Good morning, Atlanta and welcome to the 2022 State of the City address.

I am Andre Dickens, the 61^st Mayor of Atlanta.

Wow … it’s been three months and it still feels good to say that.

Today is what we call “404 day.”  It’s the fourth day, of the fourth month of the year. We couldn’t have planned a better date to celebrate the culture and the future of our city.

So, thank you for being here with me this morning.

Thank you to our friends at Coca-Cola, and Chairman and CEO James Quincey, for that wonderful introduction. We appreciate your continued support and partnership, and your commitment to sponsoring this breakfast year-after-year. Thank you.

Before we get started, I am sure you saw the new Smart City Kiosks in the lobby as you came in. These interactive kiosks by IKE Smart City will be installed on sidewalks throughout the city to assist residents and visitors:

­Find restaurants and businesses

• Navigate using MARTA

• Find Resources for the unsheltered

• Do job searches

• Or to take photos – like some of y'all did today—and so much more.

These kiosks will convey information in many different languages and the best part is, they come at no cost to the city.

The last three months have been busy. But before I tell you about what we have been up to, I’d like to take a moment to recognize some of the people who serve this great city with me.

Council President Doug Shipman, and the Atlanta City Council, and our Municipal Court Judges please stand so we can recognize you all.

I have an awesome transition team, whom I have enjoyed getting to know - and working with - over the past several weeks. At this time, I want to ask co-chairs Howard Franklin and Sharon Gay, honorary co-chairs Dr. Brian Blake, Dr. Raphael Bostic, Dr. Lisa Herring, and Wendy Stewart to please stand.

Our 53^rd Mayor, Sam Massell, was also a member of this transition team. Sadly, we lost Sam three weeks ago. But I was honored to know him and to seek his counsel. I am certain his spirit will be with us as we do the work to keep our city moving forward.  And I am glad… because he leaves big shoes to fill.

I’d also like to recognize members of my senior leadership team:

• Senior Advisor Courtney English

• Chief Operating Officer Lisa Gordon, and

• Chief of Staff Odie Donald II.

Will my entire cabinet please stand? We will be in lockstep over the next four years to do the work of our city and I want to thank you for all you do to support this administration.

Last month, we celebrated the 90^th birthday of former mayor Andrew Young. Thank you, Ambassador Young, for being an example for a young child coming of age in Adamsville who aspired to be Mayor of this city. I knew that because of you and Mayor Maynard Jackson my dream was possible.

Ambassador Young, wave so the people can see you and thank you for putting this city on the international stage.

Mayor Bottoms you led our city through some pretty dark times and you did it with tenacity and grace. Thank you for passing the torch, and for all of your support during my first days. I value your friendship and I am thankful for your leadership.

I stand here in part today because of the belief of my mentor and friend Mayor Shirley Franklin. Mayor Franklin, our relationship began through your son and my dear friend Cabral, but it has grown over the years, and I just want to publicly thank you for your continued guidance and support.

And, to all of the elected officials, past and present, I stand on your shoulders, and I am so very grateful for the path you each paved and for the partnerships I enjoy with you today.

And finally, to my family my mother Sylvia, my sister Mia, and my beautiful daughter Bailey—thank you for your love and support, which allows me to show up every day ready to serve my hometown with boundless energy and steadfast commitment. I know that as long as you are in my corner everything is going to always be alright.

It has been a tough couple of years for all of us, but thankfully, it looks like we are beginning to get to the other side of this pandemic.

I want to begin today by saying a big thank you to our front-line employees—literally thousands of men and women who have kept our city running through it all. Thank you.

When I first took office, City of Atlanta services—like in many other cities—were experiencing the worst of the pandemic.  We had hundreds of workers out with COVID-19, three sanitation services were down, and City Hall was not open to the public for business. 

But our Public Works, Watershed, Transportation, and Public Safety Departments stayed the course. To meet the moment we hired contractors, raised our vaccination rates and outsourced services where it made sense.

I am proud to report, today, that City Hall is open, we’ve lifted the indoor mask mandate, all of our city services are up and running again, and we are determined to keep our city safe and clean.

Atlanta has always been and remains resilient and strong. 

That is why I am here today to tell you that the state of our city is strong. 

We are – and will continue to be—one city with one bright future.

Just after I was sworn in some 93 days ago I made the decision to put the City into overdrive. I have spent the past three months listening to constituents and stakeholders, business owners and residents and one thing is consistent… People love this city. 

