Mayor Sheila Dixon has retained most of Gov. Martin O'Malley's top city staff. She has vowed to continue most of his policies.
Yet Baltimore voters believe she is charting a new course for the city -- one they generally approve of -- according to a new poll conducted for The Sun.
Nearly 60 percent of likely Baltimore Democratic primary voters say they believe Dixon has differentiated herself from the policies of O'Malley, according to the poll by the independent, nonpartisan firm OpinionWorks of Annapolis.
And of respondents who identified themselves as Dixon supporters, 72 percent say she has embarked on a new path in carrying out the remainder of O'Malley's term since he was inaugurated as governor in January.
"O'Malley is favorably viewed and very well-liked, but the two ... have very different styles and, honestly, her style right now is something that voters seem to be grabbing on to," said Steve Raabe, president and founder of OpinionWorks. "It's because she seems to be wanting to move ahead aggressively on some tough things, and that's something that voters are hungry for in Baltimore."
Dixon is not only serving out the remainder of O'Malley's term -- she became the interim mayor in January when O'Malley became governor -- but some have suggested the race is as much a referendum on O'Malley's final years as mayor as it is about Dixon's first six months.
In her State of the City address this year, Dixon promised to complete O'Malley's term with consistency, continuing many of the broad policies of her predecessor. For years, the two have been considered political allies, and they ran together as "partners in progress" in the 2003 primary.
Many in Dixon's Cabinet, including the police commissioner, housing commissioner and public works chief, served in the O'Malley administration. For many other key positions that became open when staff followed the new governor to Annapolis, Dixon promoted others who had worked in the O'Malley mayoral administration.
But Dixon also unveiled a handful of new initiatives and has taken a different direction on fighting crime. While O'Malley instituted a zero-tolerance arrest policy -- in which police targeted quality-of-life crimes -- Dixon has made a shift, putting more focus on the city's most violent offenders.
The poll of 601 likely Democratic primary voters was conducted July 8 to July 10, and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
Some respondents said they like the job Dixon is doing simply because it is different from O'Malley's policies.
"I thought some of the policies of O'Malley didn't really seem to stand up right to me," said Geraldine Bailey, 80, a retired housekeeper. "They couldn't get things straight about this drug problem. ... She's starting to develop different priorities. What I like about her is she is trying to get more police on the street."
In reflecting on O'Malley's tenure, 34 percent of respondents say they thought Baltimore improved under O'Malley, while the majority -- 45 percent -- say things had stayed the same. Nevertheless, O'Malley remains a popular figure in the city, with 7 in 10 likely voters having a favorable impression of him.
About half of all Dixon supporters say things had remained the same during O'Malley's administration, while 44 percent of the backers of Dixon's top rival, Councilman Keiffer J. Mitchell, say the city improved under O'Malley. Among those who say they are undecided in their support for a candidate this fall, 45 percent say the city had stayed the same.
Ira H. Kolman, 64, a semiretired audiologist, says he is leaning toward Dixon but remains undecided.
He said he thinks Dixon is following many of O'Malley's policies, and such continuity makes sense for the city. Kolman said while crime and schools have not improved during O'Malley's tenure, he lauded the former mayor for shepherding a renaissance in downtown development.
"I have to give him credit, because this is a city on the grow," he said. "I'm not convinced it's, quote, 'time for a change'."
kelly.brewington@baltsun.com
Sun reporter John Fritze contributed to this article.