BMORENEWS.com

By Charles Robinson, NABJ

(BALTIMORE - January 7, 2010) - The tenure of Baltimore’s first African-American female will come to unceremonious end on February 4, 2010. Mayor Shelia Dixon, the 56-year old leader of the city, decided to end legal proceedings surrounding her conviction on the usage of gift cards in exchange for an Alford Plea on upcoming perjury charges for failing to report gifts from a former boyfriend, Ronald Lipscomb. Lipscomb is a developer who does business with the city and who “showered the mayor with gifts.”

The deeper meaning in this case involves the mayor literally being able to leave office on her own terms without admitting guilt. This is important because Mayor Dixon has had her misdemeanor conviction vacated and the Alford Plea acknowledges the prosecution had enough evidence to convict her on perjury charges without pleading guilty. The judge imposed a sentence of “probation before judgment.”

This allows the mayor to retain her $83,000 per year pension. She will be on four year’s probation, is required to perform 500 hours of community service, and pay a $45,000 fine. By delaying her retreat from office her successor, City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will get the lay of land. This includes a budget deficit, preparation for the upcoming legislative session (starts next week), and “steering a rudderless” city which has been without a cheer leader.

“Ms. Dixon will receive probation before judgment…she will not have any criminal conviction or any criminal record,” according to her attorney Arnold Wiener. The message from the state's prosecutor was simple, “There is nobody above the law in this state. It includes mayors or anybody else. If you’re a public servant, you serve the public not to line your pockets,” proclaimed Robert Rohrbaugh.

There were no chants for the mayor outside the courthouse. There was tempered listening from bystanders who learned their champion had thrown in the towel. At City Hall, a teary-eyed Mayor Shelia Dixon mouthed the words she never thought she would say, “I will resign.”

Plan-in-Play

This plan did not show up today; it’s been in the works for several weeks and became abundantly clear over the holidays. Weiner, Dixon’s lawyer, suggested he appealed to the prosecutor right after New Year's.

For observers who showed up for trial yesterday, the expectation was a hearing on jurors who used FACEBOOK during the initial trial. Five of the jurors were escorted to a sequestered room. The early rumors were revolving around granting a new trial because of this activity. The judge had other activities. The case was recessed until 1:30 pm; “there is something brewing” according to several reporters.

Court was to reconvene until 2:40 pm. In a shocking announcement, however, a plea verdict was agreed to by all parties. This stunning development reverberated from the Mitchell Courthouse to communities in Park Heights, Argonne Drive, Edmondston Village, Fells Point, Roland Park, and Sandtown-Winchester. There was and is a community sense that we all want to believe what the mayor and supporters kept saying, “Wait until the facts come out.” That truism is what weighed on Mayor Dixon. I don’t believe any politician who says I can “compartmentalize” what’s going on at work and my personal life. This episode had both elements.

I often can read body language and I missed it yesterday during early morning recess at the trial. For most of the hearing, Mayor Dixon sat at the defense table, seldom venturing into the audience to converse with constituents or the media. That was not the case during the break; she sat with staffers and the public without handlers. At one point she answered questions from media about was going on: “We’ll have to wait and see.” When told of the 1:30 pm restart time, she left during the break with a wry smile.

Hearing Evidence

As the judge questioned Dixon about her plea, there was a sense of a nightmare ending. I think most of us don’t explain our nightmares to others; we keep them internally. The statement of fact which the prosecution entered verbally lay bare what the prosecution knew to be true. The purchases of gift cards, furs, train tickets, lavish lunches and dinners, and reimbursements by a paramour to cover expenses she made.

In the middle of a description about a plane ticket purchased by Lipscomb, the mayor interrupted. "Your honor, those things are not true! They are wrong!” The judge would admonish the mayor and ask her to consult her attorneys. She did so with a stern look and a sense of incredulity.

At the end, all she could do was acknowledge the material and await a hearing on February 4, 2010.

A Pound of Flesh

There was and is a lot of talk about the mayor providing an apology to the citizenry of Baltimore. At her City Hall press conference, she knew questions of this nature would be coming. Mayor Dixon has always been cautious about admitting wrong doing (admission would void her pension agreement).

A reporter asked if she owed the citizens of Baltimore an apology, Dixon said: “What I owe the citizens is to move on and bring closure to this.”

There are Baltimoreans and others who believe the mayor got off on a “sweet heart deal.” The ability to chart the growth and prosperity of a city is all consuming. Having it stripped away by a court after successful elections will drive you crazy. I know Dixon constantly kept saying, “I can’t believe this is happening.”

Her penitence is large and humiliating. Much of the materials seized from her home (DVD’s, Furs, Xbox gift cards etc…) will be auctioned off on EBAY with proceeds going to charity. “What was this about?” exclaimed Mary Pat Clarke, Baltimore Councilwoman, during a radio interview. “There is no way this would have happen if it were a man.”

The gender issue surrounding this case has been palatable. The whole structure of power in the city is run by women and now one of their own has fallen.

As I watched the numerous politicians standing behind the mayor giving her comfort as she shrugged back the tears and gained the courage to go on - sadness, shame, conviction, thanks and redemption were all wrapped up in this final send-off. For some the nightmare has ended, for others the saga of a new Baltimore has begun.

The smugness which engulfed the Dixon administration will not soon be forgotten as a new chapter in “Charm City” will be written by a new mayor who will hopefully heed the lessons of a predecessor.

Tags: Baltimore, charles robinson, mayor, sheila dixon