Following a vigorously fought run-off, the city of Atlanta, Georgia is waking up to a new mayor. Andre Dickens, a former City Council member, has defeated his opponent Felicia Moore, the woman who led him as president on the council.
Late Tuesday evening, the Associated Press called the race, anointing the 47-year-old with the victory of one of the most high-profile political offices in the South.
A hotbed city for Georgia, the top executive post was not expected to be up for grabs. However, earlier this spring, the current mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, declared that after only four years, she would not seek a second term. This left the door wide open for Dickens to become Atlanta’s 61st mayor — the seventh Black person to fill the seat.
Lance Bottoms endorsed Dickens’ campaign and was one of the first to celebrate his win. On her personal Twitter account, she posted, “Congratulations to Atlanta Mayor-Elect Andre Dickens. The future of our city is in good hands.”
Others also took to Twitter to share their ecstatic shout-outs.
Political maven and strategist Stacey Abrams saluted Dickens for the victory and his “continued commitment to progress for all!”
Congresswoman Nikema Williams also posted the race stats, proudly showing off his substantial lead over Moore.
Probably one of the most endearing tweets came from his alma mater, Georgia Tech. The school tweeted, “Congratulations to Georgia Tech chemical engineering graduate and former Assistant Director of Outreach Initiatives for our Office of Institute Diversity Andre Dickens, who has just been elected the next mayor of Atlanta. #WeCanDoThat “
After being declared the winner, the mayor-elect invited Lance Bottoms and the former mayor Shirley Franklin to stand with him and his family on stage outside of the Gathering Spot, local outlets reported.
“I’m humbled that you have put this faith in me to be the city’s next leader,” he declared, relishing in the triumphant movement.
The native Atlanta is not approaching his new position with rose-tinted glasses. Acknowledging that there is a lot of important work for his administration to do, his campaign platform focused on public safety and restoring the “Soul of Atlanta.”
Dickens, who is a deacon in his church, shared, “We are facing some generational problems in our city.”
“Atlanta is growing in population and in wealth. Businesses are flocking to the city, yet we still have people living on our streets,” he continued. “We have people working at our airport just to meet last month’s rent. People are still fighting to stay in their homes in the city that they love.”
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