By Tashi McQueen,
AFRO Political Writer,
tmcqueen@afro.com
Former Baltimore City Mayor Sheila Dixon has announced her bid for mayor.
“I love my private life, but I also love the citizens of this city and I know we can do better,” said Dixon at the Gold Street Community Park on Sept. 7.
Dixon said that, if elected, she seeks to make Baltimoreans feel safer in their communities, while also ensuring that city government is more transparent. In the press conference announcing her campaign, Dixon also spoke about her intentions to hold the school board for Baltimore City Public School System more accountable. She said she will propose longer school days to give students the resources they need to succeed.
When it comes to crime, Dixon said she wants to see change. She delivered 30-year record lows in crime and homicides when she served as mayor, according to her campaign site.
Currently the city has recorded 193 homicides, 456 non-fatal shootings and 6,845 car thefts.
“When we need her, we could go to her about anything, even with small businesses. We could go to her and she would make a way for us,” said Ariel Lambert, 40, an entrepreneur.
According to the Maryland Manual On-Line, Dixon was Baltimore City mayor from 2007 to 2010 when she entered a plea deal for perjury, requiring her to resign by Feb. 4, 2010. She also had to do four years of unsupervised probation, seek no other office during that time, do 500 hours of community service and donate $45,000 to charity.
“Everybody makes mistakes,” said Lambert. “We are only human.”
When Dixon ran for mayor in 2020, she lost to Mayor Brandon M. Scott by 3,195 votes or 2.1 percent, according to the Maryland State Board of Elections.
Wendy Bozel and Wendell Hill-Freeman have filed for the 2024 mayoral race, but Dixon and Scott have not officially filed yet.
The post Former Baltimore City Mayor Sheila Dixon announces 2024 mayoral bid appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers .
