Full Transcript for 🎙️Episode 8: Indicted While Elected Series- Sheila Dixon’s Gift Card Grift

crime crochet, no end, black coffee crime crochet everywhere, 73 00:04:40.680 --> 00:04:42.240 So tag me in your projects. 74 00:04:42.279 --> 00:04:44.319 I would love to see them. 75 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:50.480 All right, So there is that. There's nothing else. No 76 00:04:50.720 --> 00:04:52.439 more small talk. We're about to get into the story 77 00:04:52.439 --> 00:04:55.800 because it's kind of long, but it listen, y'all, it's 78 00:04:55.879 --> 00:05:01.519 crazy Baltimore, y'all. Okay over there because this whole this 79 00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:07.920 whole month, we are dealing with Baltimore exclusively, So y'all, 80 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:11.160 y'all got some issues over there. But okay, so here 81 00:05:11.160 --> 00:05:15.879 we go. Sheila and Dixon's story starts in the heart 82 00:05:15.959 --> 00:05:19.920 of West Baltimore. Born on December twenty seventh, nineteen fifty three, 83 00:05:19.959 --> 00:05:23.240 She was raised in the city's Ashburton neighborhood by a 84 00:05:23.279 --> 00:05:26.879 working class family. Her father was a car salesman and 85 00:05:26.920 --> 00:05:29.759 her mother was a homemaker. In stealing in Dixon's strong 86 00:05:29.759 --> 00:05:34.639 community values and a tireless work ethic from an early age, 87 00:05:34.639 --> 00:05:38.879 Sheila was described as energetic and determined. Growing up during 88 00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:42.160 the tail end of segregation, Baltimore schools and parks were 89 00:05:42.199 --> 00:05:46.680 still legally segregated. In her childhood, she witnessed the challenges 90 00:05:46.800 --> 00:05:52.199 black families faced. These experiences forged her resolve to uplift 91 00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:57.600 her community. We loved that for her. Education was Dixon's 92 00:05:57.759 --> 00:06:04.360 first pathway to service. She attended Baltimore City Public schools 93 00:06:04.680 --> 00:06:08.639 and graduated from Northwestern High School. She then earned a 94 00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:12.600 bachelor's degree in early childhood education from Townsend University in 95 00:06:12.720 --> 00:06:17.399 nineteen seventy six. In the years that followed, she balanced motherhood, 96 00:06:17.480 --> 00:06:22.160 raising two young children, Jasmine Love that Name and Joshua, 97 00:06:22.920 --> 00:06:26.959 and her career ambitions. Dixon worked as an elementary school 98 00:06:26.959 --> 00:06:30.639 teacher and as an adult instructor in the head Start program, 99 00:06:31.040 --> 00:06:35.800 nurturing Baltimore's youth. Always driving for more impact, she pursued 100 00:06:35.879 --> 00:06:40.319 higher education, obtaining a master's degree in educational management from 101 00:06:40.399 --> 00:06:45.600 Johns Hopkins University in nineteen eighty five. This advanced training 102 00:06:45.680 --> 00:06:52.519 would later inform her technocratic approach to city governance. Those 103 00:06:52.560 --> 00:06:55.839 who knew Dixon in her early years described her as driven, 104 00:06:56.240 --> 00:07:00.279 community oriented, and unafraid to speak her mind. She was 105 00:07:00.279 --> 00:07:04.120 deeply involved in her church, the historic Bethelamme, known as 106 00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:08.079 a hub of Baltimore's black leadership, and various civic boards. 107 00:07:08.519 --> 00:07:12.199 By her early thirties, Dixon's passion for public service was 108 00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:19.519 pulling her from the classroom toward politics. In nineteen eighty six, 109 00:07:19.680 --> 00:07:23.120 at age thirty three, Sheila Dixon took her first steps 110 00:07:23.120 --> 00:07:26.560 into politics, winning a seat on the Baltimore City Democratic 111 00:07:26.600 --> 00:07:30.079 State Central Committee. A year later, in nineteen eighty seven, 112 00:07:30.279 --> 00:07:35.279 she won election to Baltimore City Council from the fourth District, 113 00:07:35.600 --> 00:07:39.040 representing much of West Baltimore. It was a time of 114 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:42.879 change in Baltimore politics. The city had elected its first 115 00:07:42.920 --> 00:07:49.720 African American mayor, Clarence du Burns, only the year before. Dixon, 116 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:54.480 one of few young black women on the council, immediately 117 00:07:54.519 --> 00:08:00.040 set out to make her mark. She says, QUO, So 118 00:08:00.199 --> 00:08:02.720 when I went around in my district and saw so 119 00:08:02.800 --> 00:08:06.600 many challenges. That was a driving force. She later said 120 00:08:06.720 --> 00:08:13.319 on her early determination, she gained a reputation for her 121 00:08:13.680 --> 00:08:16.839 righteous passion and willingness to challenge the status. 122 00:08:16.920 --> 00:08:17.240 Quote. 123 00:08:18.079 --> 00:08:21.639 This was vividly displayed in what became known as quote 124 00:08:21.759 --> 00:08:26.240 the Shoe Incident. In nineteen ninety one, during a heated 125 00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:32.320 council debate on redistricting, Dixon grew infuriated at remarks she 126 00:08:32.480 --> 00:08:36.960 perceived as bigoted from a white colleague in a closed session. 127 00:08:37.799 --> 00:08:40.159 In a burst of anger, she removed one of her 128 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:43.440 high heeled shoes and pounded it on the desk, shouting, 129 00:08:43.840 --> 00:08:46.840 you've been running things for the last twenty years. Now 130 00:08:46.879 --> 00:08:50.000 that shoe was on the other foot end quote. The 131 00:08:50.080 --> 00:08:53.919 dramatic gesture, literally putting the shoe on the other foot, 132 00:08:54.159 --> 00:08:57.799 stunned the chamber. Dixon later admitted she had been tempted 133 00:08:57.799 --> 00:09:00.879 to do more. She says, quote, I will so angry 134 00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:03.240 that I was going to take off my shoe and 135 00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:06.519 smack the colleague in the head end quote she told 136 00:09:06.519 --> 00:09:09.159 the son, but a fellow counsel woman stopped her and 137

00:09:10.919 --> 00:09:14.559 quote said quote that's when I banged the shoe on 138 00:09:14.600 --> 00:09:20.480 the table. The incident instantly branded Dixon in the public eye. 139 00:09:20.759 --> 00:09:27.519 Some were turned off, labeling her with the offensive, angry 140 00:09:27.559 --> 00:09:29.080 black woman stereotype. 141 00:09:29.799 --> 00:09:31.960 But for others, particularly. 142 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:35.600 In the black community, that fiery display was refreshing, a 143 00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:39.360 sign of Dixon's genuine emotion and refusal to be silenced. 144 00:09:40.559 --> 00:09:43.039 She had a lot of emotion that she would just 145 00:09:43.159 --> 00:09:47.039 wear on her sleeve. There was something very refreshing about it, 146 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:51.120 one long time Baltimore journalist said, or it's quoted to 147 00:09:51.159 --> 00:09:58.399 have said, of Dixon's unvarnished style. Her unapologetic advocacy struck 148 00:09:58.720 --> 00:10:03.720 a chord with voters who felt unhurt. As one observer noted, 149 00:10:03.879 --> 00:10:07.960 many saw her, in quote, a righteous passion that challenge 150 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:12.759 the status quote end quote. Dixon continued to build a 151 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:16.440 record focusing on social issues close to her heart. On 152 00:10:16.480 --> 00:10:20.039 the council, she championed programs for children's health, pushing for 153 00:10:20.120 --> 00:10:24.879 better nutrition and exercise to combat childhood OBC and advocated 154 00:10:25.000 --> 00:10:28.679 for the homeless and seniors. I think the politically correct 155 00:10:28.799 --> 00:10:33.519 term is unhoused. Now, please don't cancel me. By nineteen 156 00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:37.360 ninety nine, her hard work and growing base of support 157 00:10:37.480 --> 00:10:41.559 propelled her to make history. That year, Sheila Dixon was 158 00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:46.559 elected City council president, the first African American woman to 159 00:10:46.679 --> 00:10:51.679 ever hold that post in Baltimore. She won reelection to 160 00:10:51.759 --> 00:10:54.879 the council presidency in two thousand and four, proving her 161 00:10:56.240 --> 00:11:01.720 enduring appeal. Dix's leadership style blended passion with policy. No how, 162 00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:07.200 she prided herself on mastering the mechanics of government. She says, quote, 163 00:11:07.200 --> 00:11:10.679 I began to learn city government, learn the budget process. 164 00:11:11.159 --> 00:11:14.240 I wanted to know how those things work so I 165 00:11:14.279 --> 00:11:17.440 could do my job even better, Dixon said, describing how 166 00:11:17.480 --> 00:11:20.399 she threw herself into the needy gritty of running a city. 167 00:11:21.799 --> 00:11:25.720 Colleagues noted that Dixon could be tough and even combative, but. 168 00:11:25.759 --> 00:11:28.960 Also diligent and effective. Quote. 169 00:11:29.120 --> 00:11:33.720 She grew into the

