While most of the media’s attention remains focused on the upcoming presidential elections, it’s worth remembering that all manner of elected offices will be up for grabs in November of 2024. That includes the post of Mayor in Baltimore, Maryland. Brandon Scott is finishing up his first term and plans to run for another. But he’s already drawn a primary challenger in the person of Sheila Dixon. Long-time readers of this site who don’t live in Charm City might recognize that name because we’ve covered her here in the past. She was the Mayor of Baltimore from 2007 until 2010. At first glance, you might think that it would be good to have someone with direct job experience in the race, but Dixon’s first (and only) term was cut short when she was forced from office after being convicted of embezzlement. Shouldn’t that sort of be a disqualifying entry on someone’s resume? (CBS News)

Former Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon launched a fourth bid for the mayor’s seat Thursday with a pitch to reduce crime, bolster city schools and increase access to government services.

Dixon, who resigned after she was convicted of embezzlement in 2010, touted accomplishments during her tenure like reducing crime rates while addressing quality of life issues.

“I know that I can do it again,” she said. “Maybe not the same way that I did, but with accountability, with focus and being able to lead this city.”

You can just see the bumper stickers. “This time she won’t get busted for embezzlement, we promise!”

Under more normal circumstances, this campaign would be little more than a bad joke. Who in their right mind would vote for someone who has already been convicted of stealing from the municipal government’s coffers? But this is Baltimore we’re talking about and “normal” is rarely part of the equation there. Keep in mind that this isn’t Dixon’s first run at trying to take her old office back. She ran unsuccessfully in 2016 and then again in 2020. And last time she was actually leading in the polls for a while before being overtaken by current Mayor Brandon Scott.

This sad reality is made all the more remarkable when you consider the nature of Dixon’s original crime. It’s true that we’re not talking about vast sums of money, but her theft involved stealing debit cards that were designated for the poor. Just stop and consider that for a moment. The Mayor of Baltimore earns more than $200K per year. Granted, that’s not Bill Gates’ sort of money, but it’s not too shabby. As soon as you are sworn in, you are among the top ten percent of earners in the country. While bringing in that level of pay, if you can’t suppress your urge to steal from the impoverished, there’s just something broken inside of you.

Keep in mind that Dixon was only one of a series of really bad choices to be the mayor. The last one that Baltimore had who didn’t wind up in some sort of trouble was Martin O’Malley, who served from 1999 to 2007 before moving on to become the Governor. He was replaced by Dixon, and we know how that ended. Stephanie Rawlings-Blake replaced her and she didn’t even bother running for a second term after she oversaw the city burning down during the Freddie Gray riots. After her, Catherine Pugh put Dixon to shame by being sentenced to three years in prison for scamming millions of dollars from various people and organizations. Now they have Brandon Scott, who hasn’t been caught stealing anything… at least yet.

If Sheila Dixon somehow prevails in the primary and returns to office, that will say a lot more about the voters of Baltimore than her. Perhaps she’s just an irredeemable thief who can’t help herself. It happens, sadly. But what sort of person could walk into a voting booth and pull a lever for someone who has already been caught stealing from you and stealing from the impoverished? If it happens, this would truly be a case of the voters getting precisely what they deserve.