Sheila Dixon Announces She's Running For Mayor Of Baltimore

RadioOnFire.com - Former Baltimore city mayor Sheila Dixon has announced she is running for Baltimore City Mayor in the 2016 election. 

She posted this message on her Facebook page with a link to her new campaign website,sheiladixonformayor.com: 

After discussions with my family and encouragement from friends and people across the city, I have made a decision to run for Mayor of Baltimore. I believe I have the leadership skills and experience to bring citizens across the city together to create a safer city that is also cleaner, greener, and healthier than we are today. Together we can reclaim, revive and rebuild Baltimore.

I plan to have a formal campaign kick-off after Labor Day, but in the meantime, I'll be reaching out to people across Baltimore for their ideas, input and support. I believe in Baltimore and its future as a united and inclusive city.

Dixon has formerly served mayor of Baltimore from 2007 to 2010. Before being elected city mayor, she served as president of the Baltimore City Council for eight years.

"There's been a lot of talk around town about who is going to take on Mayor Rawlings-Blake in the wake of the Freddie Gray-related riots," The Baltimore Sun's Andy Green tells Maryland's News Now with Mary Beth Marsden. "There's a segment of the city that despite everything has a tremendous affection for former Mayor Dixon."

Green is referring to the reason why Dixon left her place as mayor in 2010. She was forbidden from running for office for three years after she was caught stealing gift cards that were intended for distribution to needy families. She resigned as mayor shortly after being found guilty of embezzlement charges. He believes she needs to apologize to the city for her wrongdoing in order to help people forget. 

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake told reporters today that when Dixon left office the city had a deficit, no plans for recreations centers and the city's pension fund was in trouble.

David Kosak, finance director and campaign strategist  for Rawlings-Blake's campaign issued the following statement.

"I look forward to running an aggressive campaign that clearly lays out the choice between where Baltimore was when I took office, and how far we have come under my leadership. We are constructing the first new schools in a generation and the first new recreation centers in a decade. We have reduced unemployment by a third and fixed the fiscal mess we inherited. While we have made dramatic progress, I know that our work is not done. I look forward to laying out my vision to continue moving our City forward."