Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens wasn’t alone on stage as he usually is at the Woodruff Arts Center on Monday morning, when he gave his annual State of the City speech.
Behind him sat neighborhood leaders, community advocates and public safety officers that have been recognized for going above and beyond in the line of duty. At moments throughout his remarks, he invited to the stage the city’s award-winning senior Olympians and an advocate for unhoused residents who, at one point not long ago, slept on the street himself.
The show of support from some of the city’s residents matched Dickens’ underlying message as he outlined his priorities for 2024: Atlanta can only succeed together.
“My administration has proven that we will go first, we will go often, but we can’t go far alone — we are all part of a group project,” he said. " Let’s close the Tale of Two Cities in Atlanta. Let’s move Atlanta forward together.”
In a crowded auditorium, as the sun rose over Midtown’s high-rise buildings, powerful business leaders, state and local elected officials and well-connected community advocates gathered for the mayor’s third State of the City address.
Among the attendees were high-profile politicians like Former Mayors Andrew Young and Shirley Franklin, U.S. House Rep. Nikema Williams and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Dickens — who has announced that he will run for reelection — touted a laundry list of successes, from the city’s highest-ever general fund balance to the tens of thousands of potholes filled by the “Pothole Posse.”
“All of these things are a testament to our city’s forward momentum,” he said. “A momentum built on choosing what’s best for our Atlanta.”
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
The mayor said he’ll continue his focus on propping up the city’s infrastructure as Atlanta is now the sixth largest metro area in the country, and announced a major investment in transportation.
Dickens said Monday he’s planning the largest expansion to MARTA’s train network in decades by adding four new stations throughout the city — including one at the newly opened Murphy’s Crossing along the Beltline’s Westside Trail, meaning the popular mixed-use trail loop will soon be connected to heavy rail.
“Our current MARTA rail system is underutilized, in part, because we don’t have enough stations located where our residents need them most,” the mayor said. “... A better, more accessible rail system is key to Atlanta’s future and I am committed to ensuring that Atlanta residents have access to the quality transportation they deserve.”
Dickens’ announcement comes as he’s faced pressure to weigh-in on the heated debate around whether the city should stick to its long-standing plan of installing rail along the city’s Beltline.
It’s not the only topic that has caused controversy during his first-term in office.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
As attendees made their way into the Woodruff Arts Center, a small group of protesters gathered to remind the mayor of arguably the biggest challenge he’s faced in office: uproar over the city’s $109-million public safety training center.
Despite his best efforts to shift public focus onto other issues like affordable housing and youth initiatives, the mayor has not been able to avoid loud criticism over how he’s handled backlash over the project.
The mayor said on Monday that the project is moving forward without delay.
“Despite the many distractions, the public safety training center has made significant progress and is on schedule to open before the end of the year,” he said.
Dickens touted the strides taken to reduce the city’s high-levels of violent crime since he took office.
“When I came into office, people from Downtown to Buckhead to the Southside told me that they were afraid to shop, go out to eat or visit parks,” he said. “We’ve made tremendous strides in public safety, with major crimes against people down by over 15% and homicides down by 21% in 2023.”
Dickens attributes his “Year of the Youth’' initiatives to the significant drop. Throughout last year, his administration worked to employ young residents during the summer and gave them more after school opportunities like the mayor’s Midnight Basketball program to keep them out of trouble.
Atlanta Public Schools announced in October that it saw its highest graduation rates ever in 2023.
Affordable housing, too, has always been one of the mayor’s highest-priorities — with a lofty goal of building or preserving 20,000 units of affordable housing across the city.
Major projects like converting the 2 Peachtree building downtown and opening The Melody — the city’s first rapid-housing community made out of shipping containers — have been praised as innovative solutions toward helping unhoused Atlantans.
“While many people in Atlanta have reveled in the remarkable progress of our city, not everyone has been able to join in the prosperity,” Dickens said. “The old notion that there are two Atlanta’s is unacceptable and a focus of my administration is to help level the playing field and provide equity where investment simply did not exist before.”
In hand with new housing resources, the city began this year clearing out homeless encampments under bridges across the metro area after a fire shuttered Cheshire Bridge for a second time. Officials suspect the bridge fire was started accidentally, by unhoused people trying to keep warm underneath it.
The mayor’s 2024 State of the City this year came with important historical significance: 50 years since Atlanta’s first Black mayor, Maynard Holbrook Jackson, was elected to office.
The city is celebrating his accomplishments all year, from Jackson’s vision for Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to the creation of the Neighborhood Planning Unit system that gives a voice to Atlanta’s diverse neighborhoods.
“As we gather here today to reflect on our achievements and chart the course forward for Atlanta,” he said. “Let me be clear: the state of our city is strong.”
Staff reporter Zachary Hansen contributed to this report.
