Jan 14, 2009 11:13 am US/Eastern
Photo Of Sheila Dixon Generates New Controversy
Take Our Poll: Should Mayor Dixon Step Down After Her Indictment?
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
-
-
Mayor Sheila Dixon avoided reporters Tuesday but stuck to her public schedule.
Maryland Daily Record
Poll
Should Mayor Sheila Dixon Step Down After Her Indictment?
You need the latest Flash player to view our Poll.
Click here to download.
Click here to
bypass this detection if you already
have the latest Flash Player.
Mayor Sheila Dixon spoke out about a controversial photo Wednesday. The embattled mayor faces a 12-count indictment that could end her political career.
Mike Hellgren has the latest on a photo that's generating controversy and reaction from the governor.
Governor Martin O'Malley was mayor of Baltimore during the time the prosecutor alleges Mayor Dixon got too cozy with a developer. She now faces theft and perjury charges.
Mayor Sheila Dixon refused to answer questions about anything Tuesday, rushing from a public appearance in Harbor East directly to behind the dark-tinted windows of a waiting SUV.
This comes one day after she had photographers removed from a public meeting at City Hall. A picture from the event snapped by The Daily Record has generated lots of buzz. In it, the mayor appears to be giving the middle finger to journalists.
On Wednesday, Dixon told reporters this was a "low blow" and she's "disappointed." Her spokesman says she was adjusting her glasses.
It's been a tough four days for Dixon since the indictment. She has denied any wrongdoing in the state prosecutor's corruption probe. The prosecutor says Dixon stole gift cards meant for the needy and never reported gifts from developer Ron Lipscomb, a man she was dating at the time, and whose projects received tax breaks from the city.
City Council members prayed at their first meeting since the charges came down, including accusations that Councilwoman Helen Holton took a bribe from Lipscomb.
"My attorneys and I are confident that I will be exonerated," she said.
"I'm looking forward to the point in time when all this is resolved in a court of law and I'm sure Mayor Dixon is as well," Governor O'Malley said.
He wouldn't get into specifics, but praised Lipscomb in an interview last summer.
"Certainly all of us know Mr. Lipscomb and know how hard he's worked to revitalize the city," he said. "There were no projects that received greater scrutiny than those projects in Inner Harbor East."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
WJZ.COM's Most Popular Slideshows
2009 Celebrity Deaths
View The Indictment Against Helen Holton and Ronald Lipscomb 
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
