Former Baltimore mayor Sheila Dixon will run for mayor in 2024, her third time asking voters to return her to the top spot in city government since she resigned from office in scandal in 2010.
Dixon confirmed her candidacy in a Baltimore Sun op-ed Thursday morning. She plans to officially announce her candidacy during a press conference at 11 a.m. Thursday in West Baltimore’s Druid Heights neighborhood.
In 2009, Dixon was convicted of embezzlement of gift cards that were meant for families in need. She resigned from office in 2010.
Since then, Dixon has launched two bids for the mayor’s seat – this will be her third. In 2016, she narrowly lost the Democratic primary to Catherine Pugh, who herself resigned as mayor in 2019 amid a fraud scheme tied to her “Healthy Holly” children’s books.
Then, in 2020, Dixon lost the Democratic primary again, that time to Brandon Scott.
For next year’s election, Dixon is hoping she has done enough to regain voters’ trust.
In the Sun op-ed, Dixon apologized for her crimes and asked for the forgiveness of Baltimore residents.
“I write to you today to eliminate all ambiguity or questions of where I stand and have stood since I left office,” Dixon wrote. “I let matters of the heart lead me astray once before, and for that, and the pain that it caused to my beloved Baltimore, I am truly sorry. I hope the people realize that my love for the future of Baltimore outweighs the mistakes of my past. I hope that you can accept my apology and work with me to turn our city around for our future generations who deserve a better Baltimore.”
“I know that gaining the trust of the general public in Baltimore City is a challenge,” she said during a phone recent interview with Baltimore Fishbowl. “And as I’ve said on this campaign and as I’ve said since 2016, I know that I have to be as transparent and upfront and honest to the public, and I’m doing that.”
Dixon said her resignation created “a revolving door” of leaders and priorities at City Hall.
But the former mayor also touted some of her administration’s accomplishments, including initiatives to improve birth outcomes, early childhood education, conditions for homeless individuals, a “cleaner, greener” Baltimore, the launch of weekly single-stream recycling pickup, and more.
Since leaving office, Dixon has worked at the Maryland Minority Contractors Association, a nonprofit that supports Maryland minority- and women-owned businesses through mentorship, contracting opportunities, networking, and professional development.
