The Gov'ment

This is a sad week for Baltimore. Mayor Sheila Dixon was convicted of a misdemeanor embezzlement charge on Tuesday, bringing an end to a trial that has taken weeks and that gave everyone in the city something to talk about. Basically, the gist is this: Dixon was charged with 7 offenses, all stemming from the allegation that she spent gift cards donated to City Hall in 2005 on herself, rather than using them to help the city's poor and needy. Apparently the donors of the gift cards had relationships with Dixon, and she thought they were meant as personal gifts. After all was said and done, after testimonies heard from ex-boyfriends and developers (but not Dixon herself), the Mayor was found guilty of spending around $600 of what was deemed city money on herself. Her fate will be decided in the coming months, though it is unclear as to whether or not she will remain in office.

Now, being as that I have lived in this city for all of 3 months, I feel I am in no position to have a passionate opinion about this case. However, after listening to co-workers and long-time city residents, it seems that the consensus is that Dixon is a very good mayor for this city, people generally like what she has done. She is tough and driven, both things this city needs. However, she has also made mistakes, and has surrounded herself with the wrong people in the past, as evidenced by this conviction. She should be punished for this because as a public figure, she needs to hold herself to a higher standard.

The newspaper said that it's a sad day for Baltimore. Newsanchors, experts, and talking heads have all declared that there are no winners with this outcome, and I agree with that. I'm sorry that Dixon put herself in this position, and I'm sorry that so much time and money was spent trying to build a case against her. I guess the questions Baltimore needs to ask itself are these: Do we really want to crucify and oust a person from office who seems to be so good for the city, over a few hundred dollars she spent on herself 4 years ago? Doesn't this city have more pressing needs to spend its time and resources on, like for instance, a city-wide jobs program?

Speaking of jobs...

Mr. Moore is at the White House today! He was invited to participate in the Jobs Summit conference hosted by the president in an effort to come up with some concrete ideas about job-creation in this country. Apparently this is a pretty big-time meeting, and he will hopefully be able to offer his expertise and opinions regarding this topic during a break-out session. He was treated to breakfast this morning in the West Wing, and perhaps later he will even catch a glimpse of the president!

Needless to say, Mr. Moore and I are excited about this opportunity. I am sure, if given the chance, he will express to his constituents the dire need for the availability of substantive work here in Baltimore City. After spending the past few weeks signing up job-seekers in the neighborhood for the job fair we are holding on MLK Day, I have witnessed first-hand the desire people have to work, and the lack of jobs that are available to them. As we continue to press on with our goal to bring economic justice to our community, we view this White House summit as at the very least a sign that the government is interested in our cause.

So this week I have seen the highs and lows of the role of the government in this nation. Where one day we experience the betrayal of seeing a mayor get convicted, another day we feel the hope in being able to express our views on a national stage. I can only hope that in the coming days, weeks, months and years, we are able to experience more highs than lows, not only for Baltimore, but for the good ol' USA in general.