ATLANTA — Atlanta City Councilman Andre Dickens will be Atlanta’s next mayor.
With all precincts reporting, Dickens beat City Council President Felicia Moore 64% to 36% in the mayoral runoff. The two candidates emerged from a crowded field of candidates including former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed to face each other.
“Tonight, I’m beyond humbled. I’m beyond humbled that you have even chosen me. You’ve elected me to be the 61st mayor of this great city of Atlanta,” Dickens said in a news conference after the results were announced.
[ELECTION RESULTS: Get the latest election result updates here]
Dickens said before the results were released that crime remains the number one concern among Atlanta residents, but as the new mayor, he will also have to deal with other issues, including potential Buckhead cityhood and infrastructure problems.
“We voted for progress and a problem solver, for a bridge builder, for transformation,” Dickens told a crowd of hundreds during his victory speech Tuesday night. “And this work will start right now. We can’t wait any longer to address these issues.”
Dickens joined Channel 2′s Fred Blankenship and Lori Wilson at the WSB-TV studios for a live interview on Channel 2 Action News This Morning. He spoke about his love for the city.
Like many cities across the country, Atlanta has been dealing with a spike in killings. As of Nov. 13, homicides rose 10% over the same period last year and 57% compared with 2019, Atlanta police data shows.
Dickens has pledged to increase the number of police officers, arrest gang leaders and implement community policing. He says he may keep current Police Chief Rodney Bryant, who came out of retirement in 2020 after a previous chief stepped down following a fatal police shooting of a Black man that led to unrest.
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After the results were announced, Moore addressed her supporters and thanked them for all their hard work.
“We all have what the people in the other room who are screaming and celebrating have, and that’s a love for this city,” she said.
You can watch her full speech below.
Just a little over 30% of registered voters showed up to the polls for the primary earlier this month.
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