job, she became more well mayoral. 170 00:11:34.120 --> 00:11:37.440 She listened a lot, and quote recalled one high ranking official, 171 00:11:37.720 --> 00:11:42.080 noting how Diction matured as a leader over time. By 172 00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:44.759 the mid two thousand, she was widely seen as next 173 00:11:44.799 --> 00:11:48.320 in line for their mayor's office, even if a few 174 00:11:48.840 --> 00:11:54.960 detractors harbored old grudges from her fiery council days. On 175 00:11:55.399 --> 00:12:00.879 January seventeenth, two thousand and seven, Sheila Dixon's moment when 176 00:12:00.919 --> 00:12:05.080 Mayor Martin O'Malley left City Hall after being elected governor 177 00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:09.879 Council President, Dixon was sworn in as Baltimore's new mayor, 178 00:12:10.279 --> 00:12:13.440 the first woman ever to hold the position and notably, 179 00:12:13.759 --> 00:12:15.840 the first African American woman. 180 00:12:15.600 --> 00:12:16.679 To leave the city. 181 00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:22.720 It was a historic milestone that resonated beyond Baltimore. She 182 00:12:22.879 --> 00:12:26.320 wasn't the first black female mayor in America, but she 183 00:12:26.759 --> 00:12:29.679 was the first to lead a city of Baltimore's size, 184 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:33.519 which was over six hundred thousand people at the time. 185 00:12:34.440 --> 00:12:37.759 For Baltimore, a majority black city with a legacy of 186 00:12:37.840 --> 00:12:42.919 black male mayors, Dixon's assent was a source of pride, 187 00:12:43.200 --> 00:12:48.919 especially for women. Understandably, she later reflected that at her inauguration, 188 00:12:49.200 --> 00:12:52.279 she saw young girls watching her take the oath and 189 00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:56.320 knew she was opening doors quote for the first time 190 00:12:56.399 --> 00:12:59.320 they saw someone who looked like them leading our city, 191 00:12:59.600 --> 00:13:03.440 she said in an interview, Emphasizing the importance of representation. 192 00:13:04.039 --> 00:13:05.600 As recalled by local. 193 00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:11.240 Media, Dixon quickly sought to turn that historic opportunity into 194 00:13:11.279 --> 00:13:14.879 tangible progress. In November two thousand and seven, she won 195 00:13:14.960 --> 00:13:18.440 election in her own right, earning a full four year 196 00:13:18.600 --> 00:13:23.759 term with a broad mandate. As mayor, she branded Baltimore 197 00:13:23.840 --> 00:13:30.279 with three words smart, tough, strong, and promised to reclaim, revive, 198 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:36.960 and rebuild this great city. Dixon's administration focused on public safety, 199 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:42.080 neighborhood revitalization, and efficient city services. Her tenures saw the 200 00:13:42.120 --> 00:13:47.360 city's homicide rate dropped its lowest level in decades, even 201 00:13:47.679 --> 00:13:53.639 as overly aggressive policing tactics were curtailed. She had made 202 00:13:53.639 --> 00:13:56.480 a point of moving away from the zero tolerance mass 203 00:13:56.559 --> 00:14:01.000 arrest policies of her predecessor, and Balti more experienced a 204 00:14:01.120 --> 00:14:05.080 twenty year low in homicides under the setting leadership of 205 00:14:05.200 --> 00:14:12.759 Police Commissioner Frederick Beaglesfield, whom Dixon championed despite political pressure. 206 00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:18.399 Community members noticed the difference quote she looked cleaned up 207 00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:21.480 the streets end quote, an older woman later said, crediting 208 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:26.399 Dixon for safer neighborhoods. Another supporter remarked that Dixon quote 209 00:14:26.519 --> 00:14:30.799 stopped the police from making illegal arrests. Balancing law enforcement 210 00:14:30.960 --> 00:14:37.159 with fairness Beyond crime and policing, Dixon racked up a 211 00:14:37.200 --> 00:14:42.080 series of policy achievements, so her achievements were cleaner and 212 00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:46.480 greener city. She introduced a single stream recycling to make 213 00:14:46.600 --> 00:14:52.120 recycling easier for residents better transit. Dixon launched the free 214 00:14:52.240 --> 00:15:00.360 charm City Circular Oh my Gosh circulator bus service, a 215 00:15:00.440 --> 00:15:06.000 popular downtown shuttle benefiting workers and tourists to like infrastructure blitz. 216 00:15:06.159 --> 00:15:12.279 Her administration undertook quote Operation Orange Cone, revamping miles of 217 00:15:12.519 --> 00:15:23.519 crumbling city roads, tackling homelessness or those the unhoused community. Yeah, 218 00:15:23.679 --> 00:15:27.759 please don't kill me the unhoused community. Under Dixon, Baltimore 219 00:15:27.799 --> 00:15:33.480 opened his first twenty four to seven emergency unhoused community 220 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:38.919 shelter to serve the city's most vulnerable, and then fiscal management. 221 00:15:39.320 --> 00:15:42.720 She often touted that she kept the city's budget balanced 222 00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:48.399 and improved basic services like trash removal and housing code enforcement. 223 00:15:48.600 --> 00:15:52.600 Which those listen, there's nothing well, I don't want to 224 00:15:52.600 --> 00:15:56.360 say there's nothing worse, but it's difficult when you keep 225 00:15:56.399 --> 00:15:58.240 your stuff right and then the house next to you 226 00:15:59.039 --> 00:16:02.960 just got trashed in cars and junk just everywhere. Like 227 00:16:03.080 --> 00:16:10.360 I yeah, so give her but Dixon's hands on management 228 00:16:10.360 --> 00:16:14.840 style quote she can't help but run things. As one 229 00:16:14.879 --> 00:16:20.200 observer noted, it started to pay dividends after decades of 230 00:16:20.519 --> 00:16:25.399 population loss. Baltimore even saw a brief uptick in residence 231 00:16:25.480 --> 00:16:29.120 during this period by two thousand and eight, some civic 232 00:16:29.120 -->

00:16:33.720 boosters felt the city was finally turning a corner. Dixon 233 00:16:33.759 --> 00:16:38.000 had grown from the rabbel rousing countwoman with a shoe 234 00:16:38.200 --> 00:16:43.039 in her hand to a confident executive. A former media 235 00:16:43.080 --> 00:16:47.120 colleague observed that over time, quote she became more well 236 00:16:47.240 --> 00:16:49.360 like I said, may or, she listened a lot quote 237 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:53.039 I said earlier, and gave citizens a sense that she 238 00:16:53.159 --> 00:16:58.840 cared about their input. But even as Mayor Dixon earned 239 00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:04.440 praise for or competent governance, storm clouds gathered on the horizon. 240 00:17:05.880 --> 00:17:10.640 Unbeknownst to many Baltimoreans cheering her on, a long running 241 00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:17.000 state investigation was zeroing in on possible corruption at City Hall. 242 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:21.640 Dixon's own history with a certain Baltimore developer and her 243 00:17:21.720 --> 00:17:26.200 handling of something as seemingly mundane as gift cards, would 244 00:17:26.279 --> 00:17:34.480 soon unravel her career in spectacular fashion. So let's get 245 00:17:34.519 --> 00:17:39.599 into the scandal and City Hall, also known as the 246 00:17:39.599 --> 00:17:47.079 gift card scheme. In the late two thousands, whispers of 247 00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:53.319 ethical issues began. The dog began to dog the Diction administration. 248 00:17:54.079 --> 00:17:58.200 In fact, the Maryland State Prosecutor's Office had been investigating 249 00:17:58.240 --> 00:18:02.680 Dixon since two thousand and six, while she was still 250 00:18:02.839 --> 00:18:08.640 city council president for potential misconduct. Initially, investigators looked at 251 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:13.200 relatively minor infractions. For example, Dixon had voted on city 252 00:18:13.240 --> 00:18:17.519 contracts that benefited her sister Jenesis employer, and she had 253 00:18:17.559 --> 00:18:21.559 employed her close friend and campaigned chairman on a city 254 00:18:21.680 --> 00:18:26.480 salary without a contract. These allegations did not immediately result 255 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:31.160 in charges, but they opened a Pandora's box. The probe 256 00:18:31.279 --> 00:18:36.000 kept digging and soon homed in on Dixon's relationships with 257 00:18:36.200 --> 00:18:43.559 city contractors and developers. What emerged was a pattern of 258 00:18:43.640 --> 00:18:49.799 Dixon using her position to enrich friends, family, and eventually herself. 259 00:18:50.920 --> 00:18:55.640 Investigative reporters later documented that as council president, Dixon steered 260 00:18:55.839 --> 00:18:59.440 no big contracts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to 261 00:18:59.559 --> 00:19:04.200 a former campaign aid and put her sister on the 262 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:09.119 payroll until media exposure forced a retreat. But the most 263 00:19:09.240 --> 00:19:15.400 damning findings centered around Ronald H. Lipscomb, a prominent Baltimore 264 00:19:15.400 --> 00:19:19.319 developer with whom Dixon had a brief romance and a 265 00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:26.519 slush fund of gift cards meant for the poor. Ron Lipscomb, 266 00:19:26.880 --> 00:19:30.880 married at the time, was a politically connected developer whose 267 00:19:30.960 --> 00:19:34.599 companies saw lucrative tax breaks and deals from the city. 268 00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:38.920 He and Dixon began a secret personal relationship around two 269 00:19:38.920 --> 00:19:44.559 thousand and three. Two thousand and four, child Lipscomb lavished 270 00:19:44.680 --> 00:19:49.119 Dixon with expensive gifts, extravagant shopping trips to New York 271 00:19:49.440 --> 00:19:53.720 designer shoes like Jimmy Choo's luxury coat, and fine dining 272 00:19:54.759 --> 00:19:58.880 he wanted dine a child in one instant, his company 273 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:04.680 dorc even purchased a two thousand dollars gift certificate at 274 00:20:04.720 --> 00:20:08.319 a high end furrier for Dixon, allowing her to pick 275 00:20:08.359 --> 00:20:13.920 out a lavish burnt umber mink coat in secret. And 276 00:20:15.240 --> 00:20:19.119 I'm supposed to picture of her not coat is lavish 277 00:20:19.640 --> 00:20:24.119 who the fur store was asked to not record the 278 00:20:24.200 --> 00:20:27.519 purchasers or recipient's name to keep it hitting y'all knew 279 00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:30.240 y'all was doing wrong. You're gonna ask them not to 280 00:20:30.640 --> 00:20:38.599 record it. Around the same time, Dixon, in her official capacity, 281 00:20:38.680 --> 00:20:43.839 voted to approve multimillion dollars city tax incentives for a 282 00:20:43.880 --> 00:20:45.960 Lipscumb development project. 283 00:20:47.240 --> 00:20:48.640 The overlap. 284 00:20:49.839 --> 00:20:53.799 Of their personal affair and public business was a glaring 285 00:20:53.960 --> 00:20:58.920 conflict of interest, one that Dixon chose not to disclose, 286 00:21:00.119 --> 00:21:03.359 as she later acknowledged her critical mistake was quote failing 287 00:21:03.359 --> 00:21:07.160 to disclose a personal relationship that influenced her decision. 288 00:21:07.240 --> 00:21:07.839 The girl. 289 00:21:12.319 --> 00:21:16.319 That wasn't the critical mistake. The critical mistake was okay anyways. 290 00:21:19.240 --> 00:21:22.599 Perhaps more shocking to the public was the revelation of 291 00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:28.279 how Dixon handled charitable donations. Several Baltimore developers, including Lipscumb's 292 00:21:28.279 --> 00:21:32.839 firm Doracon and another developer, Patrick Turner, would give bundles 293 00:21:32.880 --> 00:21:36.160 of store gift cards to the Mayor's office intended for 294 00:21:36.359 --> 00:21:42.559 distribution to needy families during the holidays. Under Mary Dixon, 295 00:21:42.680 --> 00:21:45.759 dozens of these gift cards to retailers like Best Buy

