Is the mayor of Baltimore back on the job despite the speedy guilty verdict?”
Mayor Sheila Dixon’s misdemeanor fraud conviction fails to meet a key standard necessary for her removal from office, her attorney said Wednesday as the mayor resumed her regular duties a day after the verdict. Her criminal defense lawyer, Arnold M. Weiner, said the guilty verdict reflected testimony about actions that weren’t part of Dixon’s duties as City Council president, the post she held at the time. State law requires removal of elected officials who are convicted of crimes related to their public duties and responsibilities. A legal expert, however, said the argument that the conviction didn’t pertain to her public responsibilities would be weak. It’s not clear if her defense team would have an opportunity to argue that point before a suspension took effect, or whether such a claim would be decided by the trial judge or another court. Her defense team plans to appeal the conviction. Meanwhile, former mayor and fellow Democrat Kurt L. Schmoke said Dixon owes her constituents an
From the AP: Baltimore mayor back on job despite guilty verdict By DAVID DISHNEAU (AP) – 2 hours ago BALTIMORE — Mayor Sheila Dixon’s misdemeanor fraud conviction fails to meet a key standard necessary for her removal from office, her attorney said Wednesday as the mayor resumed her regular duties a day after the verdict. Her criminal defense lawyer, Arnold M. Weiner, said the guilty verdict reflected testimony about actions that weren’t part of Dixon’s duties as City Council president, the post she held at the time. State law requires removal of elected officials who are convicted of crimes related to their public duties and responsibilities. A legal expert, however, said the argument that the conviction didn’t pertain to her public responsibilities would be weak. It’s not clear if her defense team would have an opportunity to argue that point before a suspension took effect, or whether such a claim would be decided by the trial judge or another court. Read more at the link below.
