Sheila Dixon Indicted

[deeshopper]

Story developing.

[cravnravn]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal...story?track=rss

[Spen]

A scandal surrounding a Baltimore politician? I don't believe it.

[ForceEight]

A dead turtle could have told you that this was coming.

 

Let alone that her election was a mistake in the first place.

[cravnravn]

Payoffs and Corruptions go back further than the Delasandro administration..Unfortunately, she got caught. Im prtty sure it was the 2000 dollar Furrier gift certificate that got her busted.

[cokedupwerewolf]

i hate Dixon, but it all sounds like crap, just trumped up charges to justify all the tax payer money that has been wasted over 5 years coming up with these weak charges.

 

 

No bribery, no corruption. Yawn fest.

[dc.]

Well, it might not be corruption... but it's borderline.

 

Her sister works for a company that gets hundreds of millions in contracts? And Dixon got her the job? And continued to recommend the company? And continually forgot to mention the connection?

 

And she dates a major developer looking for tax breaks and money from the city? And continues that and accepts gifts?

[cravnravn]

And she dates a major developer looking for tax breaks and money from the city? And continues that and accepts gifts?

 

But didnt she have to "earn" those gifts? :ph34r:

[cokedupwerewolf]

Well, it might not be corruption... but it's borderline.

 

Her sister works for a company that gets hundreds of millions in contracts? And Dixon got her the job? And continued to recommend the company? And continually forgot to mention the connection?

 

And she dates a major developer looking for tax breaks and money from the city? And continues that and accepts gifts?

 

 

I mean I understand these things, but my point is when you come out of a 4-5 year investigation, the word borderline shouldn't be anywhere near the charges. After 5 years of trying to to nail her to the wall, also resulting in the first lawyer who started these charges leave his post in shame for the way he dealt with this issue, you should have at least a bribery charge. This is just republicans trying to shame Dixon, more than likely in an attempt to spin it on to O'Malley so that when the next governors race rolls around the have another negative bullet to shot at Martin.

[ForceEight]

I mean I understand these things, but my point is when you come out of a 4-5 year investigation, the word borderline shouldn't be anywhere near the charges. After 5 years of trying to to nail her to the wall, also resulting in the first lawyer who started these charges leave his post in shame for the way he dealt with this issue, you should have at least a bribery charge. This is just republicans trying to shame Dixon, more than likely in an attempt to spin it on to O'Malley so that when the next governors race rolls around the have another negative bullet to shot at Martin.

Honestly, I can't blame them.

[dc.]

I mean I understand these things, but my point is when you come out of a 4-5 year investigation, the word borderline shouldn't be anywhere near the charges. After 5 years of trying to to nail her to the wall, also resulting in the first lawyer who started these charges leave his post in shame for the way he dealt with this issue, you should have at least a bribery charge. This is just republicans trying to shame Dixon, more than likely in an attempt to spin it on to O'Malley so that when the next governors race rolls around the have another negative bullet to shot at Martin.

 

My only problem with your logic here is about the length of the investigations.

 

First and foremost, the investigations were separate. There were early ones in 04/05 when she was City Council Pres and now there have been more, more recently.

 

But to paraphrase Dan Rodricks (who I am hardly a big fan of)... the supporters of the accused always point to lengthy investigations, as if that proves that someone was intentionally poking around.

 

No. Like everything else done by a federal bureau of any kind... things take forever. Hell, Dixon's own lack of cooperation was a major part of why the investigations took so long. And it is the job of the prosecutor to complete a FULL investigation before making any indictments.

 

Meanwhile... the charges may not be corruption... but they are still about a total lack of ethics. Again, Rodricks put it best... Dixon has an attitude of entitlement... and now she's paying for it. She doesn't want the rules to apply to her because she wants what she wants... and she thinks she deserves it.

[ravinmaniac52]

She doesn't want the rules to apply to her because she wants what she wants... and she thinks she deserves it.

 

She just wanted to get away with what the rest of them were getting away with.

[dc.]

First, I think that's an exaggeration.

 

But second, as funky as this sounds, at least the others don't come out and say publicly... "pssssha... I deserve this."

 

That was my favorite. The City Council approved small salary raises for high city positions... almost secretly. There was very little reported on them. When it came out people were upset. And Dixon's response to the recommendation that, at least this year, she donate some of her raise to charity? "No, I won't do that. I deserve it. I deserve my 2.5 percent for everything I do for you people."

 

... What I really don't get about that example, however, is why the raises go into effect so quickly? That's screwy. In the Fed, you can't vote for your own raise in salary... well, you can... but you don't get it unless you are reelected.

[cokedupwerewolf]

She did though in fact donate her raise, while other officials did not.

[dc.]

A portion of it...