Photo: Instagram @andreforatlanta

Andre Dickens First Hundred Days

Andre Dickens was sworn in as Mayor in Ja'nuary 2022.  He continues to pursue the promises he made as a candidate.  Dickens seems to convey calmness and humility amid the hype in the news media.  The Mayor reportedly is excellent at working with state officials and the Legislature.  Early on he projected a cooperative attitude and desire to build a solid working relationship.  He is a detail person typical of a chemical engineer.  He makes decisions only after studying the issues thoroughly. Just days after taking office, the Mayor announced the city’s Atlanta’s first "Peace Week" to place in the spring to “rebuild and strengthen the social fabric of Atlanta as cities across the country grapple with violence”.   The City has been grappling with a recent crime wave. Murders had increased by 60% in the preceding two years while aggravated assaults were up 25%.  

Dickens set out to correct it.   Some of his early achievements as Mayor include the following:

• Created a coalition to oppose a de-annexation effort.  The coalition thwarted the Buckhead City initiative and probably discouraged other communities from independence.  With that, a new precinct in Buckhead Village.
• Created the Affordable Housing Strike Force to make available 20,000 affordable housing units.
• Launched Operation Clean Sweep to keep Atlanta clean and green everywhere from the Northside to the Southside.
• Announced grants totaling $2.3 million to fund capital improvements to parks, with nearly 60% going to low-income communities.
• Reinstated the $10 million Resurgence Grant Fund to assist small businesses and nonprofits impacted by COVID financially.
• Started the Repeat Offenders Unit with Fulton County, Atlanta Police Foundation.
• Committed $5 million toward a $20 million goal for investment in childhood education.
• Reconstituted the Pothole Posse to speed response to residents’ 311 reports. Fighting crime was a principal focus of the Dickens campaign.  

One of the Mayor’s campaign promises was that he would put Police Chief Rodney Bryant on a 100-day probation. Dickens is still weighing the statistics.  Compared to the same point a year ago, homicides are up -  52 vs 37 in 2021. Robberies and vehicle thefts are down. The rate of assaults is virtually unchanged.  However, he acknowledges that Bryant’s department is making improvements to officer morale and recruitment. It appears the city will meet the Mayor’s promise to hire 250 new officers within his first year in office.Officer Kevin Knapp, president of the police union, observed that morale is slowly improving.  He credits Mayor Dickens with more hands-on attention to the matter which far exceeds the personal participation of the Mayor’s predecessor.So far, Mayor Dickens has apparently started out on the right foot.  But it’s still too early to judge after only 100 days of improvements.  His term ends in 2026 and much can happen before then.

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