296 00:21:45.799 --> 00:21:50.799 and Target never reached the poor. Instead, Shela Dixon used 297 00:21:50.799 --> 00:21:56.640 them for herself and her staff. Girl investigators discovered that 298 00:21:56.759 --> 00:22:01.400 Dixon had gone on personal shopping sprees with the don't cards, 299 00:22:01.440 --> 00:22:06.480 buying electronics, video games, and other goodies for her own household. 300 00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:08.920 A search of a home in June two thousand and 301 00:22:08.960 --> 00:22:13.200 eight turned up evidence an Xbox console, a PlayStation controllers, 302 00:22:13.480 --> 00:22:17.279 Nintendo games, and those luxury items, some Lipscumb mink and 303 00:22:17.400 --> 00:22:21.279 leather coats, designer shoes, a trove of gifts and purchases 304 00:22:21.359 --> 00:22:23.559 that painted a picture of illicit. 305 00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:26.720 Enrichment, Like what you need? What do you need? 306 00:22:26.759 --> 00:22:32.480 An Xbox and a PlayStation and Nintendo? Like, honestly, maybe 307 00:22:32.519 --> 00:22:34.960 a gamer. You need to tell me, because I don't 308 00:22:35.039 --> 00:22:37.599 understand the point of having all three like, like, I 309 00:22:37.599 --> 00:22:42.480 guess different systems have different games, But seriously, you want Xbox, 310 00:22:42.480 --> 00:22:46.359 PlayStation and Intendo. Okay, anyways, that's not important to the story. 311 00:22:46.400 --> 00:22:51.400 I'm just that just seems successive to me. But what 312 00:22:51.519 --> 00:22:56.039 ultimately brought Dixon down was the paper trail, and in 313 00:22:56.200 --> 00:23:00.519 almost unbelievable lapse, Dixon didn't even fully cover her tracks. 314 00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:05.119 While spending the gift cards at best Buy, she dutifully 315 00:23:05.160 --> 00:23:09.279 gave the cashier her personal Best Buy rewards card, linking 316 00:23:09.359 --> 00:23:12.640 those charity gift card purchases to her own account. 317 00:23:12.799 --> 00:23:16.640 Girl, you clearly didn't think that through like at all. 318 00:23:23.799 --> 00:23:27.799 At Target, she sometimes supplemented the gift cards with her 319 00:23:27.839 --> 00:23:31.359 personal credit card, created receipts that tied her name to 320 00:23:31.400 --> 00:23:36.400 the transactions. One state prosecutors got wind of this misuse. 321 00:23:36.559 --> 00:23:40.160 It was quote relatively easy to track the dots end 322 00:23:40.240 --> 00:23:45.400 quote back to Dixon. One key witness was developer Patrick Turner, 323 00:23:45.640 --> 00:23:49.240 who testified that he genuinely believed the gift cards he 324 00:23:49.359 --> 00:23:52.400 donated were for poor families, which I don't believe him, 325 00:23:52.720 --> 00:23:56.400 testimony that helped prosecutors prove Dixon had embuzzled them for 326 00:23:56.480 --> 00:24:02.160 personal use. By early two thousand and nine, the investigation 327 00:24:02.319 --> 00:24:07.880 climaxed into a bombshell twelve count indictment against Mayor Dixon. 328 00:24:09.039 --> 00:24:16.880 The charges included felony, theft, perjury, fraud and misconduct, and office. 329 00:24:17.079 --> 00:24:19.440 Five of those accounts would later be dropped, but the 330 00:24:19.480 --> 00:24:23.759 rest proceeded to trial, airing all of Dixon's dairy, laundry 331 00:24:23.799 --> 00:24:29.000 and public The trial, which began in November two thousand 332 00:24:29.039 --> 00:24:34.680 and nine, riveted Baltimore residents learned lower details of Dixon's 333 00:24:34.759 --> 00:24:36.480 romance with Lipscomb, a. 334 00:24:36.440 --> 00:24:38.519 Married man who. 335 00:24:39.839 --> 00:24:43.680 Squired the mayor on trips to New York and provided 336 00:24:43.680 --> 00:24:47.839 her with four thousand dollars worth of fur coats and 337 00:24:47.920 --> 00:24:51.880 other luxuries. That heard about the so called gift card 338 00:24:52.079 --> 00:24:56.160 slush fund, a stash of charity gift cards from various 339 00:24:56.200 --> 00:25:04.599 businesses that Dixon controlled Obstence Geez, ostensibly to help the needy, 340 00:25:04.759 --> 00:25:10.759 but in reality tapped her own benefit. The prosecution argued 341 00:25:10.799 --> 00:25:16.720 Dixon effectively sold her influence, trading city favors for personal 342 00:25:16.799 --> 00:25:22.240 gain over many years. As one opt ed later summarized quote, 343 00:25:22.279 --> 00:25:26.160 it wasn't just about the gift cards. Dixon's ethical, moral, 344 00:25:26.200 --> 00:25:31.960 and legal transgression spanned a full decade. She had violated 345 00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:37.640 competitive bidding laws to steer contracts to Crony's, used city 346 00:25:37.759 --> 00:25:42.599 staff for campaign work, and blatantly mixed love and politics 347 00:25:42.599 --> 00:25:46.599 and the lipscumb affair. It painted a portrait of a 348 00:25:46.680 --> 00:25:52.799 politician who felt entitled to parks. Indeed, one journalist noted 349 00:25:52.799 --> 00:25:57.400 that Dixon's achilles heel was a sense that quote, I'm 350 00:25:57.440 --> 00:26:00.880 the mayor, I'm entitled to my driver, titled to my 351 00:26:00.920 --> 00:26:04.680 pay raise, and that she perhaps thought, as a black 352 00:26:04.680 --> 00:26:08.359 woman following generations of white male mayors, quote I'm gonna 353 00:26:08.359 --> 00:26:13.640 get mine just like they did, which, I mean, you know, 354 00:26:14.559 --> 00:26:17.839 I can understand, I can understand. I can understand, but Sis, 355 00:26:18.200 --> 00:26:21.359 you didn't cover your tracks. You didn't like you're trying 356 00:26:21.359 --> 00:26:23.599 to play the same game. But you're not even I 357 00:26:23.599 --> 00:26:25.200 don't know if she didn't know the rules. I don't 358 00:26:25.200 --> 00:26:27.200 know if she didn't, and I'm not I'm not trying 359 00:26:27.240 --> 00:26:30.640 to justify what she doing, But if you're going to 360 00:26:30.759 --> 00:26:35.319 equate it to what the

white men did before you. 361 00:26:35.319 --> 00:26:37.920 You have to understand that they are white men. Okay, 362 00:26:38.200 --> 00:26:40.960 you're and you're a black woman. It's not even the same. 363 00:26:41.079 --> 00:26:44.759 You're not even on the same playing field. And you 364 00:26:44.799 --> 00:26:47.000 were sloppy with it when you did it. You gotta 365 00:26:47.079 --> 00:26:51.519 be tight, like people will never probably fully understand or 366 00:26:51.599 --> 00:26:55.640 know what your predecessors did. But you just kind of 367 00:26:55.640 --> 00:26:58.200 did it like like again, like you were entitled to 368 00:26:58.240 --> 00:27:00.240 it and you were never gonna get caught or didn't 369 00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:02.759 really matter. When you're a black woman, you had a 370 00:27:02.759 --> 00:27:09.519 target on your back the whole time. Excuse this trial. 371 00:27:09.720 --> 00:27:12.680 In December two thousand and nine, the verdict came. A 372 00:27:12.799 --> 00:27:16.960 Baltimore jury acquitted Chila Dixon of most serious charges, but 373 00:27:17.039 --> 00:27:22.519 found her guilty on one count of fraudulent misappropriation, essentially 374 00:27:22.599 --> 00:27:25.480 embezzling gift cards and tended for charity, Like yeah, you 375 00:27:26.359 --> 00:27:29.480 had to get that one, you had to. The value 376 00:27:29.559 --> 00:27:32.599 of the theft was small, about five hundred dollars worth 377 00:27:32.640 --> 00:27:35.640 of Target and Best By gift cards, but the symbolism 378 00:27:35.799 --> 00:27:39.880 was enormous. The mayor of Baltimore had stolen resources meant 379 00:27:39.880 --> 00:27:44.200 for poor children, which I think I think like they 380 00:27:44.240 --> 00:27:47.240 said it was a symbolism because it wasn't that much money, 381 00:27:47.240 --> 00:27:50.799 but it was for poor children. It wasn't for I 382 00:27:50.799 --> 00:27:55.680 don't know what would have been an acceptable use of it, 383 00:27:56.319 --> 00:28:01.960 but you stole it from poor children, like and I 384 00:28:01.960 --> 00:28:03.960 think they said it was around the holidays, so this 385 00:28:04.039 --> 00:28:06.000 was supposed to be like for them for Christmas and stuff. 386 00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:10.839 I'm assuming, and you used it for your yourself or 387 00:28:10.880 --> 00:28:14.279 your household when I'm pretty sure you could have bought 388 00:28:14.279 --> 00:28:17.759 it yourself, like come on, girl, yeah, and you wouldn't 389 00:28:17.759 --> 00:28:24.000 get out of that one. Dixon, who had spent a 390 00:28:24.079 --> 00:28:28.359 career championing the under privilege, suddenly saw her name become 391 00:28:28.400 --> 00:28:33.599 synonymous with greed. Although she quote Although Sheila Dixon was 392 00:28:33.680 --> 00:28:37.079 convicted on a single misdemeanor account of stealing gift cards 393 00:28:37.119 --> 00:28:40.039 intended for the city's poor, the damage was done and 394 00:28:40.160 --> 00:28:45.240 quote CBS News reporter noted at the time, she faced 395 00:28:45.319 --> 00:28:50.039 the prospect of being forcibly removed from office under Maryland law, 396 00:28:50.359 --> 00:28:53.680 which bars officials convicted of corruption from serving. 397 00:28:55.279 --> 00:28:56.160 After the verdict. 398 00:28:59.359 --> 00:29:04.279 After the verdict, Dixon remained defiant in public, maintaining that 399 00:29:04.319 --> 00:29:07.079 she believed the gift cards in question were personal gifts 400 00:29:07.119 --> 00:29:11.119 from Lipscomb. Her attorneys argued that throughout the trial. Her 401 00:29:11.240 --> 00:29:16.599 attorneys argued that throughout the trial, what girl, come on? 402 00:29:17.119 --> 00:29:18.119 You know that wasn't it? 403 00:29:19.559 --> 00:29:20.279 In reality? 404 00:29:20.640 --> 00:29:23.319 Behind closed doors, a deal was in the works to 405 00:29:23.400 --> 00:29:27.640 resolve the remaining charges and determine her faith. With a 406 00:29:27.680 --> 00:29:31.039 second trial on two counts of perjury looming in March 407 00:29:31.359 --> 00:29:35.200 twenty ten for her failure to report Lipscombe's gifts on 408 00:29:35.279 --> 00:29:39.920 financial disclosure forms, Dixon's lawyers and prosecutors hammered down a 409 00:29:39.960 --> 00:29:44.119 plea agreement. Facing the likely end of her political career, 410 00:29:44.559 --> 00:29:48.079 Dixon made a stark choice. She agreed to resign as 411 00:29:48.200 --> 00:29:53.720 mayor as part of the deal. On January sixth, twenty ten, 412 00:29:54.039 --> 00:29:56.799 Shila Dixon stood before the press and the people of 413 00:29:56.839 --> 00:30:00.680 Baltimore and formally announced she would step down. It was 414 00:30:00.720 --> 00:30:04.240 a stunning fall from grace for the city's first female mayor. 415 00:30:04.279 --> 00:30:05.599 In just three years. 416 00:30:05.839 --> 00:30:09.519 After just three years in office, Fighting back tears, Dixon 417 00:30:09.559 --> 00:30:14.400 addressed a live television audience. She says, quote, it is 418 00:30:14.440 --> 00:30:17.400 with deep regret and sadness that I'm resigning as a mayor, 419 00:30:17.880 --> 00:30:24.359 she said in a wavering voice, In an uncharacteristic moment 420 00:30:24.359 --> 00:30:29.359 of vulnerability, the typically tough Dixon began to cry, quote, 421 00:30:29.799 --> 00:30:33.640 I'm saddened not by the decision I made, but because 422 00:30:33.680 --> 00:30:38.200 I had a great staff who worked hard, and I 423 00:30:38.240 --> 00:30:40.839 love the city and I love the people of the city. 424 00:30:41.000 --> 00:30:44.160 End quote she managed to say as applause broke out 425 00:30:44.319 --> 00:30:48.519 in the room. The sight of Sheila Dixon, eyes wet, 426 00:30:49.079 --> 00:30:53.519 voice cracking was something Baltimore had never seen before. A 427 00:30:53.599 --> 00:30:56.559 reporter in attendance noted it was quote a rare show 428

