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It’s been a relatively quiet day so far — no confessions of affairs, new allegations of corruption, or laughable quotes (well, maybe one). The stage may be set for next week, however. Here’s a rundown:

• Anthony McCarthy — Dixon’s former chief-of-staff during City Council days and then mayoral spokesman — was scheduled to appear before the grand jury this week. His testimony has been postponed indefinitely. Sources cite scheduling conflicts as the official reason for the postponement. If you recall, McCarthy has an interesting history as well, having been dismissed from his position in Dixon’s office in November. At the time, McCarthy was being investigated by the Baltimore County police for undisclosed reasons. Charges were never filed but Dixon referred to the allegations as “shocking.”

• On the topic of the gift cards, Dixon told 98 Rock that she “would never do anything to take advantage of people in any circumstance.”

• Baltimore Business Journal reports on a number of tax breaks that Dixon voted to approve, which benefited projects being developed by Lipscomb: $6 million for Frankford Estates, $7.2 million for the Zenith, and $13.6 million for Spinnaker Bay. Despite this, Dixon said at the press conference yesterday:

“There are a whole list of companies that I have been recusing myself from since I was under federal investigation. Despite my relationship with Ron Lipscomb — who’s a great person — it was a personal relationship, but there’s a process. I wasn’t the mayor then. There’s a process Baltimore Development Corporation and housing goes through. That was under the O’Malley administration.”

(The italics in the quote were added by me for emphasis on that key phrase.)

• An article in the Examiner says that Dixon reported no gifts in 2003 or 2004 — the years during which her and Lipscomb were gallivanting around the country. For 2007, she reported a few gifts: travel expenses to a seminar in Denver ($600), framed artwork ($150), books ($120.95), and some items from Under Armour ($170). In comparison, O’Malley reported $6,500 in gifts during his last year as mayor.

And there you have it — today’s Sheila Dixon roundup. With any luck, tomorrow will be more exciting.

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