Andre Dickens has said multiple times that he wants to be mayor of Atlanta for eight years. And it appears he’s getting a head start on preparing to run for a second term in 2025.
Celebrating his birthday on Friday evening, Dickens held a fundraiser to support his campaign at the Thompson Buckhead hotel. The minimum contribution for supporters to attend was $100.
At the end of last year, Dickens’ campaign reported having about $91,000 in the bank, but owed $86,000 in outstanding expenses. It’s normal for mayors to fundraise throughout their terms — in large part because a strong war chest can help ward off any potential challengers when election season comes around again. Running against a sitting mayor is hard enough. Running against a sitting mayor with cash to spare? That uphill battle just got steeper.
It’s almost my Birthday, and I’d like to celebrate with you! Join me on Friday, June 17th for a birthday fundraiser. Make sure you visit https://t.co/MU1LvoFzbo to RSVP and donate today. #celebrate pic.twitter.com/oYI78CaQzF
— Andre Dickens (@andreforatlanta) June 3, 2022
Former Mayor Kasim Reed, for example, had over $1 million when he started his 2013 reelection bid, which he won easily.
We’ll know more about who gave to Dickens’ campaign next month, after his next financial report is filed.
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
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The time has come: The City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on the city’s budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. Buckle up, since it’s usually the longest meeting of the year as council members vote on a flurry of budget amendments. Dickens has already made some tweaks to his proposed budget since it was first released, adding an affordable housing trust fund and increasing raises for the city’s firefighters.
More will change Tuesday — stay with us for updates on the big storylines as we wrap budget season at Atlanta City Hall.
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More and more homes in Atlanta are being gobbled up by investors, fueling the flames of gentrification as the cost of living goes up. The mayor wants to see that change, telling Bloomberg last week that he’d like the government to clamp down more and prevent communities to be overrun by banks and investors. From the Bloomberg story:
“Dickens ... said that he envisions something similar to the Community Reinvestment Act -- a federal law designed to encourage banks to meet the needs of all borrowers -- to prevent Atlanta communities from being overtaken by deep-pocketed real estate investors.”
The mayor was referring to action the federal government and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development could take, rather than local policy.
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Since former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms left office at the beginning of the year, we’d been curious to see what her next big move in the political arena would be. We got answers this week, when the White House announced Bottoms will soon join the Biden administration as a senior advisor to the president focused on public engagement. It’s an especially critical position ahead of the midterm elections, with Bottoms expected to provide feedback on policy and messaging and possibly becoming a public face of the administration.
Credit: Ben Gray
Credit: Ben Gray
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An eviction hearing for Peoplestown resident Tanya Washington was postponed last week in the latest chapter of the city’s longstanding eminent domain battle for several homes in the southeast Atlanta neighborhood. Capital B Atlanta obtained an email from a city attorney that said the city is planning to have an in-person settlement meeting with Washington on or before Friday, June 24. We reported two weeks ago that the city is settling their lawsuit against Dwayne Agard by giving his family and his attorney $925,000 for his home.
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Some city employees are about to get more money on top of the standard pay raises proposed in the mayor’s budget for the coming year. The Atlanta Police Department’s officers, investigators, sergeants and lieutenants are going to each receive $4,000 bonuses this year, the mayor’s office announced last week. APD captains, majors and chiefs will receive $1,000 bonuses.
Additionally, workers in fire, police, corrections and E911 who have been employed by the city since last August will receive $1,000 in extra pay. More than 1,500 city frontline employees — including transportation, public works, parks & recreation and other workers — are also getting an enhanced premium pay of $4.12 per hour over their base pay this year.
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