But the need to super charge some of our City services was apparent. So, to make an immediate impact, we launched Phase Zero of Operation Clean Sweep. I challenged members of my leadership team to join me in picking up garbage and debris in neighborhoods from the Northside to the Southside and places in between. We are showing residents that a beautiful Atlanta starts with its leadership. 

We also are relaunching the Pothole Posse. In fact, that starts today. Our ATL DOT teams will be out around the city, with a goal of filling 30 potholes a day. I know I should get a little applause for that.

Next, ladies and gentlemen, we have an incredible opportunity to do more.

In May, voters have an opportunity to support the extension of the transportation special option sales tax. 

We are calling it TSPLOST 2.0.

With a $3 billion transportation need over the next 20 years, passing TSLPOST 2.0 would set the foundation to get us there. One hundred percent of the money raised through this special tax will go toward repairing our sidewalks, bridges and roadways.

And then there is the Public Improvement Bond—also called our Infrastructure Bond. That effort will yield more than $400 million for capital projects including:

• 3 new or renovated fire stations

• Our Public Safety Training Facility

• Our Center for Diversion Services, and

• Other buildings and equipment used for public safety

• Additional funding will go toward our greenway system, including:

• Parks and playground improvements

• Bicycle and transit lanes, and

• Safety Lighting for roads, sidewalks, pathways and trails

Taken together, that’s $750 million toward improvements across this city. That’s what I call super-charging city services.

But to make this happen we need everyone’s support.

As we emerge from this pandemic, we have a renewed appreciation for the outdoors. I am talking about clean and green spaces where citizens can come together safely.

That is why in February, I was pleased to announce my new Greenspace Advisory Council. The 13 partner organizations on this council will advise our administration on a number of issues like:

• Equitable investments in greenspace across the city

• Land acquisitions for parks and greenspace

• Park safety, and the protection of nature and Atlanta City Design

We have one of the most beautiful cities in the nation. And we want to keep it that way. I believe that everyone – regardless of zip code – deserves to enjoy quality greenspace close to home.

So, I was pleased when Park Pride announced a $2.3 million grant to fund capital improvements in local parks across the city.

Nearly three quarters-of-a-million dollars will be matched by the philanthropic sector to benefit low-income communities. That is equity in action.

Thank you to Park Pride’s Executive Director Michael Halicki for your commitment and leadership.

I was born and raised in Atlanta and have heard time and again how great our city would be if we just had a natural body of water. Thanks to the work of my good friend Councilman Dustin Hillis, as well as our partners at The Conservation Fund, Park Pride, The Trust for Public Land, and Riverwalk Atlanta. We are taking our city to the river.

I am pleased to announce that the Department of Parks and Recreation recently announced the acquisition of nine acres of land to develop our first-ever park that will have direct access to the Chattahoochee River.

Together, we are Moving Atlanta Forward. Did you hear me say, together?

Be prepared to hear that a lot, because together, we are going to get this job done. Together is how Atlanta has always moved forward.

But a few months ago, that unity was threatened by an effort to de-annex a part of our city.  Thankfully, the move to carve out a portion of our city is off the table for now.

If I have it my way it will remain that way forever.

I am grateful to our friends under the Gold Dome for agreeing with me that we are One City with One Bright Future.

So, thank you Lt. Governor Duncan, House Speaker Ralston and our entire Atlanta delegation for giving us the runway we need so our Buckhead residents, and all residents, feel safe in their neighborhoods and feel heard by city hall.

Thank you.

During my first two weeks in office, I was happy to join our police and City Council to unveil our new Atlanta Police precinct in Buckhead Village, located in the heart of Zone 2.

Thanks to Cousins Properties, this will be a home for APD for at least the next 10 years. And construction is already underway.

Thanks to the Buckhead Coalition and the Buckhead CID who contributed $150,000 to the build out of the space.

And we will increase APD’s presence in this area quickly, by staffing the precinct with a dozen officers by this summer. Thank you again to these great partners for helping to bring this new precinct online.

But this is just one of the steps we are taking to address public safety and violent crimes in our city. And when I refer to public safety, I don’t just mean police.

I campaigned on my Safe Streets Plan and that encompasses all things related to safety for our city including road safety, fire and rescue, and police. You have heard me say that I plan to take a balanced approach to safety and justice.

