In the aftermath of a 12-count indictment against Mayor Sheila Dixon, political insiders are waiting for the fallout.
When Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was indicted on perjury charges last May — accused of lying while testifying under oath during a civil trial — the Detroit City Council acted quickly. Two weeks after the indictment was handed down, the council passed a resolution by a 7-1 vote expressing no confidence in Kilpatrick. Eight months later, Kilpatrick plead guilty to perjury, and began serving a six-month sentence.
But with the Baltimore City Council set to convene Monday night, three days after a grand jury handed down the indictment charging Dixon with theft, misconduct and perjury, there is little appetite among legislators to take similar action.
“I don’t expect anything to happen,” said council veteran member Mary Pat Clarke, D-District 14. “If anything does, it won’t go anywhere.”
“I haven’t heard anything and don’t expect anything,” said City Councilman Robert Curran, D-District 4. “I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
The pronouncements jibe with the support expressed by at least half the council publicly.
Legally, the council does not have the power to remove the mayor — the city charter makes no provision for a mayor’s removal. A resolution passed by the council would only be a symbolic blow. State law requires the mayor to resign if convicted, and only after all appeals are exhausted.
Thus the council finds itself in a delicate balancing act, keeping in good standing with a mayor that wields unusual widespread authority compared to other cities while waiting for the case to make its way through the court system.
That dilemma was clear in a statement released by Dixon’s successor if she were forced to step down, City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. The city charter clearly states the City Council president takes over for the sitting mayor if he or she leaves before the term expires. It puts Rawlings-Blake in the awkward position of being a step closer to the mayoralty while her long-time ally Dixon fights to keep her job.
“Mayor Dixon is an effective public servant who has worked tirelessly for the citizens of Baltimore. I wish Mayor Dixon the best as this difficult case continues and allegations are answered as part of the legal process,” Blake said in the statement issued Friday.
Council members also said it was unlikely the mayor would knowingly violate city ethics law, which is why there has been little support for sanctioning the mayor.
The law, which was re-codified in 2004 while Dixon served as president of the City Council, is at the heart of the state prosecutor’s case. Among the indictments are several charges that allege the mayor failed to report gifts from developer Ronald Lipscomb, including gift cards and a gift certificate for fur coats, on her annual ethics disclosure form.
“I believe her when she says she has not done anything illegal and she will clear her name,” Clarke said. “This is not about quitting, or leaving — this is about going through this court process and walking out from it in one piece.”
