Why don't those running down former mayor Sheila Dixon realize that they too may have some hidden sins that may not be as public as hers ("A Dixon comeback?" July 14)?

We are the most accusatory people on earth. I understand that those in authority have a greater responsibility to display good character and integrity, and I know she did wrong. But she paid for her crime, and people still aren't satisfied. They want her to keep on paying her debt to society forever.

The truth is that Ms. Dixon loved Baltimore, and there has been a great vacuum since she left. Crime is up, blood on the streets is up and the leadership at City Hall has been perfunctory at best.

It's time to get Baltimore back on track toward achieving the ideals that made the city a great place to live during the Schaefer era. No one else has come close to that type of representation and leadership except Ms. Dixon.

Verinda M. Birdsong, Baltimore