That starts by addressing some of the low-hanging fruit, like making sure our communities are well-lit to help deter deadly accidents and incidents of crime.

Today, our “Light up the Night” campaign is well underway.

Already, nearly half of the 10,000 lights that are part of this effort have been installed.

And thanks to our partners at Georgia Power, by the end of this project, we will have 60-thousand working lights across the city.

Additionally, I am excited to announce the establishment of a Nightlife Division within the Mayor’s Office. This division will address establishments that have a history of high crime in and around them.

They will host quarterly trainings to educate businesses on:

• De-escalating violent altercations

• Security training

• And First Aid and Emergency Response

Nightlife is a significant part of who we are as a city, but bad operators and patrons will be kept in line.

Also, I am mindful that the men and women of the Atlanta Police Department have been on the frontlines of public safety issues for years, which is why we need to ensure they are well staffed and well trained in de-escalation techniques and racial sensitivity.

We are on track to bring on 250 officers within the calendar year.

You see, recruitment efforts are yielding more applications, and for the first time ever APD partnered with Lenox Square Mall to host a recruitment event there.

Just so you know, we have one of the best police forces in the nation.

The APD has closed 72% of the city’s homicide cases by arrest, to date. That is considerably above the national rate of 54%.

We are using the Phoenix Air Unit, APD’s helicopter unit, to track down car thieves from the air.

And through our new initiative called Connect ATL, residents and businesses, like yours, can voluntarily partner with APD to connect their security cameras to our video integration center, so police have eyes where they need them.

Just last week, in a partnership with Fulton County, APD, Atlanta Police Foundation, and our federal partners, we launched a Repeat Offenders Unit to put habitual offenders on notice that we will throw the full weight of the criminal justice system at them.

And as this work continues, I want our officers to know they have the support of our entire administration. That is why I made it a priority to attend at least one roll call, during every shift, in each of our APD zones.

I’ve also visited our Fire Rescue teams during roll calls as well. 90% of Atlanta Fire Rescue’s calls are EMS-related. And they work hand-in-hand in the effort to keep Atlanta safe.

Part of my balanced approach to dealing with crime is attacking its root causes. A police response is not always necessary. For people who are dealing with mental illness and other circumstances, we have a non-emergency response.

Our Policing Alternatives and Diversion (PAD) and 3-1-1 give us another way to deal with people experiencing unique challenges. And our administration is putting 4.5-million-dollars toward expanding PAD, to get us closer to operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

I am also pleased to share that we have received major support for our Diversion Center.

Microsoft is supporting the first phase of the build out to the tune of $260,000 and through the federal Omnibus spending package, Senator Raphael Warnock’s office has earmarked nearly $3 million toward the Center.

This support gets us closer to opening the doors for this much needed center, which is a partnership between the City of Atlanta, Fulton County, PAD, Grady Hospital and Bloomberg Associates.

Working together.

Did y’all hear me say together?

Also, the City’s first Director of the Office of Violence Reduction, is also hard at work.

That office is housed within the Mayor’s office and focuses on:

• Violence Interruption programs

• Conflict Resolution programs, and

• Youth engagement

We hosted the city’s first-ever Peace Week, where we met with organizations all over town. I believe this is something we can build upon for the future.

That is why we are partnering with faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, and Atlanta Public Schools on a number of initiatives.

Thank you to Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring for all of the support. When I asked Dr. Herring to be an honorary co-chair of my transition team, I knew it would be the beginning of a wonderful partnership, and it has been just that.

During my first 10 days in office, I convened a summit on young men of color. We agreed that a major step in keeping our young people out of trouble is giving them something to do.

That is why our At Promise Centers, Recreation Centers, Youth Entrepreneurship programs, and our basketball games that take place at Midnight are so important.

Thank you to Coca-Cola for the announcement of your generous gift and for always leading by example. 

Our administration is also committing $1 million to expand the capacity of non-profits that help our young people. These dollars will be immensely helpful and are exactly what I mean by impactful “partnerships.”

Now, all these young entrepreneurs will eventually need some place affordable to live.

Our administration is committed to creating or preserving 20,000 units of affordable housing over the next eight years which will be overseen by our Affordable Housing Strike Force—a one-stop shop to oversee all our affordable housing needs. It is an ambitious goal but with your help I know we will get there.

