Nov 10, 2009 6:48 am US/Eastern
First Day Of Jury Selection In Dixon Trial Over
BALTIMORE (WJZ/AP) ―
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Mayor Sheila Dixon says she has no plans to give up leadership of the city -- even temporarily.
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After months of accusations, charges and indictments, Mayor Sheila Dixon got her day in court Monday. The first day of the City Hall corruption trial surrounding the mayor started with a not guilty plea and jury selection.
Mike Hellgren explains the judge describes the jury selection as a herculean effort.
The judge also said it was successful, so successful they've already found 36 people qualified to sit on the jury. The reserves probably won't be needed and the jurors could be in place by Tuesday night.
Mayor Sheila Dixon says she had an "interesting" first day in court. That one word was her only public statement about the start of jury selection for her trial on theft charges.
WJZ cameras were rolling as the mayor emerged from a freight elevator in the back of Courthouse East Monday. She got into a black Suburban and headed into the night.
Her lawyer said little, leaving through the front door after more than nine hours in court. Much of that time was spent questioning potential jurors from a pool of hundreds. The 12 chosen will make or break this case.
The allegations are ugly and the stakes are high. The state prosecutor claims Dixon stole gift cards meant for the needy and used them for herself. The mayor has called it a politically motivated waste of time and money, but if she's found guilty, her political career is done.
"It's really, really important--not just for this case, but for the citizens of Baltimore--for her to actually project calmness, for her to project confidence," said political analyst Lester Spence.
Former State Senator Larry Young, acquitted of bribery and tax evasion a decade ago, was the last high-profile politician the state prosecutor's office targeted. He's closely watching the trial.
"My opinion is, I want to hold the line until she's had a chance to get her case presented," he said.
The mayor, dressed in a professional blue pinstripe suit, seemed to be in good spirits in court and was very engaged with her lawyers and going over the juror questionnaires. Dixon had been taking notes at the defense table.
Sweeney asked the jurors a series of questions about whether they could be impartial. Twenty-one people indicated they had already formed opinions of Dixon's guilt or innocence that could not be swayed by the evidence presented at trial. The same number said they had either been a victim of theft or had been charged with theft.
After the jurors were questioned as a group, attorneys and Sweeney began questioning them individually.
"At the end of the day, this trial is about Sheila Dixon and it will be won or lost because of her," said law professor Andrew Levy.
Dixon is facing two separate trials. One is for two counts of perjury, but on Monday, she is in court on charges she stole gift cards intended for the needy.
"I have done nothing wrong," Dixon said.
"I think it's very possible that jurors will come into this thinking that race was involved in choosing to go after the mayor and going after the mayor the way they did. It's my hope that they will judge the merit of the case," Spence said.
From the beginning, Mayor Dixon has strongly denied the allegations against her, including perjury, theft and misconduct.
The state prosecutor began the investigation back in 2006. In June 2008, investigators executed a search and seizure warrant at the mayor's house in Southwest Baltimore. A number of documents and other evidence were seized.
Several subpoenas were issued. The hammer came down last January when Dixon was indicted by a grand jury on several counts.
A turning point in the investigation came back in June, when prominent city developer--and the mayor's former boyfriend--Ronald Lipscomb admitted paying for lavish trips and gifts that she failed to report on ethics forms, while voting on tax breaks for his company. Lipscomb agreed to cooperate with the prosecution and will likely be a key witness.
All along, the mayor has said the investigation was a waste of time and money.
The mayor could be in court as many as eight hours a day during the trial, but she says it will not have an impact on city government.
Dixon would be thrown out of office if convicted of any of the seven charges against her.
The mayor's lawyers filed a motion Monday night, which the judge said he did not yet look at. The mayor and her lawyers are expected to be in court at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
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here for more information on the case.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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