Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was sworn in Thursday as the 49th mayor of Baltimore, replacing Sheila Dixon, who resigned amid a scandal.
BALTIMORE – Stephanie Rawlings-Blake was sworn in Thursday as the 49th mayor of Baltimore, replacing Sheila Dixon, who resigned amid a scandal that a judge said stamped her with “a badge of dishonor.”
Rawlings-Blake, 39, took the oath of office shortly before 12:15 p.m., with her mother, husband and 6-year-old daughter by her side.
“Today marks the beginning of a new day in city government,” said Rawlings-Blake, a Democrat. “None of us asked for this moment, but all of us must accept the challenges and hard work that come with it.”
The ceremony was delayed a few minutes because an aunt of Rawlings-Blake’s fell ill. Nonetheless, the mood at City Hall was jubilant – a stark contrast to the proceedings less than three hours earlier in a courthouse a block away, where Dixon received probation before judgment under a plea deal that required her to step down.
The sentence means Dixon will not have a conviction on her record if she meets all the requirements of her probation.
A jury convicted Dixon in December of embezzling about $500 worth of gift cards donated to the city for needy families. Dixon then pleaded guilty last month to lying about thousands of dollars in gifts from her former boyfriend, a prominent developer.
“Ms. Dixon leaves the office in total disgrace after a career that saw her become the first woman elected to that office,” said retired Howard County Circuit Judge Dennis M. Sweeney, who was specially assigned to hear her case. “That result in this court’s view is a heavy penalty, well justified by the evidence before this court, but still a heavy penalty – a badge of dishonor that she will live with for the rest of her life.”
Dixon, a 56-year-old Democrat, will serve at least two years of probation. She is required to perform 500 hours of community service and contribute $45,000 to charities in the city. Once she completes her probation, she would be free to run for office again.
The deal also allows her to keep a lifetime pension worth at least $83,000 a year. Dixon became mayor in January 2007, taking over for Gov. Martin O’Malley. She easily won election that fall to a four-year term.
Rawlings-Blake is the daughter of the late Howard P. Rawlings, a longtime state legislator. She was elected to the City Council at age 25 and elected council president in 2007, putting her next in line to become mayor. She has pledged to reform ethics laws and make city government more transparent.
She said Thursday she would “work tirelessly” to eliminate a looming $127 million budget deficit.
“Mark my words: We will keep what works and fix what doesn’t in city government so that our people emerge stronger,” Rawlings-Blake said.
A studious attorney who chooses her words carefully and maintains a guarded public persona, Rawlings-Blake has little in common with the fiery, combative Dixon, and the two are not close.
Still, she has taken an incremental approach since Dixon announced her resignation last month. Among her first moves were to ask Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III and Fire Chief Jim Clack, both hired by Dixon, to stay on.
Rawlings-Blake was appointed to complete Dixon’s term, which runs through late 2011, and there is little doubt she will seek election to her own term next year.
About Post Author