00:30:56.599 --> 00:30:59.599 of emotion from the mayor. A woman with a black 429 00:30:59.599 --> 00:31:03.680 belt and martial arts sought a sort of a tough 430 00:31:03.799 --> 00:31:11.640 check end quote. And it in jeez, I cannot talk today, y'all. 431 00:31:11.720 --> 00:31:17.279 And it engineered sympathy even among some critics. Dixon's stoic 432 00:31:17.359 --> 00:31:21.759 facade had finally cracked. The plea deal she accepted was 433 00:31:21.839 --> 00:31:26.319 lenient in some ways but punitive in others. Dixon entered 434 00:31:26.359 --> 00:31:29.599 an outward plea to one kind of perjury, meaning she 435 00:31:29.720 --> 00:31:32.400 did not admit guilt, but concede that the state had 436 00:31:32.440 --> 00:31:37.680 evidence to convict her. Under the deal, all criminal charges 437 00:31:37.720 --> 00:31:41.920 will be dropped after compliance, leaving her without a criminal record. 438 00:31:42.680 --> 00:31:47.880 She was sentenced to four years of probation, unsupervised, five 439 00:31:47.960 --> 00:31:52.480 hundred hours of community service, and a forty five thousand dollars. 440 00:31:52.200 --> 00:31:53.319 Donation to Cherry. 441 00:31:54.359 --> 00:31:58.359 Crucially, she was allowed to keep her city pension of 442 00:31:58.440 --> 00:32:02.400 eighty three thousand dollars per year, a point that enraged 443 00:32:02.480 --> 00:32:08.480 some taxpayers. I mean, yeah, I might be upset about 444 00:32:08.480 --> 00:32:14.319 that too, because you're resigning and you got convicted, but 445 00:32:14.880 --> 00:32:18.119 you're allowed to keep eighty three First of all, if 446 00:32:18.160 --> 00:32:19.000 you make it eighty three. 447 00:32:18.839 --> 00:32:19.400 Thousand a year. 448 00:32:19.400 --> 00:32:21.079 I don't understand why you took the gift cards in 449 00:32:21.119 --> 00:32:23.440 the first place. Clearly you were not pressed for money. 450 00:32:23.680 --> 00:32:28.279 Eighty three thousand dollars as a mayor is you and 451 00:32:28.680 --> 00:32:33.359 two children? Like ma'am, what did you need them gift 452 00:32:33.400 --> 00:32:36.880 cars for? I'd happy mad too if I if I 453 00:32:36.880 --> 00:32:39.920 lived in Baltimore. But on her end, that's a sweet deal. 454 00:32:40.839 --> 00:32:46.000 You don't have a criminal record and you avoided jail, 455 00:32:47.440 --> 00:32:48.960 and you get to keep you eighty three thousand a 456 00:32:49.039 --> 00:32:53.119 year like you set you set girl. Okay, So she 457 00:32:53.200 --> 00:32:55.680 got a sweet deal, but I was If I was 458 00:32:56.400 --> 00:32:59.119 a taxpayer Baltimore, I would be enraged. 459 00:32:59.279 --> 00:33:00.519 Yeah. 460 00:33:00.599 --> 00:33:05.599 In exchange, Dixon agreed to resign from office on February fourth, 461 00:33:05.720 --> 00:33:08.880 twenty ten, and was barred from running for any city 462 00:33:08.920 --> 00:33:10.720 office for at least two years. 463 00:33:11.559 --> 00:33:13.160 With this, she really got

a. 464 00:33:13.160 --> 00:33:17.319 Good deal, like really, Essentially, Baltimore would be rid of 465 00:33:17.359 --> 00:33:21.200 Mayor Dixon, but she would avoid jail and eventually walk 466 00:33:21.240 --> 00:33:26.119 away legally clear. As part of the negotiations, her attorney 467 00:33:26.279 --> 00:33:31.240 had bluntly played hardball. If Dixon didn't get to keep 468 00:33:31.279 --> 00:33:35.079 her pension, they threatened she would remain mayor and tie 469 00:33:35.119 --> 00:33:39.599 the city up. And appeals for years to avert a 470 00:33:40.400 --> 00:33:45.839 protracted crisis of a convicted mayor clinging to office prosecutors 471 00:33:46.160 --> 00:33:51.240 yielded quote. Otherwise Baltimore would have been stuck with a 472 00:33:51.319 --> 00:33:56.400 convicted thief running city office end quote. One commentary observed 473 00:33:56.559 --> 00:34:03.519 of the deal, and so at noon on February fourth, 474 00:34:03.680 --> 00:34:10.400 twenty ten, Sila Dixon reluctantly vacated the mayor's seat. City 475 00:34:10.440 --> 00:34:14.039 Council President Stephanie Rawlings Blake was sworn in as the 476 00:34:14.079 --> 00:34:20.119 new mayor that day, assuring a smooth transition transition. Dixon's 477 00:34:20.119 --> 00:34:25.199 final act as mayor was tinged with bitterness and remorse. Notably, 478 00:34:25.320 --> 00:34:28.760 during her resignation remarks, she stopped short of a direct 479 00:34:28.960 --> 00:34:34.599 apology when reporters pressed her about saying I'm sorry, Dixon's 480 00:34:34.599 --> 00:34:38.960 demeanor shifted. She became defiant again, simply acknowledging she had 481 00:34:39.079 --> 00:34:42.679 quote disappointed herself, the citizens, and her staff end quote, 482 00:34:43.119 --> 00:34:47.880 but not explicitly apologizing for wrongdoing. To many, it seemed 483 00:34:47.880 --> 00:34:51.840 Dixon still struggled to admit guilt even as she bowed 484 00:34:51.880 --> 00:34:59.360 out in disgrace. Public reaction to Dixon's downfall was deeply divided. 485 00:35:00.159 --> 00:35:03.519 On one hand, there was anger and disappointment, a sense 486 00:35:03.559 --> 00:35:06.840 that she had betrayed the public's trust. Quote we shouldn't 487 00:35:06.880 --> 00:35:11.400 be settled with a thief from mayor. You can't trust 488 00:35:11.400 --> 00:35:15.440 a thing she says, and quote said one disgusted resident. 489 00:35:15.480 --> 00:35:20.159 When Dixon later hinted at a comeback, Editorial pages condemned 490 00:35:20.199 --> 00:35:24.360 her actions as a profound moral failing. Stealing from the 491 00:35:24.480 --> 00:35:27.920 poor is a hard sin to forgive. Yet on the 492 00:35:27.960 --> 00:35:32.480 other hand, Dixon retained a well of goodwill and portions 493 00:35:32.679 --> 00:35:37.000 of the community. Some supporters saw the punishment as excessive 494 00:35:37.079 --> 00:35:40.159 for what they viewed as a small transgression, and they 495 00:35:40.239 --> 00:35:44.280 remembered her successes as mayor. This split in public sentiment 496 00:35:44.320 --> 00:35:49.599 will become very evident in the years ahead, which Okay, 497 00:35:49.719 --> 00:35:52.039 I don't see how they saw the punishment as success 498 00:35:52.039 --> 00:35:55.000 that once this basically got off for free, she didn't 499 00:35:55.000 --> 00:35:58.199 have a criminal record, she got to keep her pension 500 00:35:59.599 --> 00:36:02.920 and she did and see the inside of jail at all, Like, 501 00:36:03.039 --> 00:36:05.719 how was that to I mean, I know that the 502 00:36:05.800 --> 00:36:08.360 amount was five hundred dollars. Maybe that's why they say 503 00:36:08.360 --> 00:36:11.159 it was too harsh, But again it's the principle you 504 00:36:11.280 --> 00:36:15.360 stole from needy children. I don't think she I don't 505 00:36:15.360 --> 00:36:19.599 think the punishment was excessive at all. Like, in my opinion, 506 00:36:19.599 --> 00:36:21.559 it was. It was a little like they could they 507 00:36:21.559 --> 00:36:22.679 could have did a little bit more. 508 00:36:24.320 --> 00:36:40.360 But let's see. 509 00:36:37.000 --> 00:36:41.559 So aftermath and community response. In the immediate aftermath of 510 00:36:41.599 --> 00:36:46.000 the scandal, Baltimore's mood was somber and somewhat surreal. The 511 00:36:46.039 --> 00:36:49.760 city had lost a promising leader to a self inflicted wound. 512 00:36:50.559 --> 00:36:54.719 Community reactions often broke along lines of race and personal experience, 513 00:36:55.280 --> 00:36:58.760 but then Baltimore's Black community many felt complicated emotions, which 514 00:36:58.760 --> 00:37:01.480 I understand embarrass smith that one of their own had 515 00:37:01.559 --> 00:37:06.119 stumbled so publicly, but also a measure of sympathy. Seeing 516 00:37:06.159 --> 00:37:12.000 Dixon's tearful resignation, some longtime supporters removed her display of 517 00:37:12.039 --> 00:37:19.400 emotion quote eng engineered sympathy for those who were her 518 00:37:19.480 --> 00:37:23.440 supporters end quote. An NPR reporter noted, even as opponents 519 00:37:23.440 --> 00:37:27.719 saw it as too little, too late, callers to radio 520 00:37:27.800 --> 00:37:31.000 shows and letters to the editors showed a mix of 521 00:37:31.079 --> 00:37:36.400 fury and forgiveness. Quote I forgive her, but I don't forget, 522 00:37:36.920 --> 00:37:42.039 said one West Baltimore votal voter, encapsulating the conflicted feelings. 523 00:37:42.079 --> 00:37:47.159 Willing to give Dixon another chance personally, yet mindful of 524 00:37:47.159 --> 00:37:52.519 her mistakes, especially in predominantly African American neighborhoods that had 525 00:37:52.519 --> 00:37:56.920 benefited from Dixon's policies. There was a narrative that quote, 526 00:37:57.000 --> 00:37:59.960 she did wrong, but she also did a lot of good. 527 00:38:01.039 --> 00:38:05.360 In fact, as time passed, a significant portion of

