The annual State of the City address, which took place in the Woodruff Arts Center on Tuesday night, is labeled as a “business address”, but it came across as a love letter from Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens to the city.
“Since I was 16 years old I knew I wanted to be the mayor of Atlanta because I love this city and I love its people,” Dickens, an Atlanta native and Atlanta Public Schools alumnus, said.
The address, Dickens’s fourth as the city’s Mayor, began with acknowledging the former Atlanta Mayors in attendance, including Bill Campbell, city council members, which included current Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman, business executives, law enforcement leadership such as Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum, Atlanta hip-hop pioneers T.I. and Killer Mike, and local dignitaries.
There was also recognition of the lives of former United States President and former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalyn Carter.
Before Dickens began his address Rev. Sean B. Smith of New Horizon Baptist Church delivered the evening’s invocation and remarks were made by Atlanta Committee for Progress Chairman Michael Russell and Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO James Quincey.
Russell, also the CEO of H.J. Russell & Co., spoke of Dickens’s “consistent presence and collaborative leadership style.”
The Russell family has been in business in Atlanta for decades, and Russell praised Dickens and his administration for continuing to champion Black-owned businesses and businesses in general.
“The future is bright and under his leadership, we will make positive strides,” Russell said. “I’ve seen the value of partnerships between our mayors and the business community. We look forward to continuing this journey.”
Several videos played on the auditorium’s big screen before Dickens took the stage and during his address. They showed images and footage of Dickens on the ground in Atlanta serving the community. One particular video of the new Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, otherwise known as “Cop City”, was greeted with applause by the capacity crowd.
Quincey said he can’t wait to see where Dickens is going to take Atlanta.
“It’s no surprise that more than 150,000 businesses have chosen to be here,” Quincey, a native of the United Kingdom, said.
“It’s so important that we come together each year in the city that we live and work in. It really is exciting to see how Atlanta is evolving,” Quincey added.
When it was Dickens’s time to speak from the stage, he made it clear that he expects to be the city’s Mayor after Election Day 2025.
During his address, Dickens doubled down on the claims that crime in Atlanta is down, adding that homicides are down 26% since 2022.
“If you had any doubt, Atlanta still influences everything,” Dickens said. “The state of our city is strong.”
The speech made mention of Atlanta having a AAA bond rating with Fitch, and all of the development taking place in often ignored neighborhoods like West End. The development of Downtown Atlanta and the fast-approaching World Cup 2026 were also mentioned during the address.
“Sometimes love looks like fighting for what you believe in,” Dickens said.
He continued, “Love looks like taking care of our youth and our seniors. Love looks like affordable homes and good schools.”
