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The election battle between Atlanta City Councilman H. Lamar Willis and challenger Andre Dickens is marked by feuding politicians, big-name backers, an old bankruptcy and a fresh disbarment.
The contest drew attention when former Mayor Shirley Franklin announced support for Dickens, a Georgia Tech administrator, and became the subject of negative political robocalls. The race took another jolt in early October when Willis, a Mayor Kasim Reed ally, was disbarred for depositing a client’s settlement money into an account he controlled. The Willis and Dickens camps’ war of words has in some ways divided Atlanta’s in-town political scene. But lost in the muddy fray, the candidates say, is why each thinks he’s the best man for the Post 3 At-large council seat.
Here, they tell you why. (Responses edited for length.)
H. LAMAR WILLIS, Incumbent
Age: 42
Education: Bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College; master’s from Carnegie Mellon University; law degree from Boston College.
Place of birth: Miami
Residence: Southwest Atlanta
Profession: Attorney, consultant and councilman
Family: Divorced; children: Kayla, 14, and Henry, 9
Political history: Served on Atlanta City Council three terms, beginning in 2002.
First thing to tackle at City Hall: Aging infrastructure. “Now that we have a healthy reserve we can begin investing more in sidewalks, pedestrian trails, and other infrastructure improvement needs.”
Three reasons Willis says he should be elected:
- Record of service. Willis says he’s proved his ability to lead by supporting the Atlanta Beltline and streetcar; introducing pension legislation that led to growing reserves; authoring legislation to create the Citizens Review Board for police oversight, and opposing tax and water rate increases.
- Engages in community battles. Willis says he’s supported legislation rolling back bar hours to improve public safety, helped East Atlanta fight a proposed big-box development near the Beltline; opposed a plan for a Family Dollar in Southwest Atlanta and supported Councilman Alex Wan’s failed attempt to close strip clubs along Cheshire Bridge corridor.
- Contributed to city’s current state. Willis says the city is headed in the right direction and he’s played a strong role in efforts that have led to a declining crime rate, a police force of 2,000 officers, a balanced budget and companies moving to Atlanta. “Now is not the time to change the captain or crew.”
Reasons Willis believes Dickens shouldn’t be elected:
Willis says Dickens has no experience; doesn’t understand complex issues such as pension reform, isn’t ready to make “the hard decisions” and will slow the city’s momentum.
“My opponent’s campaign is spending an inordinate amount of time attacking me as person, rather than give specifics on how and why he would be an effective councilman. I stand strongly behind my record on council, while his record and where he stands on issues impacting our citizen’s lives has gone largely unanswered.”
Endorsements: Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Rev. Walter L. Kimbrough, labor union AFSCME and community leader Rosel Fann.
Cash on hand: About $45,000, according to Sept. 30 campaign finance record
ANDRE DICKENS
Age: 39
Education: Undergraduate degree from Georgia Tech; candidate for master’s from Georgia State University
Place of birth: Atlanta
Residence: Underwood Hills
Occupation: Assistant director, OMED Educational Services at Georgia Tech
Family: Married to Kim Kline-Dickens; children: Bailey, 8.
Political history: First-time candidate
First thing to tackle at City Hall: Ethics reform. Dickens says he plans to work with the city’s ethics officer and administration to bolster and clarify ethics rules. “Atlanta has drastically changed over the years, but our ethics policies have not been reviewed since 2001,” he said. “If elected, I will increase transparency and accountability by advocating to toughen existing ethics laws.”
Three reasons Dickens says he should be elected:
— Small business experience. Dickens says his background as an entrepreneur, coupled with his work at Georgia Tech, allows him to offer new ideas about job creation.
— Proven record of solving big problems. Dickens says his background in engineering (his undergraduate course of study) has given him an analytical and process-oriented approach to business and fiscal matters, such as managing a $14 million budget for the southern region of a global company or grant-management in his role at Georgia Tech.
— History of public engagement that builds trust. Dickens says his work as the president of the Underwood Hills Neighborhood Association and with a neighborhood planning unit has given him hands-on experience to understand and help resolve neighborhood-based concerns.
Reasons Dickens believes Willis shouldn’t be re-elected:
Dickens believes Willis has eroded public trust because of issues leading to his disbarment, is “out of touch” and isn’t responsive to neighborhoods he was elected to serve. Noting Willis was fined $25,000 by state officials in 2009 for raising money through a charity he hadn’t properly certified, Dickens questions Willis’ ethics.
“The simple fact that my opponent is still running for office — in spite of his well-documented ethical violations — says that he is indeed out of touch with constituents and their values,” he said. “Once the people of Atlanta were informed of his unethical conduct, he launched vicious attacks against my supporters, their families and me … My opponent has proven that he will do and say almost anything to stay in office.”
Key endorsements: Former Mayor Shirley Franklin, Georgia House Democratic Leader Stacey Abrams, D-Atlanta, State Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, local police and firefighter unions and the American Federation of Teachers.
Cash on hand: $61,600, according to the Sept. 30 filing
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