Sheila Dixon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sheila Dixon
Dixon in 2007
49th Mayor of Baltimore
In office January 17, 2007 – February 4, 2010
Preceded by	Martin O'Malley
Succeeded by	Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
President of the Baltimore City Council
In office December 1999 – January 2007
Preceded by	Lawrence Bell
Succeeded by	Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
Member of the Baltimore City Council from the 4th District
In office December 1987 – December 1999
Preceded by	Kweisi Mfume Michael Mitchell
Succeeded by	Catherine Pugh
Personal details
Born	Sheila Ann Dixon (1953-12-27) December 27, 1953 (age 71) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Children	2
Relatives	Juan Dixon (nephew)
Education	Towson University (BA) Johns Hopkins University (MA)

Sheila Ann Dixon (born December 27, 1953) is an American politician. She served as the 48th mayor of Baltimore, Maryland. She became mayor on January 17, 2007, after Mayor Martin O'Malley became governor.

Before becoming mayor, Dixon was the president of the Baltimore City Council. She finished the last year of O'Malley's term. Then, she won the mayoral election in November 2007. Sheila Dixon was a trailblazer in Baltimore politics. She was the first African-American woman to be president of the City Council. She was also Baltimore's first female mayor. She was the city's third black mayor.

In 2009, there were questions about how some gift cards were used. As a result, Sheila Dixon made an agreement to leave her position as mayor in February 2010. She was succeeded by Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who was then the City Council president.

Dixon has stayed active in the Baltimore community. She ran for mayor again in 2016. She lost the Democratic Primary to State Senator Catherine Pugh. Pugh received 2,408 more votes. Dixon then ran as a write-in candidate in the general election. She lost with 51,716 votes. In the 2020 Baltimore mayoral election, she sought the Democratic nomination again. She narrowly lost to Brandon Scott. On September 7, 2023, she announced a third try for mayor in 2024. She was again defeated by Mayor Scott in the 2024 Democratic primary.

Early Life and Education

Sheila Dixon was born and grew up in the Ashburton neighborhood of West Baltimore. Her father, Phillip Dixon Sr., sold cars. Her mother, Winona Dixon, was a community activist.

Dixon went to Baltimore City public schools. She graduated from Northwestern High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from Towson University. She also earned a master's degree from Johns Hopkins University.

Political Career Highlights

Early Work and Public Service

After college, Dixon worked as an elementary school teacher. She also taught adults with the Head Start program. Later, she worked for 17 years. She was an international trade specialist for Maryland's business department.

In 1986, Dixon was elected to the Baltimore City Democratic State Central Committee. She represented the 40th Legislative District. In 1987, she won a seat on the Baltimore City Council. She represented the 4th Council District for twelve years.

City Council Presidency

In 1999, Dixon was elected president of the Baltimore City Council. She was the first African-American woman to hold this position. In 2003, she won her re-election for president of the City Council. She defeated Catherine Pugh by 21,000 votes.

Mayor of Baltimore

Mayor Sheila Dixon speaking to Baltimore's Annapolis delegation about gun bills.

As City Council President, Dixon was the acting mayor. She became mayor when Martin O'Malley resigned. He resigned after being elected governor of Maryland in November 2006.

During her time as mayor, Baltimore's homicide rate dropped. This was the first time in 30 years. In 2007, Dixon introduced a crime plan. It focused on more community policing. It also used police to target the most violent offenders. To fight crime, Dixon appointed Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III. He supported her neighborhood-crime plan.

In February 2008, Baltimore City Police reported a big drop in homicides. There were 14 murders in January, the lowest in 30 years. By April 2008, murders had dropped by 40%. This was after a record high in 2007. By the end of 2008, the murder count was 234. This was a 17% reduction from the year before.

Dixon (front, third from left) cuts the parade ribbon at the 2007 Baltimore Greek Independence Day Parade with Congressman John Sarbanes.

Dixon worked to increase police patrols. She also cracked down on illegal guns. She actively got federal and state money for crime-fighting programs.

Several city projects were finished during Dixon's time as mayor. These included Baltimore's Inner Harbor East community and the Legg Mason Tower. The Baltimore Hilton Hotel was also completed.

As mayor, Dixon was a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition.

2007 Mayoral Election

Dixon ran for a full term as mayor in the 2007 election. She won the Democratic Party primary in September. Dixon had a strong advantage in fundraising. Many public officials, unions, and newspapers supported her campaign.

A main issue during the primary campaign was crime. By mid-2007, homicides in Baltimore were on track to pass 300 for the year. This was the most since the early years of the O'Malley administration. On June 19, Dixon shared her crime plan with 500 Baltimore police officers. Dixon's crime plan focused on community policing. It also aimed to catch the most violent offenders. This was different from previous Mayor Martin O'Malley's approach.

By the end of July 2007, Dixon's campaign had many endorsements. These included the Baltimore Metropolitan Council of the Maryland AFL-CIO. Governor Martin O'Malley and former Congressman Kweisi Mfume also endorsed her.

Election Results

Dixon won the 2007 Baltimore Democratic Mayoral Primary. She beat her closest opponent, Keiffer Mitchell Jr., with 63 percent of the votes. This almost guaranteed her a full term in the mostly Democratic city. Dixon then defeated Republican Elbert Henderson in the November general election. She became the first woman elected as mayor of Baltimore.

The Democratic primary results were:

General election results:

In her first speech as Mayor, Dixon spoke about how people saw her. She said, "I want you to know that I am much more than a newspaper headline or a sound bite on the evening news."

2016 Mayoral Election

In 2015, Dixon tried to become mayor of Baltimore again. She was a leading candidate in the Democratic primary. But in early 2016, Congressman Elijah Cummings supported her main opponent, Catherine Pugh. Pugh won the Democratic primary with 37% of the vote. Dixon received 35% of the vote.

2020 Mayoral Election

On December 14, 2019, Dixon announced she was running for mayor of Baltimore in the 2020 election. In the June 2, 2020 Democratic primary, she narrowly lost to Brandon Scott.

2024 Mayoral Election

In September 2023, Dixon announced she would run for mayor of Baltimore again. This set up a rematch of the 2020 Democratic primary. She ran against the current mayor, Brandon Scott. On May 14, 2024, she again lost the Democratic primary to Mayor Scott.

Personal Life and Community Involvement

Sheila Dixon is twice divorced. She raised her two children, Jasmine and Joshua, as a single mom. She is the aunt of professional basketball player Juan Dixon. Juan led the University of Maryland to the 2002 NCAA championship. She is also the aunt of Jermaine Dixon. He played guard for the University of Pittsburgh men's basketball team.

Dixon is an active member of Bethel A.M.E. Church. She was a church trustee and still serves on the Stewardess Board. She also serves on other boards. These include the Institute of Human Virology and the Transplant Resource Center. She is also involved with the Urban Health Initiative, the Baltimore Public Markets Corporation, the Living Classrooms Foundation, and the Walters Art Museum.