Mayor Sheila Dixon must win the hearts and minds of voters in the next nine months to return to office as Baltimore?s first elected African-American woman.
In a pre-inaugural interview with The Examiner, she detailed what she plans to accomplish. Here are her pledges:
» Reduce juvenile homicides.
» See the new Convention Center booked with five to eight “major” conventions. She did not specify “major” and neither does the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association. But we will. Booking eight annual conventions with more than 15,000 people apiece would be a good goal, compared with the three the city currently hosts each year.
» Create a more vibrant economy, built on Baltimore City?s core strengths in biotechnology, medicine and finance, among other industries. She did not promise a specific number of jobs and did not explain what a “more vibrant” Baltimore would look like. She must.
» Work with Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm, who has chosen to remain silent on many controversies facing the police department, to increase public communication about police arrest policies and goals.
» Ensure a five-year commitment from the next Baltimore City Public Schools chief, so that reforms can be shepherded through start to finish. High turnover in that office and at the police department prohibits real reform, she said. We agree.
» Reduce overtime at the police department, which has already exceeded the budget for fiscal 2007. Reducing it is not just a matter of budgeting for the year but a matter of long-term planning as overtime costs drive up pension payments. She said she plans to accomplish her goals by practicing a more inclusive style of leadership and asking citizens to get more involved in each of their communities.
As part of the process, she said she plans to visit every police district in coming months to ensure officers are all “keeping the same philosophy” about reducing crime, a problem that makes Baltimore the 12th most dangerous city in the nation.
If the number of people working in the city increases during her tenure, a feat her predecessor did not accomplish, and reduces juvenile crime, she would distinguish herself amongst the increasing roll of candidates and make significant progress to creating a more livable and attractive city.
We appreciate her candor and wish her success in achieving her goals.
We will track her progress.