Here is what we have already done in my first 93 days:

JP Morgan Chase has committed $2.5 million over three years to the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partners to help the dreams of home ownership become a reality for people of color.

And, Wells Fargo, in partnership with Enterprise Community Partners, is committing $1.3 million to fund at least one thousand units.

Invest Atlanta has secured financing to support nearly 400 units.

And just two weeks ago we broke ground on the Skyline Apartments which will bring 250 affordable units to the Peoplestown neighborhood in Councilman Jason Winnston’s district. 

Again –Equity in Action. 

Also, after many years and continuous negotiation I am happy to report that some of our union workers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport have received a living wage increase.

This increase will help people like Cynthia Hartfield.

Ms. Hartfield has been working to keep our airport clean for nearly 40 years.

And I am excited to have her here with us today.

Ms. Hartfield, please stand.

Thank you for all you’ve done over the years to help push for better wages for yourself and your co-workers.

Working with the SEIU and private sector partners we secured that adjustment, and nearly a thousand workers received their 50% increased wages just two days ago.

Thank you, Ms. Hartfield, for being here today and allowing us to recognize you and the hard work you and your colleagues do to keep our airport the busies and the best in the world.

For far too long, housing in Atlanta has been out of reach for working class people who want to call our city home including some of our city employees. When I was on the City Council I got word that some of our police recruits were actually sleeping in their cars during training.

As Mayor, with the help of the Atlanta Police Foundation, we cut the ribbon on Unity Place where 30 recruits will live in English Avenue during training. This is the first housing complex of its kind in the nation.

As a former small business owner, myself, I understand the need for equity and inclusion from the City.

Recently, I announced the relaunch of Invest Atlanta’s Resurgence Grant Fund. This $10 Million fund offers grants and technical assistance to small businesses. 

All told – this fund will grow to $40 million.

And Wells Fargo announced $20 million towards helping minority-owned small businesses retain more of their business assets.

But that’s not all …

We just announced the opening of five satellite Invest Atlanta offices on the southside where technical support and grant assistance can be easily accessible.

Thank you to Invest Atlanta’s President and CEO Eloisa Klementich for your continued leadership.  I know our small business owners are going to love having these new offices close by, thank you.

Can I get another applause for Equity in Action? 

Now we cannot talk about equity without focusing on our children.

Statistics show that by the time children begin school, there is already disparity in language abilities. What happens during infancy matters—and we plan to do something about it.

We have a goal of putting $20 million towards closing this gap.

The City of Atlanta has never made an investment into early childhood education. Which is why for the first time ever, I am investing $5 million in our children’s future.

And we are asking APS and the philanthropic community to match this historic investment. Stay tuned for more on this in the months to come.

So, sticking with our youth, you already know about the Mayor’s Youth Scholarship fund but this year I am launching the Mayor’s Internship Program.

I want our kids to see our government up close and maybe even see a future for themselves in it.

And I want you to join me. I want us – together – to put 3,000 teens to work this summer through our Summer Youth Employment Program.

And when we do this I mean all of this—together.

By the end of my eight years in office, Atlanta will be the best place in the country to raise a child.

In closing, I leave you today with my vision for Atlanta:

“One City with One bright future. A city of safe, healthy, connected neighborhoods with an expansive culture of equity, empowering upward mobility and full participation for all residents, embracing youth development, and an innovative, dependable government moving Atlanta forward. Together. “

That is my vision for Atlanta.

I hope you share this vision with me.

I hope you see yourself, and maybe even someone you may not often see, in this vision.

Because, as you know, I draw circles, not lines. And my vision includes everyone.

I’ve been Deacon Dickens for a while and stayed true to that at my inauguration when I talked about Nehemiah from the Old Testament.

He was a galvanizer and a leader who knew how to bring people together for one goal.

Nehemiah saw that the city’s infrastructure was in disrepair … and together with the city’s people they rebuilt Jerusalem in 52 days.

You’d be surprised what can be accomplished when we’re all in alignment in support of one common goal.

It all works together.

When we invest in our children with education and life skills, our businesses fill their workforce demands.

When we advance underserved communities and embrace equity, the root causes of crime are eliminated.

When we make residents stakeholders in their own neighborhoods, they have pride in ownership.

And when we govern thoughtfully, purposefully, and ethically we will be One City with One Bright Future…together.

Thank you for being here today.

God bless you.

And God bless the city of Atlanta.