the city will note that we're doing a great job", said Peterson. He pointed out several accomplishments of the office, including increasing recycling by fifty percent. "When you look at the numbers and the results, progress has been made", he asserted, regardless of the Dixon's charges.
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Lipscomb, the mayor's former boyfriend, is a prominent real-estate developer, and it is alleged that before Dixon was elected mayor, as City Council President she voted on contracts in his favor in return for these gifts.Â
On Nov. 9, the mayor will appear in court to defend herself against a number of criminal charges. She stands accused of stealing charitable gift cards that were supposed to be given to low-income families.Â
Dixon also has two perjury counts against her for failing to report thousands of dollars worth of gifts given to her by her former boyfriend, Ronald Lipscomb.Â
However, the mayor's office is doing its best to project a confident attitude towards the pending trial.
When asked about the implications the trial might have on her office as well as the Democratic Party in Baltimore, official spokesman Scott Peterson was positive.Â
"We're not going to go ahead and think [that a conviction is likely] . . . She has declared her innocence and she will prevail," Peterson said.
Dixon's office went on to note that despite the pressure of her charges, the mayor has effectively utilized her time as mayor thus far. The mayor and her office are hopeful that the citizens of Baltimore will look beyond the scandal of a trial to what Dixon has accomplished as a leader in the community.Â
"I think if you look at some of what we've had to deal with this year in terms of budge and the current economic situation of Baltimore, I think that the citizens of the city will note that we're doing a great job", said Peterson. He pointed out several accomplishments of the office, including increasing recycling by fifty percent. "When you look at the numbers and the results, progress has been made", he asserted, regardless of the Dixon's charges.
Â
Lipscomb, the mayor's former boyfriend, is a prominent real-estate developer, and it is alleged that before Dixon was elected mayor, as City Council President she voted on contracts in his favor in return for these gifts.Â
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