Baltimore Mayor Dixon resigning post

Wednesday, January 6, 2010, 2:55pm EST
Baltimore Business Journal -
by Robert J. Terry Staff

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon, convicted last month on one count of embezzlement, is stepping down.

WBAL AM-1090 reported Wednesday afternoon Dixon would leave office Feb. 4.

The decision by Dixon, a Democrat, was revealed Wednesday as her lawyers were set to argue in court that the mayor deserved a new trial because of juror misconduct. She was scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 21.

Under the state constitution, Dixon would have been required to step down as mayor upon her sentencing, with City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake assuming Dixon’s mayoral duties. Speculation had run rampant in recent weeks that city leaders were pressing Dixon to resign.

Dixon’s conviction stemmed from her use of gift cards given to the city by developer Patrick Turner. Turner claimed they were intended for the needy.

The trial offered a window into what critics have long derided as a pay-to-play mentality at City Hall that tarnished Baltimore’s reputation.

Dixon was the former president of the Baltimore City Council who became mayor in January 2007. She ascended to the top job after then Mayor Martin O’Malley became governor, defeating Republican Robert Ehrlich.

Source: http://baltimore.bizjournals.com/baltimore/stories/2010/01/04/daily31.html