baltimorean's 528 00:38:05.800 --> 00:38:08.960 began to focus less on the scandal and more on 529 00:38:09.000 --> 00:38:14.719 the city's persistent problems. Dixon's successor, Mayor Rawlings Blake, faced 530 00:38:14.760 --> 00:38:18.840 her own challenges, most notably in twenty fifteen unrest following 531 00:38:18.920 --> 00:38:24.119 Freddie Gray's death and police custody, and the mayor after that, 532 00:38:24.320 --> 00:38:27.679 Catherine Pugh, who we will get you, would resign in 533 00:38:27.719 --> 00:38:31.159 twenty nineteen and made a corruption scandal of her own. 534 00:38:32.159 --> 00:38:32.960 A lot of these. 535 00:38:32.760 --> 00:38:38.000 Events, some Baltimore residents started to reevaluate Sheila Dixon compared 536 00:38:38.039 --> 00:38:41.679 to the turmoil that followed the riots, the surgeon Burder rate, 537 00:38:41.719 --> 00:38:45.880 and yet another mayoral corruption case. Dixon's misdeeds began to 538 00:38:45.920 --> 00:38:50.599 look to some like a forgivable lapse. Quote people say 539 00:38:50.800 --> 00:38:53.519 she did a good job as mayor except for that mistake, 540 00:38:54.000 --> 00:39:00.559 observed Malia Kromer, a political a local political scientist, noting 541 00:39:00.599 --> 00:39:05.239 a divide in public opinion. Quote, there's a break between 542 00:39:05.360 --> 00:39:08.840 people who say the embezzlement is forgiven because she did 543 00:39:08.880 --> 00:39:11.760 such a good job, and people who are just surprised 544 00:39:11.800 --> 00:39:14.039 that voters are willing to look past it. 545 00:39:14.239 --> 00:39:16.079 End quote. 546 00:39:16.320 --> 00:39:21.000 That divide often ran along racial lines. Baltimore is roughly 547 00:39:21.079 --> 00:39:25.599 sixty three percent black thirty percent white, and in the 548 00:39:25.599 --> 00:39:30.159 democratic primaries that decide the mayor, black voters comprised an 549 00:39:30.199 --> 00:39:34.119 even larger share. Polling in later years showed that black 550 00:39:34.199 --> 00:39:37.599 voters were far more willing to forgive Dixon than white voters. 551 00:39:38.519 --> 00:39:42.000 A decade after her resignation, fifty four percent of black 552 00:39:42.079 --> 00:39:47.199 Baltimore voters still viewed Dixon favorably, while only fifteen percent 553 00:39:47.239 --> 00:39:59.280 of white voters did. Dixon herself spoke to this, arguing 554 00:39:59.360 --> 00:40:03.440 that African Americans understood the context and were more empathetic. 555 00:40:04.559 --> 00:40:08.000 Quote I think sometimes African Americans are more forgiving and 556 00:40:08.039 --> 00:40:12.000 whites tend to be more judgmental end quote she observed 557 00:40:12.000 --> 00:40:16.280 in twenty twenty. Whether that is broadly true or not, 558 00:40:16.760 --> 00:40:20.280 in Dixon's case, the racial gap in support was real. 559 00:40:21.480 --> 00:40:26.039 Many black Baltimoreans remembered the tangible improvements during her tenure 560 00:40:26.679 --> 00:40:31.039 cleaner streets, lower crime, responsive leadership, and felt that one 561 00:40:31.079 --> 00:40:35.639 mistake shouldn't eraise an entire legacy. Some even suspected that 562 00:40:35.679 --> 00:40:40.679 Dixon had been selectively prosecuted or treated more harshly because 563 00:40:40.800 --> 00:40:44.440 of who she was. Her lawyer had argued during the 564 00:40:44.519 --> 00:40:48.920 trial that the investigation was politically motivated by a Republican 565 00:40:48.960 --> 00:40:54.840 appointed prosecutor with a quote singular personal obsession to bring 566 00:40:54.880 --> 00:41:01.320 her down, though prosecutors vehemently denied any bias. Public protest 567 00:41:01.760 --> 00:41:06.519 against Dixon was relatively muted after her resignation. There were 568 00:41:06.519 --> 00:41:09.320 no loud demonstrations calling for her head since she had 569 00:41:09.320 --> 00:41:14.760 already stepped aside, Yet neither was there a grounds well 570 00:41:14.800 --> 00:41:20.559 of pity. Most understood that justice however, unpleasant had been served. 571 00:41:21.400 --> 00:41:26.639 Dixon completed her community service quietly, often volunteering at food 572 00:41:26.679 --> 00:41:31.239 banks and mentoring programs out of the spotlight, and dutifully 573 00:41:31.280 --> 00:41:34.719 paid forty five thousand dollars to a local charity as ordered. 574 00:41:36.199 --> 00:41:38.760 Over the next few years, she largely stayed out of 575 00:41:38.800 --> 00:41:42.519 the headlines, working for a small nonprofit, the Maryland Minority 576 00:41:42.559 --> 00:41:47.000 Contractors Association as a marketing director, and focusing on her 577 00:41:47.079 --> 00:41:51.800 family and church. Baltimore moved on, but it didn't forget 578 00:41:51.800 --> 00:41:55.679 she the Dixon and barbershops and church basements. People would 579 00:41:55.719 --> 00:41:59.199 still debate her downfall. Was it a tragic mistake by 580 00:41:59.239 --> 00:42:03.559 an otherwise effect active leader, or evidence that she never 581 00:42:03.639 --> 00:42:08.239 deserved the public's trust. As one bewildered voter put it, quote, 582 00:42:08.280 --> 00:42:11.039 we accept that she may have been a good mayor, 583 00:42:11.360 --> 00:42:17.440 but we're not sure she's a good person. Which I'm yeah, 584 00:42:17.559 --> 00:42:21.199 I can kind of see that this lingering doubt hungover 585 00:42:21.320 --> 00:42:26.320 Dixon's reputation. Only time and her own actions could answer 586 00:42:26.320 --> 00:42:31.880 the questions of redemption. So this is also interesting because 587 00:42:33.119 --> 00:42:38.920 she only had that two year ban I think on 588 00:42:39.039 --> 00:42:42.880 money for office. So she did attempt three comebacks in 589 00:42:42.920 --> 00:42:45.960 twenty sixteen, twenty twenty and twenty twenty four. So let's 590 00:42:45.960 --> 00:42:50.239 get into that Shila Dixon did not stay in political 591 00:42:50.280

--> 00:42:54.960 exile forever. Baltimore's quote fallen mayor became in the ensuing 592 00:42:55.039 --> 00:43:00.320 years a determined comeback kid, launching not one, not two, 593 00:43:00.719 --> 00:43:03.880 but three separate campaigns to reclaim the mayor's office. 594 00:43:03.920 --> 00:43:04.440 She lost. 595 00:43:05.320 --> 00:43:08.840 Each run would test the public's capacity for forgiveness and 596 00:43:08.960 --> 00:43:14.079 Dixon's ability to confront her past, so in twenty sixteen 597 00:43:15.440 --> 00:43:19.440 the attempted return. By twenty fifteen, Baltimore was at a 598 00:43:19.480 --> 00:43:23.960 crossword cross roads. The city had been rocked by the 599 00:43:24.000 --> 00:43:28.480 April twenty fifteen Freddie Gray unrest and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings 600 00:43:28.519 --> 00:43:32.559 Blake announced she would not seek reelection sinceing and opening, 601 00:43:32.760 --> 00:43:37.719 Dixon entered the twenty sixteen mayoral race seeking vindication. Her 602 00:43:37.760 --> 00:43:40.599 pitch to voters was straightforward. I'm learning from my mistakes 603 00:43:40.639 --> 00:43:43.960 and I could leave Baltimore forward. She openly acknowledged her 604 00:43:44.000 --> 00:43:48.360 past and broad terms quote clearly at disappointed people. I 605 00:43:48.519 --> 00:43:52.639 was embarrassed, I was devastated, Dixon said, describing her feelings 606 00:43:52.679 --> 00:43:56.599 about the scandal, But she urged voters to look at 607 00:43:56.599 --> 00:44:00.880 her record, promising that Baltimore needed her experience leadership to 608 00:44:00.960 --> 00:44:05.679 heal with crime spiking and trusting the city low. Dixon 609 00:44:05.760 --> 00:44:10.159 positioned herself as the steady hand to the city missed. 610 00:44:12.039 --> 00:44:17.119 Many voters respond to positive positively. By early twenty sixteen, 611 00:44:17.320 --> 00:44:21.360 she was considered the front runner and the crowded Democratic primary. 612 00:44:24.440 --> 00:44:30.800 Dixon's campaign was met with both enthusiastic support and fierce resistance. 613 00:44:31.519 --> 00:44:35.719 A coalition of critics mobilized to remind everyone of gift cardgate. 614 00:44:36.599 --> 00:44:41.119 A blog called Baltimore Rising sprang up to rally anti 615 00:44:41.280 --> 00:44:45.320 Dixon sentiments, pointedly asking voters, quote, are you willing to 616 00:44:45.480 --> 00:44:48.559 bet the future of your family and the city on 617 00:44:48.719 --> 00:44:51.000 a candidate who is a convicted criminal? 618 00:44:52.760 --> 00:44:53.599 A super? 619 00:44:54.320 --> 00:44:59.480 Is that a fair title because her record is clean? 620 00:45:00.599 --> 00:45:05.880 So is she a convicted criminal or not because she 621 00:45:05.960 --> 00:45:08.159 doesn't have a record. 622 00:45:08.880 --> 00:45:09.320 Interesting? 623 00:45:09.920 --> 00:45:15.119 A super pac ominously named clean Slate. Baltimore flooded the 624 00:45:15.199 --> 00:45:20.639 airwaves with attack ads, and one blistering ad. An actor spoke, 625 00:45:20.800 --> 00:45:25.119 as if directly to Dixon, quote you put fur coats 626 00:45:25.199 --> 00:45:29.039 and expensive shoes above us, you cannot be mayor again? 627 00:45:30.360 --> 00:45:37.159 Which yikes, very straightforward and yes, very direct to Dixon. 628 00:45:38.840 --> 00:45:39.920 Campaign literature. 629 00:45:40.079 --> 00:45:43.960 Even featured a fake mugshot of Dixon hammering home the 630 00:45:44.000 --> 00:45:48.679 image of her as a criminal. Dixon handled these attacks 631 00:45:48.840 --> 00:45:50.000 with outward calm. 632 00:45:50.440 --> 00:45:50.840 Quote. 633 00:45:51.159 --> 00:45:54.679 Of course, I've got to win people's trust back, she admitted, 634 00:45:55.280 --> 00:45:58.000 Despite some of the negative things that have happened, we 635 00:45:58.079 --> 00:46:05.159 can heal end quote. She ran on a robust platform, 636 00:46:05.159 --> 00:46:10.159 promising to raise the minimum wage, extend school hours, and 637 00:46:10.280 --> 00:46:13.039 reduce violent crime, essentially picking up. 638 00:46:12.960 --> 00:46:13.760 Where she left off. 639 00:46:14.039 --> 00:46:17.159 Girl, you have me until you said extend school hours, 640 00:46:17.199 --> 00:46:18.599 Like school is already. 641 00:46:18.679 --> 00:46:20.199 Way longer than it needs to be. 642 00:46:20.280 --> 00:46:25.599 Like what was your rationale for wanting to extend school hours? 643 00:46:25.639 --> 00:46:28.280 I'm not I'm not understanding that one. 644 00:46:29.679 --> 00:46:35.159 As a Democratic primary, the real contest in heavily democratic 645 00:46:35.199 --> 00:46:40.039 Baltimore approached in April twenty sixteen. Pole showed a tight race. 646 00:46:40.760 --> 00:46:45.840 Dixon's strongest rival was State Senator Catherine Pewte. In a 647 00:46:45.880 --> 00:46:49.559 field of dozen of a dozen candidates, the contest became 648 00:46:49.639 --> 00:46:53.920 a two women's showdown. Pete argued it was the first 649 00:46:54.239 --> 00:46:57.639 it was time to move forward, while Dixon argued only 650 00:46:57.760 --> 00:47:01.719 she had the know how to fix baltimore Worth problems. 651 00:47:02.320 --> 00:47:07.719 The final weeks were acrimonious. Dixon accused Pew of ethical 652 00:47:07.800 --> 00:47:14.000 lapses and fundraising, which will be interesting when we get 653 00:47:14.039 --> 00:47:19.800 to Pew's episode. Pugh's supporters blasted Dixon's corruption. One voter 654 00:47:20.679 --> 00:47:26.199 captured the sentiment of Dixon's detractors with blunt finality quote 655 00:47:26.320 --> 00:47:31.159 for me, it was anybody but Sheila. The corruption thing 656 00:47:31.280 --> 00:47:36.800 was just too much end quote, which day, That's crazy. 657 00:47:37.280 --> 00:47:42.519 On primary night twenty sixteen, Baltimoreans were riveted as voles 658 00:47:42.599 --> 00:47:45.400 rolled in. It became clear this would be a nail bider. 659

