Meet Andre Dickens Atlanta’s New Mayor_‍

_{Andre Dickens, age 48, is the 61st mayor of Atlanta. In 2021, Dickens entered the race for Atlanta Mayor and won a runoff election in on Nov. 30, 2021, receiving 64% of the vote over City Council President Felicia Moore 36% . While mayoral elections are nonpartisan, Dickens identifies himself as a Democrat He was elected and took office in January 2022. Let's discuss the life of our newest mayor.History}

Dickens was born and raised in Atlanta by his mother and step-father who was an airplane engineer.  He graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in chemical engineering and followed that with a master’s degree in public administration and economic development from Georgia State University.

Biography

He is highly protective of his private life.  He and his wife Kimberly have a teenage daughter. There are rumors of a divorce, however we are not able to fact check this information and we understand there is a very strong bond between these two.

Before entering politics Dickens had a successful business career.  At age 28, Dickens co-founded City Living Home Furnishings and grew it into a successful retail business.  He managed the company’s daily operations until 2011.  It is estimated that his unconfirmed net worth exceeds $14 million.

Following his time in private business, Dickens was Chief Development Officer for TechBridge, a nonprofit organization bringing technology and expertise to other nonprofits.

In 2018, he co-founded Technology Career Program, another nonprofit, to prepare the unemployed for jobs in the growing technology market.

After building his successful business and dedicating his time to community development, Dickens ran for City Counsel and was elected as an at-large member. He served there from 2014 to 2021 when he ran for Mayor.

As a City Councilman, he led legislative initiatives for public safety, affordable housing, transportation, workforce development, affordable housing, and education.  As chairman of the Transportation Committee he had oversight of streets and bridges maintenance, and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport the world’s busiest airport.

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Campaign Promises‍

The key planks in his campaign platform were

• SAFE Streets plan.  He promised to hire 250 new officers as well as other measures.
• Focus on his city council legislative achievements, including a $15 per hour minimum wage for city employees and affordable housing measures.
• Eradication of corruption in contracting.
• Streamline the procurement process by eliminating roadblocks to fix the City’s crumbling infrastructure.
• Release of his tax returns.

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