Mayor Sheila Dixon: "Wars in our city"

MayorTV is a challenge from America's Mayors to 2008 candidates: start talking about cities! MayorTV asked Mayor Dixon what she thought a national agenda for cities should look like.

Sheila Dixon of Baltimore is the most recently elected Mayor we interviewed. But she already has her priorities straight -- tackling crime, guns and the flow of drugs into her inner city.

"I want to see one of the candidates come up with a comprehensive plan to eliminate the tide of drugs coming into our country," the Mayor told us. "I mean, we have wars here in our city. We should be making strides in that area, but its something I never hear [the presidential candidates] talk about."

She's right, of course. The '08 presidential race has distinctly eschewed issues of inner city violence and drug trade. Perhaps it's a blessing that we haven't had Willie Horton-style attack ads that demonize urban people of color; but we also haven't had any substantive talk about America's drug problem (the illegal one, not the prescription one).

Maybe not surprisingly, then, Mayor Dixon has yet to endorse a presidential candidate. "I've had a couple conversations with a couple candidates," said the Mayor, "and my first question is, What is your platform for urban issues? ... And then, what kind of commitment will they make for following up?"

For cities like Baltimore to not just get a lot more hot air, it's the latter question that matters. Good thing that Mayor Dixon is asking. Hopefully she gets a truthful answer.

(More interviews and your comments at MayorTV.com)

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[VHTcrushes]

Criminals DO NOT go to the store and buy weapons. When the hell are people going to get this thru their head?. I'm a very liberal guy, but it's plain for all to see that strict gun laws have done NOTHING to help the gun violence in L.A. and D.C.

[watts1960]

She is a crook. not to be trusted. a blight. a product of herself.  a negative influence on people. I hope you enjoy paying her pension

[Boostnitup]

Thugs will always have guns... Stop coddling your inner city militia which you have propped up for over 75 years. Face it... you depend on their gang banging to feed your poor. You want a hand out State, and you are threatening us! You are demanding we give more so you will stop killing each other. Forget it! The problem is on you to solve! Stop blaming the rest of the country for your unwillingness to do it!

[tfn105]

@VHTcrushes perhaps this is because strict gun laws are not enforced across the entire country?

If there were no guns, there could be no gun crime. That's more or less the premise in most other western countries...

[missmamawatt]

hate solves nothing. I tried every respectable, decent way I could think to get a serious conversation with this mayor about my socioeconomic empowerment idea, (she listened to someone else's idea about tree planting). The war in Baltimore is between BLACK PEOPLE. We're too busy being better than the other one instead of embracing the sentiment that WE ARE ALL GOD'S CHILDREN. I know my idea is from a positive and good place. I could complain, but I've been given the mindset to find solutions.

[BruceH59]

Same old Marxist thinking it about the "other peoples" money right give me give me give Fed Gov money. When are we going to get people to stop spending money for useless programs that rarely work. Of course being a Marxist she anti gun what a surprise.

[GrimRetort]

Confront people like her with the truth! There heads will explode, and then we wont have to deal with them anymore.

[ArcanineTheFurry]

Guess what DICKson! I carry a pistol so go screw yourself you evil witch! What kind of mayor would steal from the poor? Enjoy community service. I hope you have to clean horse crap!

[ArcanineTheFurry]

THIEF! And she is NOT EVEN sorry! Evil guns? Since when do guns have a brain? Thank Gosh she is quitting!

[shshshsht]

She got off EASY.

[mumbleora]

She deserves what she got. When's Bush and Cheney going to give those dollars and lives back?