00:47:46.000 --> 00:47:50.519 When the dust settled, Sheila Dixon narrowly lost to Catherine 660 00:47:50.519 --> 00:47:56.039 Pew thirty four percent to thirty seven percent. Dixon had 661 00:47:56.079 --> 00:48:02.119 won a strong plurality of black working class districts, while 662 00:48:02.199 --> 00:48:08.320 Pugh carried other areas. Early voting with higher turnout tipped 663 00:48:08.360 --> 00:48:12.960 the balance to Pew and her concession. At the downtown bar, 664 00:48:13.199 --> 00:48:18.199 Dixon stood flanked by her tearful children quote. Now it's 665 00:48:18.239 --> 00:48:20.519 time to open up a new chapter in the city, 666 00:48:20.719 --> 00:48:24.159 She told supporters. We need to build on what this 667 00:48:24.360 --> 00:48:29.159 campaign stood for, love of the city, pride. I'm not 668 00:48:29.199 --> 00:48:32.519 through yet. We will make a difference. Despite the loss, 669 00:48:32.519 --> 00:48:36.239 Dixon's strong finished signal that a large chunk of Baltimore 670 00:48:36.280 --> 00:48:40.159 had indeed forgiven her enough to almost return her to office. 671 00:48:40.320 --> 00:48:47.280 It was a bittersweet validation, close but not victory. Twenty 672 00:48:47.320 --> 00:48:52.039 twenty second chance, second loss. In twenty twenty, history oddly 673 00:48:52.119 --> 00:48:57.760 repeated itself. Mary Catherine Pew ironically had resigned in disgrace 674 00:48:57.800 --> 00:48:59.599 in twenty nineteen, which I'm telling y'all we were going to 675 00:48:59.679 --> 00:49:01.559 We're doing and Catherine p next week, so I'm not 676 00:49:01.599 --> 00:49:07.559 gonna give too much away. But with the mayor's office 677 00:49:07.679 --> 00:49:11.559 open yet again, Dixon jumped into the twenty twenty race, 678 00:49:12.760 --> 00:49:16.960 framing herself as the candidate of proven experience in a 679 00:49:17.000 --> 00:49:22.159 city fed up with violence in corruption. By now, Baltimore's 680 00:49:22.199 --> 00:49:27.559 homicide rate has skyrocketed, and many residents nostalgically. 681 00:49:26.800 --> 00:49:28.960 Recalled Dixon's era of lower crime. 682 00:49:29.719 --> 00:49:33.960 Her slogan could well have been remember when things were better. 683 00:49:34.719 --> 00:49:38.719 She frequently reminded voters that violent crime had declined during 684 00:49:38.760 --> 00:49:41.960 her tenure and boasted of the lowest crime rate in 685 00:49:41.960 --> 00:49:46.840 twenty five years under her watch. Her campaign ads featured 686 00:49:46.880 --> 00:49:51.440 everyday citizens attesting Sheila Dixon is the best mayor we've 687 00:49:51.480 --> 00:49:58.000 ever had. In quote, Dixon bet that Baltimoreans' desire for 688 00:49:58.320 --> 00:50:02.440 competence and safety with outweigh lingering reservations about her past. 689 00:50:04.320 --> 00:50:07.960 Running against her was a younger generation of leaders, chief 690 00:50:08.000 --> 00:50:12.199 among them City Council president Brandon Scott, a thirty six 691 00:50:12.320 --> 00:50:18.039 year old reform minded politician. The twenty twenty Democratic primary 692 00:50:18.079 --> 00:50:22.519 became a referendum returned to the season but tainted leadership 693 00:50:22.519 --> 00:50:25.920 of Dixon or opt for a new face in Scott. 694 00:50:26.800 --> 00:50:30.840 The race was again very close. It took nearly a 695 00:50:30.920 --> 00:50:34.119 week to count mail in ballots. The election was conducted 696 00:50:34.199 --> 00:50:38.440 during the COVID nineteen pandemic. In the end, Brandon's got 697 00:50:38.599 --> 00:50:43.480 edged out Sheila Dixon by just two percentage points twenty 698 00:50:43.559 --> 00:50:46.719 nine point six percent to twenty seven point five percent 699 00:50:47.239 --> 00:50:51.119 in a six way race. Dixon had won more total 700 00:50:51.239 --> 00:50:53.920 votes than she did in twenty sixteen, but with so 701 00:50:54.000 --> 00:50:58.280 many candidates splitting the vote, it wasn't enough. She formally 702 00:50:58.360 --> 00:51:06.199 conceded after days of suspense. Even in defeat, twenty twenty 703 00:51:06.440 --> 00:51:10.800 proved the enduring loyalty of dixon'space. She won most of 704 00:51:10.840 --> 00:51:13.960 the city's black working class neighborhoods, while Brandon Scott did 705 00:51:14.000 --> 00:51:17.800 well among younger voters and more progressive college age voters. 706 00:51:18.360 --> 00:51:23.599 The Baltimore Sun described many voters being practically torn Dixon's 707 00:51:23.599 --> 00:51:28.000 baggage versus her track record. Dixon herself continued to express 708 00:51:28.119 --> 00:51:32.239 contrition mixed with justification. I am sorry for the mistakes 709 00:51:32.280 --> 00:51:34.280 I made that brought my term to an end, she 710 00:51:34.320 --> 00:51:38.159 said at her twenty twenty campaign launch, vowing to work 711 00:51:38.199 --> 00:51:42.119 three times as hard to make up for them. Yet 712 00:51:42.199 --> 00:51:47.000 when asked to specify her wrongdoing, she would she would 713 00:51:47.000 --> 00:51:54.400 say own sorry, She would only say failing to disclose 714 00:51:54.440 --> 00:52:01.519 a personal relationship was her chief mistake. Careful phrasing admitting 715 00:52:01.719 --> 00:52:05.119 an error of judgment not disclosing her affair, rather than 716 00:52:05.239 --> 00:52:08.920 outright apologizing for theft, was Dixon's way of seeking forgiveness 717 00:52:08.920 --> 00:52:15.039 without fully owning criminal intent. It likely helped some fence 718 00:52:15.079 --> 00:52:19.639 sitters trust her. As one older voter told Politico during 719 00:52:19.679 --> 00:52:23.400 the twenty fourty race, quote I've been in Baltimore my 720 00:52:23.599 --> 00:52:26.000 entire life, and Sheila Dixon is the best mayor we've 721 00:52:26.000 --> 00:52:26.519 ever had. 722 00:52:26.679 --> 00:52:27.239 End quote. 723 00:52:28.039 --> 00:52:31.719 So in twenty twenty four, she gave it one more try. 724

00:52:33.880 --> 00:52:39.599 Unbowed by two narrow defeats, Dixon announced yet another mayor 725 00:52:39.880 --> 00:52:42.800 run in late twenty twenty three, aiming for the twenty 726 00:52:42.840 --> 00:52:47.800 twenty four election, and a Baltimore Son opted title quote, 727 00:52:47.840 --> 00:52:51.719 I'm running for mayor and I'm sorry. Dixon formally apologized 728 00:52:51.760 --> 00:52:57.320 once more for her quote past discretions and confirmed her candidacy. 729 00:52:57.440 --> 00:53:02.440 This marked her third bid to retake Hall. At age seventy, 730 00:53:02.800 --> 00:53:06.280 Dixon framed herself as an elder stateswoman who had learned 731 00:53:06.360 --> 00:53:08.840 her had learned hard lessons. 732 00:53:09.639 --> 00:53:10.159 Quote. 733 00:53:10.559 --> 00:53:13.960 I have truly made mistakes in my personal life, one 734 00:53:14.000 --> 00:53:17.119 of which resulted in a misdemeanor charge that forced my 735 00:53:17.239 --> 00:53:20.320 resignation from the job I loved the most, end quote, 736 00:53:20.320 --> 00:53:24.400 she wrote, adding quote, I let matters of the heart 737 00:53:24.519 --> 00:53:28.360 lead me astray once before. For that and the pain 738 00:53:28.440 --> 00:53:32.239 it caused my beloved Baltimore, I am truly sorry end quote. 739 00:53:33.559 --> 00:53:37.559 In that poignant letter, Dixon acknowledged the toll of her 740 00:53:37.639 --> 00:53:41.519 scandal while highlighting that her conviction was a misdemeanor, not 741 00:53:41.639 --> 00:53:45.559 a felony, a point she stressed to mitigate the stigma. 742 00:53:45.679 --> 00:53:50.960 In the twenty twenty four campaign pitted Dixon against incumbent 743 00:53:51.280 --> 00:53:57.079 Mayor Brandon Scott, seeking a sex second term. Dixon's platform 744 00:53:57.199 --> 00:54:02.679 emphasized her classic themes reducing crime, improving schools, and restoring accountability. 745 00:54:03.400 --> 00:54:06.199 Standing in a West Baltimore park at her announcement a 746 00:54:06.239 --> 00:54:10.920 former dumping ground she had helped clean up, Dixon declared, quote, 747 00:54:11.159 --> 00:54:15.280 I'm the most transparent person, the most trustworthy person, because 748 00:54:15.320 --> 00:54:19.000 when you make mistakes, you do everything to improve upon yourself. 749 00:54:19.159 --> 00:54:19.639 End quote. 750 00:54:20.840 --> 00:54:24.440 It was a bold claim, essentially arguing that her past 751 00:54:24.440 --> 00:54:30.440 sins were her passins made her more qualified now, not less. 752 00:54:30.880 --> 00:54:33.960 She pointed to ongoing struggles in Baltimore and argued she 753 00:54:34.199 --> 00:54:38.119 had the know how to fix them, citing calls she 754 00:54:38.320 --> 00:54:44.159 still received from citizens needing help with city services. By 755 00:54:44.199 --> 00:54:49.440 this time, voters had heard Dixon's Mia, mia, colpa's and 756 00:54:49.480 --> 00:54:53.920 promises before the question was with third time be the charm. 757 00:54:54.239 --> 00:54:57.599 The primary election in May twenty twenty four showed that 758 00:54:57.639 --> 00:55:01.440 while Dixon remained a formidable figure, the city was ready 759 00:55:01.480 --> 00:55:05.599 to move on. Mary Scott defeated her by a convincing margin, 760 00:55:06.079 --> 00:55:10.119 fifty one percent to forty one percent. Dixon carried many 761 00:55:10.159 --> 00:55:14.119 of the same precedents as in prior races, but Scott's 762 00:55:14.199 --> 00:55:18.679 incumbency and improvements, and notable dropping homicides under his watch 763 00:55:18.920 --> 00:55:24.519 gave him a broader coalition, a surprise to many observers 764 00:55:24.880 --> 00:55:28.000 was not the Dixon laws, but that the race even 765 00:55:28.079 --> 00:55:31.719 appeared close in polls. A mid April pole had shown 766 00:55:31.760 --> 00:55:36.239 a near tie, suggesting Dixon's message still resonated strongly in 767 00:55:36.360 --> 00:55:40.039 parts of Baltimore. In the end, however, voters chose to 768 00:55:40.159 --> 00:55:42.960 quote stay the course rather than return to the past. 769 00:55:44.039 --> 00:55:47.960 Upon her defeat, Dixon left her election night event before conceding, 770 00:55:48.400 --> 00:55:52.199 waiting until mail in ballads were counted. When it was clear, 771 00:55:52.400 --> 00:55:55.920 she conceded, and Mary Scott declared, quote tonight, you made 772 00:55:55.920 --> 00:55:58.840 it very clear that your democracy was not for sale. 773 00:55:58.960 --> 00:56:03.679 End quote, a pointed job referencing a controversial super pac 774 00:56:03.960 --> 00:56:10.760 that has supported Dixon's campaign. After three tries, Shila Dixon's 775 00:56:10.840 --> 00:56:14.719 quest to regain her old job came up short and 776 00:56:14.840 --> 00:56:23.639 honestly after three and you're seventy yeah, okay, So let's 777 00:56:23.639 --> 00:56:26.920 get into her legacy, race and media. 778 00:56:28.360 --> 00:56:30.679 So Shila Dixon's rise and. 779 00:56:30.679 --> 00:56:35.280 Fall is a complex chapter in Baltimore's modern history, one 780 00:56:35.320 --> 00:56:39.480 that illuminates how race, gender, and media framing can evaluate 781 00:56:40.480 --> 00:56:43.800 or I'm sorry, can elevate a leader and just as 782 00:56:43.800 --> 00:56:48.679 swiftly tear them down. Her legacy prompts debate was she 783 00:56:48.719 --> 00:56:52.159 a corrupt politician who got what she deserved, or a 784 00:56:52.199 --> 00:56:56.480 capable mayor undone by one mistake and perhaps harsher scrutiny. 785 00:56:57.880 --> 00:57:02.159 Then race as an African amyor woman shattering glass ceilings, 786 00:57:02.199 --> 00:57:05.519 Dixon's race was both an asset in her rise and 787 00:57:05.599 --> 00:57:08.840 a factor in her downfalls. Perception, her two thousand and 788 00:57:08.840 --> 00:57:12.719 seven mayoral victory was celebrated as a milestone for black Baltimore. 789 00:57:13.320 --> 00:57:15.840 She stood on

