Ethics, pumps and 'Choo’s'

Perhaps this is one of those situations where there is enough blame to go around.

First here is what we know. We know that Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon (D) is being investigated into whether or not she received gifts for approving city incentives that favor developers. In particular is developer Ronald Lipscomb. Lipscomb and Dixon, who were separated from their respective spouses for quite sometime, acknowledged that they had a personal relationship between 2003 and 2004. During the course of the relationship, they had spent a lot of time traveling and a lot of time shopping. Those shopping strips involved dropping a lot of money in a single store. Also a fact is that Dixon did not make full disclosures when she filed her ethics reports. This is where I begin.

Dixon should be punished for at the very least not fully disclosing her connections when filling her ethics reports. If anything she should have disclosed her relationships (business and personal) and then stepped back from votes where the companies that are connected to her outside of city hall were involved. Had she done that, I do not think her buying a pair of $560 Jimmy Choo sandals would have been an issue (more on the shoes later.)

I am not expecting Dixon to broadcast who she is dating all over Central Maryland in the least. She could have quietly done this on her ethics forms and that would have been the end of it. To that effect, we need to remember what President Bill Clinton said ten years ago that politicians have personal lives as well. If there was an attraction between Dixon and Lipscomb, what business is it of ours to put it under a public microscope? Again, none of this would have happened had Dixon stated this on her ethics form, but I digress.

Another thing is that we need to remember is that Dixon is innocent UNTIL proven guilty. The investigation is still on going. There hasn’t even been a trial yet and Dixon is being barbequed in the media. I agree with Dixon where she said that the scrutiny in the media is unfair because she hasn’t had a chance to give her side of the story…

Politicians have just as much right to splurge on items as we do. So what if she bought thousands of dollars in expensive apparel, that is her right if she wants to do so. Her salary, right now at $125,000, that places her in a higher tax bracket than most of us. Other politicians that are doing pretty well are Governor Martin O’Malley (D) ($150,000,) Lt. Governor Anthony Brown (D) ($125,000,) and Comptroller Peter Franchot (D) ($125,000) which is baffling considering his jihad last year against his fellow rich people or should I say those who are “the wealthiest among us,” but again, I digress. I doubt that O’Malley, Brown and Franchot are shopping at Target or Wal-Mart. If they are, kudos to them, not everything needs to be a name brand.

Politicians are people just like us, only we empower them to protect our liberties and community interests and they are accountable to us come election time. Dixon has a right to date who she wants and shop where she wants. The items that should be discussed is her not being forthcoming about her connections and whether or not she used her office to benefit her and her family members. The personal relationship and the “Choo’s” are frivolous and immaterial.

Yes, I think spending $500 on a pair of shoes is ridiculous, even spending $200 on a pair of shoes is nuts to me. However, this is not the first time anyone has spent that amount of money on shoes. We need to get over it when a politician spends a lot of money on dinners and clothes. Public servants should not be excluded from improving their class standing because they are elected officials. When did “The American Dream” become off limits for politicians?

While we are on the subject of shoes, it seems to be a running joke with Dixon. While she was still a councilwoman, Dixon during a racially charged discussion involving redistricting in 1991 at a council meeting waved a red pump towards the white members of the council and told them that they ran the show for the previous twenty years and that the shoe is on the other foot now. This tape was apparently in demand during last year’s city election, but was not found.

Speaking of last year’s election, when Circuit Court Clerk Frank Conaway, Sr., entered the race for mayor, he brought out a red pump and started to wave it in the air and proclaimed that Dixon was out of control.

With all of that said, I must ask this question in closing…can we please do a story about Mayor Dixon and not have any footwear involved with it?

kennyburns@marylandpolitics.us