Feb 18, 2009 6:25 pm US/Eastern
Dixon 'Bothered' By Obama Snub
Reporting
Adam May
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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Mayor Sheila Dixon sat down with WJZ for her first extensive one-on-one interview since facing criminal charges.
CBS
Mayor Sheila Dixon sat down with
WJZ for her first extensive one-on-one interview since facing criminal charges.
Adam May asked the mayor about her damaged political relationships and how they affect her future.
Granting her first interview since facing a 12-count criminal indictment, Mayor Sheila Dixon exclusively opened up to
WJZ.
"I think it's good for the public to get a sense of who I am and what my life is like," she said.
Dixon's days start bright and early at the gym. The 55-year-old works out almost every day. She says she exercises to stay in shape, "physically, mentally and spiritually."
Dixon used to watch the news while on the treadmill, but now after months of bad publicity she's turned it off.
The mayor is accused of stealing gift cards intended for needy children, and failing to report lavish gifts and trips given to her from a powerful developer.
Dixon claims she is innocent.
May: "Do you think the indictment has harmed your public reputation?
Dixon: Well, I think I can't say if it has or has not, but some are very judgmental."
There's no question the indictment has impacted Dixon's political relationships.
May: "The Saturday that Obama was in town, I watched his speech earlier in the day in Philadelphia. And the first thing he said was 'I want to thank the outstanding mayor of Philadelphia.' But when he was here at the War Memorial, you were not mentioned. What was your reaction?
Dixon: I was bothered by it, but I know why.
May: If it wasn't for the indictment, you would probably have been mentioned, you think?
Dixon: Let me put it to you this way. Everything that happened in this city that day was the result of my administration and the people who work for me who organized and coordinated everything phenomenally. Was I bothered by it? Yes. Did people and others note it and get upset that not even he or the governor or Congressman Cummings mentioned my name? I'm human. That was a lonely part [of the job]."
Still, Dixon says she never regrets taking the job.
"I think in the last two years, I have done more than my predecessors have done in the 12 or seven years because I know this city has so much to offer and so much to give," she said.
Yet after all this, and with so much uncertainty about her future, Dixon has no plans of stopping.
"I plan on running for re-election. You take one day at a time in this business. You do the best job you can every day because nothing is guaranteed," Dixon said.
Click
here to watch the entire interview.
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