the shoulders of trailblazers and became a 790 00:57:15.920 --> 00:57:20.960 role model herself. However, race also colored the public reaction 791 00:57:21.239 --> 00:57:25.079 to her scandal. Some in the black community felt protective 792 00:57:25.079 --> 00:57:28.840 of Dixon, perceiving that black leaders are often targeted or 793 00:57:28.920 --> 00:57:31.679 at least not given the same leadway that white leaders 794 00:57:31.760 --> 00:57:36.400 might receive. Indeed, Dixon herself implied a double standard, noting 795 00:57:36.480 --> 00:57:40.159 that white male politicians had long enjoyed perks and patronage. 796 00:57:41.239 --> 00:57:45.400 Quote white guys have been having this for years. I'm 797 00:57:45.400 --> 00:57:49.079 going to get mine end quote, she equipped, half justifying 798 00:57:49.119 --> 00:57:54.840 her sense of entitlement. That comment, reported by an anonymous insider, 799 00:57:55.199 --> 00:57:58.800 suggests Dixon believed she was only doing what others before 800 00:57:58.840 --> 00:58:03.079 her had done, so this doesn't excuse her actions. Moreover, 801 00:58:03.199 --> 00:58:07.199 the racial divide in voters' willingness to forgive, with Black 802 00:58:07.280 --> 00:58:11.840 voters far more forgiving, indicates that shared identity and community 803 00:58:11.920 --> 00:58:15.519 experience played a big role in how Dixon was judged. 804 00:58:17.039 --> 00:58:20.800 Many African Americans remember the systemic inequalities and may have 805 00:58:21.000 --> 00:58:26.239 viewed Dixon's prosecution with some skepticism, a feeling that a 806 00:58:26.280 --> 00:58:30.000 powerful black woman was brought down for something relatively small 807 00:58:30.239 --> 00:58:34.559 a few hundred dollars, while larger corruption often went unpunished 808 00:58:34.559 --> 00:58:38.599 with yes, absolutely yes. On the other hand, many white 809 00:58:38.920 --> 00:58:42.880 and some Black voters felt that Dixon reinforced negative stereotypes 810 00:58:42.920 --> 00:58:46.320 of corrupt city officials and needed to be held accountable 811 00:58:46.360 --> 00:58:50.360 to restore trust, which also yes, and then we have gender. 812 00:58:51.400 --> 00:58:54.360 As the first woman to leave Baltimore, Dixon carried the 813 00:58:54.400 --> 00:58:57.480 weight of representing all women in local politics. 814 00:58:57.920 --> 00:58:59.239 Her success proved that. 815 00:58:59.159 --> 00:59:02.800 Women could help the city, and after her Baltimore would 816 00:59:02.840 --> 00:59:06.440 in fact elect two more black female mayors, Rawlings, Blake 817 00:59:06.559 --> 00:59:10.320 and Pute. But with the scandal, Dixon's gender may have 818 00:59:10.480 --> 00:59:14.360 influenced the narrative. In st of ways, media and opponents 819 00:59:14.440 --> 00:59:18.719 highlighted those fur coats, designer shoes, and matters of the heart. 820 00:59:19.480 --> 00:59:23.320 The image of a woman mare illicitly receiving fancy clothes 821

00:59:23.320 --> 00:59:26.840 and gifts fed into certain tropes. The ideal of a 822 00:59:26.880 --> 00:59:31.760 materialistic or emotionally driven woman rather than just a politician 823 00:59:31.840 --> 00:59:36.760 succumbing to greed like any other. The clean Slate pac 824 00:59:37.079 --> 00:59:41.000 Ad explicitly scolded her for putting quote fur coats and 825 00:59:41.119 --> 00:59:44.599 expensive shoes above us end quote, in line that struck 826 00:59:44.679 --> 00:59:50.639 some observers as playing into gendered caricature. A man in 827 00:59:50.679 --> 00:59:53.960 a corruption case might be accused of greed, but perhaps 828 00:59:54.000 --> 00:59:58.840 not with such focused unluxury items. Additionally, Dixon's affair with 829 00:59:58.960 --> 01:00:02.760 Ron Lipscomb added a soap opera element to the scandal. 830 01:00:03.400 --> 01:00:06.159 It was often phrased as quote she let her heart 831 01:00:06.239 --> 01:00:10.599 lead her a stray end quote, a framing Dixon herself 832 01:00:10.679 --> 01:00:16.320 used this somewhat romanticized narrative that she was just blinded 833 01:00:16.360 --> 01:00:18.639 by a man she loved, may have been a. 834 01:00:18.559 --> 01:00:19.440 Double edged sport. 835 01:00:20.199 --> 01:00:23.960 It humanized her to a degree, making her mistakes seem 836 01:00:24.079 --> 01:00:27.599 like personal lapses and judgment, but it also underscored the 837 01:00:27.639 --> 01:00:32.559 notion that a woman's downfall can came via a love interest, 838 01:00:32.840 --> 01:00:36.840 a cliche not lost on many. It's worth noting that 839 01:00:36.920 --> 01:00:40.760 Dixon's successor, Catherine Pugh, also a black woman, fell to 840 01:00:40.840 --> 01:00:45.440 a corruption scandal involving a self enriching scheme, which again 841 01:00:45.519 --> 01:00:49.119 we're going to get into that next week, leading to 842 01:00:49.239 --> 01:00:54.199 some leading some to unfairly question women's leadership in the city. 843 01:00:55.000 --> 01:00:59.719 In truth, corruption knows no gender. Baltimore's history has examples 844 01:00:59.800 --> 01:01:04.119 of of maleficence by men and women alike, but Dixon's 845 01:01:04.119 --> 01:01:07.960 case was irrelably viewed through the lens of her being 846 01:01:08.280 --> 01:01:12.480 the first woman mayor and what that meant. Dixon also 847 01:01:12.639 --> 01:01:16.760 had to contend with being labeled and quote angry Black women, 848 01:01:16.880 --> 01:01:22.119 which that is a whole nother discussion diet tribe tangent. 849 01:01:22.239 --> 01:01:24.199 That we don't even have time to get into. 850 01:01:24.679 --> 01:01:28.360 After the shoe incident, as stereotype rooted in both race 851 01:01:28.480 --> 01:01:32.760 and gender, she worked to soften that image over time, 852 01:01:32.800 --> 01:01:36.159 which she shouldn't even have had to do. She had 853 01:01:36.159 --> 01:01:39.440 to soften that image because y'all labeled her an angry 854 01:01:39.440 --> 01:01:42.519 black woman because she was passionate about her job like 855 01:01:42.559 --> 01:01:50.920 come on anyways, and by many accounts, succeeded in growing 856 01:01:50.960 --> 01:01:55.039 more measured and collaborative as mayor, but the early label 857 01:01:55.280 --> 01:01:57.679 was a reminder of how black women in power can 858 01:01:57.719 --> 01:02:01.320 face hards r judgments for displays of ani or assertiveness, 859 01:02:01.679 --> 01:02:04.960 traits often accepted even expected in male leaders. 860 01:02:08.880 --> 01:02:10.840 So cautionary tale. 861 01:02:10.880 --> 01:02:14.880 Today, Sheila Dixon's story is taught in Maryland political circles 862 01:02:14.960 --> 01:02:18.039 as a cautionary tale. It is the story of a 863 01:02:18.079 --> 01:02:22.679 barrier breaking woman who rolls from neighborhood activism to the 864 01:02:22.719 --> 01:02:27.320 city's highest office, only to have a career detailed by 865 01:02:27.360 --> 01:02:33.880 a few gift cards, as some Riley summarized it. But 866 01:02:34.119 --> 01:02:38.000 underlying that simple summary are some deeper issues explored above, 867 01:02:38.920 --> 01:02:41.920 the pressures on black female leaders, the temptations of power 868 01:02:41.960 --> 01:02:46.079 and entitlement, and the unforgiving glare of public scrutiny. Dixon's 869 01:02:46.079 --> 01:02:49.480 trajectory also mirrors a pattern seene in Baltimore, a city 870 01:02:49.559 --> 01:02:53.239 that in two thousands saw a succession of mayor's embroiled 871 01:02:53.239 --> 01:02:57.320 and scandal or controversy, from Dixon's gift cards to rolling spakes, 872 01:02:58.119 --> 01:03:05.519 riot responses challenges to Pew's scandal. In each case, the 873 01:03:05.559 --> 01:03:09.000 public and media rustled with balancing and leaders accomplishments against 874 01:03:09.039 --> 01:03:12.440 their failings. For Sheila Dixon, the final chapter of her 875 01:03:12.559 --> 01:03:15.599 legacy is still being written as of twenty twenty five, 876 01:03:15.639 --> 01:03:19.440 she remains a polarizing figure. Many in Baltimore's Black communities 877 01:03:19.519 --> 01:03:22.519 still greet her warmly at church services and community events, 878 01:03:22.760 --> 01:03:26.639 remembering her as Mayor Sheila who got things done. Some 879 01:03:26.719 --> 01:03:30.239 even mused that if if not for the one mistake, 880 01:03:30.360 --> 01:03:33.119 she might have been a transformational. 881 01:03:32.320 --> 01:03:33.320 Mayor for decades. 882 01:03:33.960 --> 01:03:38.599 Dixon herself hasn't ruled out staying involved in public life, 883 01:03:38.880 --> 01:03:42.320 though another run for office seems unlikely after three strikes, 884 01:03:43.239 --> 01:03:47.239 she continues to work with nonprofits and mentor young activists, 885 01:03:47.280 --> 01:03:50.039 trying to serve her city in ways that don't require 886 01:03:50.119 --> 01:03:53.800 elected office. In quiet moments, she has expressed

remorse in 887 01:03:53.840 --> 01:03:55.199 a sense of personal growth. 888 01:03:55.559 --> 01:03:55.880 Quote. 889 01:03:55.920 --> 01:03:58.559 I let the people down end quote, she admitted in 890 01:03:58.559 --> 01:04:02.000 one interview. Quote, but I've spent every day since trying 891 01:04:02.039 --> 01:04:04.880 to lift people up again end quote, which is a 892 01:04:05.000 --> 01:04:07.840 quote from a twenty twenty three radio interview, reflecting her 893 01:04:07.880 --> 01:04:12.840 contrition and commitment to community service. Ultimately, Sheila Dixon's tale 894 01:04:12.960 --> 01:04:16.599 is one of rise, fall, and resilience. It's a tale 895 01:04:16.639 --> 01:04:20.320 of trailblazing, who of a trailblazer who climbed higher than 896 01:04:20.320 --> 01:04:23.800 anyone expected, only to fall victim to her own lapses 897 01:04:23.840 --> 01:04:27.519 in judgment. It's also the story of a community's complicated 898 01:04:27.519 --> 01:04:30.880 relationship with a leader who was both cherished and condemned. 899 01:04:35.480 --> 01:04:39.800 As Dixon herself wrote in her plea for Another chance, quote, 900 01:04:39.840 --> 01:04:42.679 I hope the people realize that my love for the 901 01:04:42.719 --> 01:04:47.760 future of Baltimore outweighs the mistakes of my past end quote. 902 01:04:48.639 --> 01:04:55.079 Time will be the judge of whether Baltimore agrees. So oh, 903 01:04:56.239 --> 01:04:58.320 all right, y'all, you know the drill. It's time for 904 01:04:58.360 --> 01:05:04.480 siper spills. So here's your scenario. Sheila Dixon misused about 905 01:05:04.639 --> 01:05:08.239 five hundred dollars worth of charity gift cards, but she 906 01:05:08.440 --> 01:05:13.400 kept city services running, lowered crime, and actually made Baltimore 907 01:05:13.480 --> 01:05:16.960 feel like it was getting back on track. So was 908 01:05:17.000 --> 01:05:20.800 the punishment fair or was the public too quick to 909 01:05:20.920 --> 01:05:24.320 throw her whole legacy away? Sip if you think Sheila 910 01:05:24.360 --> 01:05:28.000 Dixon deserved more grace. She owned up, did her time, 911 01:05:28.079 --> 01:05:31.239 and still made Baltimore better while she was in office. 912 01:05:31.880 --> 01:05:35.199 Spill If you think trust is trust and you can't 913 01:05:35.239 --> 01:05:37.880 steal from the people and expect to get your seat 914 01:05:37.920 --> 01:05:40.719 back no matter how small the dollar amount, let me know. 915 01:05:41.039 --> 01:05:48.039 On threads or ig at black Coffee crime crochet cause uh. 916 01:05:47.400 --> 01:05:49.599 I want to hear what I have to say. 917 01:05:49.639 --> 01:05:52.239 I'm going to be reading your takes all week, like seriously, 918 01:05:52.280 --> 01:05:53.039 I am. 919 01:05:53.519 --> 01:05:55.320 So that's it. 920 01:05:55.400 --> 01:06:01.039 We're gonna wrap up today's Cozy Chaos, which again this 921 01:06:03.199 --> 01:06:07.360 I'm kind of sad for Sheila because I'm miss Dixon, 922 01:06:07.400 --> 01:06:11.639 because she honestly was a great mayor and I would 923 01:06:11.679 --> 01:06:13.719 have loved to see what she could have done for 924 01:06:13.760 --> 01:06:17.800 the city had she not, you know, gotten into the 925 01:06:17.840 --> 01:06:22.800 situation she did, because you know, numbers and stats don't lie. 926 01:06:22.840 --> 01:06:26.280 She did a lot for and the older residents said 927 01:06:26.280 --> 01:06:28.159 that she was the best mayor that they ever had. 928 01:06:28.360 --> 01:06:34.159 So it's really a sad situation, especially when she almost 929 01:06:34.199 --> 01:06:35.039 won twice. 930 01:06:35.760 --> 01:06:38.280 That shows just how conflicted. 931 01:06:39.639 --> 01:06:43.960 The mayor or the residents of Baltimore were with her 932 01:06:44.039 --> 01:06:49.440 and her whole legacy. So it's it's an interesting situation 933 01:06:49.559 --> 01:06:54.679 for her. But so that is the first episode of 934 01:06:54.719 --> 01:06:59.239 this series. We just sipped away through Baltimore's biggest political 935 01:06:59.320 --> 01:07:02.320 face palm. But trust me, we're literally just getting started. 936 01:07:03.079 --> 01:07:07.280 Next week we are breaking down the Healthy Holly Hustle, 937 01:07:07.880 --> 01:07:11.159 where another Baltimore mayor tried to sell children's books and 938 01:07:11.320 --> 01:07:16.360 ended up with federal charges instead of bestseller status. Yep, 939 01:07:17.400 --> 01:07:20.280 it gets worse before it gets better. But before we go, 940 01:07:20.360 --> 01:07:22.639 do me a huge favor. If you love today's episode, 941 01:07:22.880 --> 01:07:25.519 head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave me 942 01:07:25.559 --> 01:07:28.880 a five star review until the world why you're sipping 943 01:07:28.920 --> 01:07:31.440 with me every week? Your reviews really do help people 944 01:07:31.559 --> 01:07:35.400 find me find the podcast. It pushes me out, so 945 01:07:35.559 --> 01:07:39.320 please do that. It helps me out. And also because 946 01:07:39.360 --> 01:07:44.840 now Spotify has started to put player counts on our shows, 947 01:07:44.920 --> 01:07:47.199 so right now for me, it just shows less than 948 01:07:47.199 --> 01:07:49.960 a thousand listens. It doesn't give the actual number because 949 01:07:49.960 --> 01:07:52.920 I don't have enough yet. So if you leave reviews 950 01:07:52.960 --> 01:07:55.719 for me, that helps people find me, and then I'll 951 01:07:55.760 --> 01:07:58.599 get more listens and then my numbers will go up 952 01:08:00.440 --> 01:08:05.960 for more people to see. So that helps. Please also 953 01:08:06.119 --> 01:08:10.800 comment on the episodes, because I do read those and 954 01:08:10.840 --> 01:08:20.199 I respond. So I'm actually going to read a comment 955 01:08:20.560 --> 01:08:27.520 from Spotify and a review from Apple. So this one 956 01:08:27.600 --> 01:08:37.159 is from episode two from

Schemist. I'm pretty sure I'm 957 01:08:37.159 --> 01:08:39.479 not saying that right, but it's s C C H 958 01:08:39.680 --> 01:08:46.000 E M I S T. She says, why is she? 959 01:08:46.159 --> 01:08:50.479 This is the Ayana Bean episode? She said, why is 960 01:08:50.520 --> 01:08:53.399 she laughing? I wouldn't have been able to live without 961 01:08:53.479 --> 01:08:57.319 those checks. I wouldn't have been able to live without 962 01:08:57.359 --> 01:08:58.399 those checks because I. 963 01:08:58.359 --> 01:08:59.000 Was on my own. 964 01:08:59.119 --> 01:09:02.199 Imagine how many lives as were ruined or life paths 965 01:09:02.199 --> 01:09:04.520 were changed exactly because she was still in you know, 966 01:09:04.560 --> 01:09:07.600 the college college students refund checks. I honestly wouldn't have 967 01:09:07.640 --> 01:09:09.359 been able to live without those checks either. Like I 968 01:09:09.439 --> 01:09:13.600 was counting down the days until my refund check came 969 01:09:14.520 --> 01:09:19.319 in the mail. So yes, I'm with her on that. 970 01:09:20.800 --> 01:09:25.680 And then we're going to read a review. 971 01:09:32.359 --> 01:09:36.159 Okay, so this. 972 01:09:36.039 --> 01:09:49.640 One, okay, So this one says it's five stars amazing. 973 01:09:49.800 --> 01:09:52.760 I was totally enthralled with the story and totally loved 974 01:09:52.840 --> 01:09:57.199 Jasmine's personality. She was inviting random and humor, saying all 975 01:09:57.239 --> 01:09:58.399 the things I was thinking. 976 01:09:59.199 --> 01:10:03.399 Thank you, Lady T. Davis love you. So please leave 977 01:10:03.720 --> 01:10:08.680 a f I sat review and a comment. I will 978 01:10:08.720 --> 01:10:09.159 read them. 979 01:10:09.760 --> 01:10:14.119 Also, now I have Patreon, so if you want to 980 01:10:14.239 --> 01:10:18.880 support the show, you can do so by joining. The 981 01:10:18.920 --> 01:10:22.760 lowest tier is two dollars a month. Eventually I will 982 01:10:22.800 --> 01:10:25.000 be building out the higher two levels where I have 983 01:10:25.159 --> 01:10:33.279 bonus bonus, exclusive content, bonus content there is. I'm working 984 01:10:33.319 --> 01:10:39.279 on my coffee Break series on Patreon is exclusive for 985 01:10:39.359 --> 01:10:44.279 the top two tiers. Coffee Break is gonna be awesome. 986 01:10:44.880 --> 01:10:46.319 You don't want to miss it. I'm not going to 987 01:10:46.399 --> 01:10:48.560 fully give all of it now because I'm still building 988 01:10:48.560 --> 01:10:51.119 it out, but I'm telling you a Coffee Break is 989 01:10:51.119 --> 01:10:57.960 gonna be amazing. So I think that's all for now. Yep, 990 01:10:58.079 --> 01:11:01.680 you know the drill. Stay cozy, Tay caffeinated, and keep 991 01:11:01.800 --> 01:11:04.039 those gift cards locked up tight, all right. 992 01:11:04.960 --> 01:11:07.680 Bye. 993 01:11:09.039 --> 01:11:12.800 Disclaimer. Great effort is made to ensure that all materials 994 01:11:12.880 --> 01:11:16.359 used in Black Coffee Crime and Crochet adhere to fair 995 01:11:16.399 --> 01:11:20.439 Youse guidelines. No copyright infringement is intended. If you are 996 01:11:20.479 --> 01:11:23.640 the copyright owner or represent the owner of any material 997 01:11:23.800 --> 01:11:26.600 used in this content and have concerns about its use, 998 01:11:26.880 --> 01:11:29.960 please contact me and I will promptly address the issue